2.2.2. SG Physical Exam Flashcards
5 key aspects of the history
- Overuse versus Traumatic mechanism of Injury
- Insidious versus acute onset of pain
- Presence or absence of swelling
- Past history or previous injury or surgery
- Presence of systemic symptoms like fever, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, etc.
Inspection Steps
Begins with patient walking in. Look for changes in gait, arm swing, seating, and other observations can provide clues
Make sure to actually observe the skin of the patient
Also check to see if the joint appears swollen, which is often caused by joint effusion
What are joint effusions?
Joint effusions are collections of fluid inside the joint capsule, which is like the plastic bag around the joint. Can vary from obvious redness to swelling to far more subtle
First step of palpation exam
Wash hands
Last step of palpation exam
Wash hands
Two things you need to do when doing palpation portion of exam
- Need to know the anatomy
2. Check temperature
What is the warm cold warm test?
- Place back of hand on thigh (warm)
- Place back of hand on kneecap or just medially (cold)
- Place back of hand on lateral calf (warm)
What does Warm-Cold-Warm mean for the Warm cold warm test?
Warm-Cold-Warm means no irritation or inflammation in the joint
What does Warm-Warm-Warm mean for the Warm cold warm test?
Warm-warm-warm means something is irritating the joint. Not normal, could be chronic or acute
What does Warm-Hot-Warm mean for the Warm cold warm test?
Warm-hot-warm almost always means joint infection, accompanied by swelling, redness
Two types of ROM
Active vs. Passive
Active is how much they can do on their own, passive is how much you can do for them
What are we looking for with active ROM testing?
Ask patient to describe any pain during that motion, watch for catching and locking and look for any changes bilaterally (usually the same on both sides)
Two considerations for the strength-neurological testing
- Place limb so that the muscle being tested is activated or contracted and then put force on it with the patient resisting in the opposite way
- When testing nerve innervations, use muscles that are weaker to test if there really is a problem, don’t use muscles that even at a “weak” state are still very strong
Steps to the Physical Exam
Inspection Palpation ROM Strength Special Tests
First thing you do when a patient complains of back pain
Check the spine
How does cervical innervation differ from lumbar/thoracic vertebrae?
Cervical nerve roots named for the vertebrae below
Where does the C5 nerve root exit out of?
Between the C4 and C5 vertebrae
C5 nerve Motor
Deltoid, Biceps
C5 nerve Reflex
Biceps
C5 nerve Sensation
Lateral Arm
C6 nerve motor
Wrist Extensors, biceps
C6 nerve reflex
Brachioradialis
C6 nerve sensation
Thumb/index finger
C7 nerve motor
Triceps, wrist flexors
C7 nerve reflex
Triceps
C7 nerve sensation
Long finger
C8 nerve motor
Finger Flexors
C8 nerve reflex
None
C8 nerve sensation
Ulnar forearm, palmar pinky
T1 nerve motor
Finger Abduction
T1 nerve reflex
None
T1 nerve sensation
Medial elbow
Nickname for the nerve C5
Blocker