Massage Therapy MBLEx Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

Question 1

A massage therapist applies sustained effleurage to a client's posterior thigh, mechanically deforming the soft tissue. Which property of connective tissue accounts for the gradual increase in tissue extensibility that occurs when a constant load is applied over time?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Creep — the time-dependent deformation of viscoelastic material under sustained load. Creep is the viscoelastic property whereby connective tissue continues to deform (lengthen) when a constant stress is maintained over time, explaining why sustained pressure or stretching progressively increases tissue extensibility.

Question 2

The endocrine pancreas secretes glucagon from alpha cells in response to falling blood glucose. Through which mechanism does glucagon restore glucose homeostasis?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Promoting glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes to release glucose into the blood. Glucagon binds receptors on liver (hepatocyte) cells and activates both glycogenolysis (breaking down glycogen) and gluconeogenesis (synthesizing new glucose), directly raising blood glucose back toward the normal set-point.

Question 3

A therapist notes that a client's skin in the lumbar region exhibits a dermatomal pattern of hyperalgesia corresponding to spinal level L3. This phenomenon, where visceral or somatic dysfunction at one spinal segment sensitizes afferent pathways causing pain in a distant skin region, is best described as:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Referred pain via convergence of visceral and somatic afferents at the same dorsal horn segment. Referred pain arises because visceral and somatic afferent neurons converge on the same second-order neurons in the dorsal horn; the brain misinterprets the visceral signal as originating from the corresponding somatic dermatome, producing pain or hyperalgesia in that skin region.

Question 4

Which muscle is the primary flexor of the elbow joint?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Biceps brachii. The biceps brachii is the primary elbow flexor because it crosses the anterior aspect of the elbow joint and its contraction produces the greatest flexion torque, while the triceps brachii is the antagonist (extensor) and the brachioradialis is a synergist.

Question 5

Moving the arm away from the midline of the body in the frontal plane is called:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Abduction. Abduction specifically describes movement of a limb away from the body's midline within the frontal (coronal) plane, whereas adduction is the return movement toward the midline.

Question 6

The gluteus maximus primarily performs which action at the hip joint?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Hip extension. The gluteus maximus is the largest and most powerful hip extensor; its fibers run from the posterior ilium, sacrum, and coccyx to insert on the iliotibial band and gluteal tuberosity of the femur, producing forceful extension.

Question 7

A synovial joint that allows movement in only one plane (like a door hinge) is classified as which type?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Hinge (ginglymus). A hinge (ginglymus) joint permits flexion and extension in a single plane only; the elbow and interphalangeal joints are classic examples of this uniaxial joint type.

Question 8

Which plane divides the body into anterior and posterior halves?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Frontal (coronal) plane. The frontal (coronal) plane divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) sections; movements such as abduction and adduction occur within this plane.

Question 9

The trapezius muscle originates on the occipital bone and spinous processes of C7–T12. Its UPPER fibers primarily perform which action on the scapula?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Scapular elevation and upward rotation. The upper trapezius fibers pull the scapula superiorly (elevation) and rotate the glenoid fossa upward, which is essential during shoulder abduction above 90 degrees.

Question 10

During a biceps curl exercise, the triceps brachii acts as the:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Antagonist. The antagonist is the muscle that opposes the prime mover's action; because the triceps brachii extends the elbow — the opposite of the biceps-driven flexion — it is the antagonist in a biceps curl.

Massage Therapy MBLEx Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

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