L3: Clinical reasoning in examination of the shoulder- Overview Flashcards
What are the 5 components of the shoulder examination?
What are the 3 purposes of the patient history and interview?
- Direct and prioritise your physical examination
- Develop your primary hypothesis and differential diagnoses
- Determine the inter-relationship of the biopsychosocial factors/context for the patient
What are the 3 primary compliants that can be identified?
- Pain… primary problem, or restricting function
- Functional impairment…
- Physical impairment… stiffness, instability, weakness (altered movement)
What are the 2 questions to ask at first in the subjective assessment?
- What brought you here today?
- What can I do for you today?
What are 7 things to ask in the patient history and interview?
- Body chart
- Adjacent structures
- Behaviour of symptoms
- History
- Other questions
- Special questions
- Patient’s goals and expectations of treatment
What are 5 features of the body chart in the patient history and interview?
- Area or region of pain – local, focal/diffuse, travel above/below shoulder
- Nature & quality of symptoms – e.g. sharp, ache, burn, throb, stiff
- Acute injury? Inflammatory? Neural?
- Severity of symptoms - e.g. pain numerical rating scale (0-10)
- Adjacent joints
- Cervical spine or elbow
- Other symptoms – pins & needles, numbness, weakness
What are 5 characteristics of the axillary nerve (C5,6) for the patient history and interview?
- Passes inferiorly & laterally along the posterior wall to exit
- the axilla through the quadrangular space, then passes posteriorly around the surgical neck of the humerus
- Innervates deltoid and teres minor
- Branches into superior lateral cutaneous nerve (loops around posterior margin of deltoid to innervate skin in that region)
- Accompanied by posterior circumflex humeral artery
What are 3 components of the “adjacent structures” in the patient history and interview?
- Somatic referred pain
- Neural
- Visceral
What are the 2 characteristics of the “adjacent structures- somatic referred pain” in the patient history and interview?
- Cervical structures
- Thoracic structures – 1st rib, 2nd rib (Boyle 1999); tends to be more posterior shoulder
What are the 2 characteristics of the “adjacent structures- neural” in the patient history and interview?
- C5 supplies shoulder
- Number of dermatomes pass over the shoulder
What are the 2 characteristics of the “adjacent structures- visceral” in the patient history and interview?
- Post-surgical – diaphragmatic irritation due to air in abdominal cavity (C3,4,5)
- Cardiac referral
What are 7 components of the “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- 24 hrour picture
- Severity
- Irritability
- Pain, disability, physical restriction
- Aggravating and easing factors
- Somatic vs neurogenic
- Sleep disturbance
What are the 2 characteristics of the “24 hour picture” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Behaviour through the day
- Relationship to rest and activity
What is a characteristic of the “severity” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
Intensity of pain
What are 3 characteristics of the “irritability” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Are symptoms exacerbated easily?
- How long does it take to settle, and what can be done to settle?
- Determines how hard you go with physical examination and treatment
What are 4 characteristics of the “aggravating and easing factors” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Need to ensure that you are focused on their main presenting features – pain vs. weakness vs. instability vs. stiffness – don’t just ask about pain!
- Activity
- Ergonomics / sports analysis
- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions
What are 4 characteristics of the “aggravating and easing factors- Activity” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- sport, work tasks, ADL
- dynamic or static postures
- Are symptoms aggravated with arm by side or carrying, through range (rotator cuff), at end of range (ACJ, instability)?
- What activities have they changed or avoided due to shoulder problem?
What are 3 characteristics of the “aggravating and easing factors- Ergonomics / sports analysis” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- throwers in cocking phase – possible internal impingement
- feeling of weakness or giving way (e.g. in abduction/ER)
- computer set up – e.g. mouse position
What are 4 features of the “aggravating and easing factors- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Pain when arm by side:
- Inferior instability
- Scapular downward rotation – alters GHJ position; tractions neural tissues
- Acute bursitis – tend to hurt all the time
- Pain through range:
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy or tear; bursa
- Biceps loading superior labrum (SLAP lesion)
- Impingement of the internal/external rotators
- End of range:
- ACJ
- stiff shoulders (adhesive capsulitis, OA)
- instability
- Load on shoulder:
- Carrying load on shoulder - loads ACJ
- Altered scapular stability – increased shoulder load e.g. during overhead activity; is it due to
- problem with long thoracic or accessory nerve?
What are 3 problems in “pain when arm by side” of the “aggravating and easing factors- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Inferior instability
- Scapular downward rotation – alters GHJ position; tractions neural tissues
- Acute bursitis – tend to hurt all the time
What are 3 in “pain through range” of the “aggravating and easing factors- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy or tear; bursa
- Biceps loading superior labrum (SLAP lesion)
- Impingement of the internal/external rotators
What are 3 problems in “end of range” of the “aggravating and easing factors- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- ACJ
- stiff shoulders (adhesive capsulitis, OA)
- instability
What are 2 problems in “load on shoulder” of the “aggravating and easing factors- Consider symptoms with different static, dynamic, sustained, momentary positions” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Carrying load on shoulder - loads ACJ
- Altered scapular stability – increased shoulder load e.g. during overhead activity; is it due to problem with long thoracic or accessory nerve?
What are 2 characteristics of the “Somatic vs. neurogenic (nerve root, brachial plexus, peripheral nerve) referral” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Are symptoms exacerbated by shoulder vs. neck movement
- Consider positions that sensitise neural tissues (e.g. ULTTs)
What are 6 characteristics of the “Sleep disturbances” in “behaviour of symptoms” in the patient history and interview?
- Common symptom
- Systemic inflammatory conditions – often report night pain, not relieved with mvt
- Ipsilateral side lying: direct compression of ACJ, tendons, ribs
- Contralateral side lying: positioned in horizontal adduction, traction of posterior structures
- Supine: mild extension (may stress anterior structures)
- Typical position of comfort is loose packed position – 30o flex, 30o abd, 0o rotation