OMM Principles and Practice of Osteopathic Medicine II (PPOMII) Practical 1 Practice Test

In a knee flexion somatic dysfunction treated with muscle energy technique, the patient performs an isometric contraction of the muscles that are tight. This is done by bending the knee against the clinician’s counterforce, meaning the knee flexors (the hamstrings) are actively contracting without actual joint movement. This action uses the muscle energy principle of post-isometric relaxation to allow the muscle to lengthen and the joint to move toward a new, more neutral barrier when the patient relaxes and the knee is repositioned. The other options describe movements or placements by the clinician or positions that don’t reflect the patient’s active contraction in this technique.