Introduction to Physical Agents for PTA Practice Test 2026 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Fever is not a cardinal sign of inflammation. The classic local signs you look for at the inflamed site are heat, redness, swelling, and pain, produced by vasodilation, increased vascular permeability, and mediators at the tissue. Fever, by contrast, is a systemic response driven by pyrogens that raise the hypothalamic set point to increase body temperature. It can occur with infection or systemic inflammation, but it isn’t a localized sign of inflammation itself.