Examination of Elbow

Question 1

How do you position the patient?

Answer 1

Make sure they are in the anatomical position

Question 2

What do you look for?

Answer 2

All aspects of the joint

Scars

Swellings

Wounds

Sinuses

Rashes

Psoriatic plaques

Rheumatic nodules

Evidence of olecranon bursitis

Carrying angle (10 degrees for males, 15 degrees for females)

Look for muscle wasting or the discolouration of bruising

Question 3

What do you feel for?

Answer 3

Temperature

Tenderness over medial and lateral epicondyles

(medial epicondyle = golfers elbow, lateral epicondyle = tennis elbow)

Tenderness over the olecranon process

Tenderness over the radial head

Swellings

LOOK AT PATIENTS FACE

Question 4

Active Movement?

Answer 4

Flexion

Extension

Supination (0-90 degrees is normal) (elbow flexed at 90 degrees)

Pronation (0-85 degrees)

Question 5

How do you do these movements passively?

Answer 5

Feel for creps on elbow for flexion/extension

Supination/pronation = feel with thumb on radial head

Question 6

How do you close the examination?

Answer 6

Check ability to put hand to mouth for feeding

Examine the shoulder and wrist joint