GALS Flashcards
1
Q
GALS screen examination sequence?
A
Gait: walk the patient and note any neurological gait.
Spine: while patient standing up;
- From behind: scoliosis + muscle bulk, look for loss of symmetry.
- Side: normal lordosis + thoracic kyphosis? Bend patient forward.
- Front: look for asymmetry / wasting of major muscle group. Deformity in the joints?
- Rotate, Lateral flexion of the lumbar + cervical spine. Look for limited ROM.
Arms:
- Shoulder: – ‘Put your right hand on your back and reach up as far as you can’, ‘Put your hands up behind your head and your elbows as far back as you can’.
- Elbow: extend all the way
- Hand/wrists: ‘straighten out your arms/hands in front of you’ - look for FFD, swelling, deformity.
- Squeezy my fingers
- Touch the tip of each finger with your thumb.
Legs/Hips:
- Lie patient on the bed. Look for leg length discrepancy - if abnormal, measure true leg length from ASIS to medial malleolous + apparent length from umbilicus to medial malleolus
- Hip internal/external rotation
- Bend knees/flex - feel for crepitus
- Feet: look for arthritic changes, especially in MTP joints.
Ask whilst doing exam: any pain/stiffness, how are you affected by this? can you walk up the stairs, can you get out of the chair easily, can you dress/wash yourself?
