End Feels

Question 0

What are the normal end feels?

Answer 0

Normal end feels are as follows:

1. Hard - bone to bone. Hard, unyielding and painless.
2. Firm - tissue stretch/capsular. Firm movement with slight give and springy or elastic resistance that may vary between joints. Noir is the most common end feel.
3. Soft - soft tissue approximation. Yielding to compression.

Question 1

What is a joint end feel?

Answer 1

Each joint has a characteristic end feel. You can assess an end feel thru the resistance to further motion at the end of a passive range of motion.

Question 2

What are abnormal end feels?

Answer 2

1. Hard - bone to bone. Typical but with restriction before normal end range.
2. Firm - capsular. Typicality reduced. Can feel thick or boggy.
3. Soft - soft tissue approximation occurring sooner or later in ROM than is usual.
4. Empty - considerable pain is produced with out any real movement or resistance.
5. Springy block - similar to tissue stretch but has a rebound effect. Indicated internal derangement.
6. Muscle spasm - sudden or hard stoppage of movement accompanied with pain and a springy block.

Question 3

Reliability

Answer 3

Reliability - determines whether the results of the test are predictably reproducible.
The greater the predictable reproducibility of a test, the greater the reliability of the test results.

Question 4

Intra-tester reliability

Answer 4

Inter-tester reliability refs