MSK Flashcards
(171 cards)
What are the common presenting complaints in MSK health?
- Pain
- Arthralgia - Joint pain
- Myalgia - Muscle pain
- Pain in soft tissues
- Joint stiffness
- Joint swelling
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has shoulder pathology (Pain/Stiffness etc)?
- Impingment (Supraspinatus tendonitis)
- Rotator cuff tear
- Adhesive capsulitis
- OA
- Dislocation/Instability
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has Hip pathology (Pain/Stiffness etc)?
- OA
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Trochanteric bursitis
- # NOF
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has knee pathology (Pain/Stiffness etc)?
- ACL Tear
- PCL tear
- Meniscal tear
- Collateral ligaments tear
- OA
- Pre-patellar bursitis
- Septic Arthritis
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has Spine pathology (Pain/Stiffness etc)?
- OA
- Facet joint deterioration
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Sciatica
- Cauda Equina
- Spinal cord compression
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has Lower back pathology (Pain/Stiffness etc)?
- MSK pain (Paravertebral muscles)
- Lumbar spondylosis
- Lumbar OA
- Lumbar disc prolapse
- Spinal #
- Discitis
- AS
- Bone lesion/Mets
- PID
- AAA
What are the differentials to be considered if a patient has joint pain/stiffness/swelling?
- RA
- Gout
- Psoriatic arthritis
- OA
- Septic arthritis
- Trauma
What MSK conditions are common in children?
- Transient synovitis - Knee/Hip/Any joint
- Perthes/SUFE/DDH - Hip
- Osgood-Schlatters/Patellar tendonitis - Knee
You are asked to assess an acutely unwell patient with any pathology, how would you approach this assesment?
[Airway]
- Any signs of airway obstruction, foreign bodyFacial/mandibular/laryngeal fracture
- Protect C spine
- If patient talking -> airway likely fine
- Nasopharyngeal airway -> Conscious patient
- Oropharyngeal airway -> Unconscious patient GCS <8
- Give High flow O2 at high rate - 15L Rebreather
[Breathing]
- Evaluate breathing
- Look/listen/feel for signs of respiratory distress
- Count RR in breaths/min
- Assess rhythm/depth of breaths
- Assess position of trachea
- Equal chest expansion on observation & palpation
- Note chest deformity
- Record SpO2
- Percuss & Auscultate chest
[Circulation]
- Assess cardiac status & control haemorrhage if present
- Assess blood loss
- Pallor & temperature (peripheral circulation)
- Pulse & CRT <2s
- Level of consciousness
- BP
- If bleeding
- 2 large bore cannula
- Crossmatch blood & Baseline bloods - FBC/U&E
- IV fluid - Ringers Lactate
- Apply pressure to stem bleeding
- Note: If patient not responding to fluid resus - consider internal bleeding (Abdomen/pelvis)
- Auscultate the heart
- HS present? Any extra?
- Valve areas
- Urinary catheter to assess fluid loss
[Disability]
- GCS score/AVPU
- Pupils - PEARL
- Assess for spinal cord injury
- blood glucose
[Exposure]
- Fully expose the patient to examine for signs of trauma
- Ensure to prevent hypothermia
Secondary survey
- Head to toe exam
- Hx taking - SAMPLES
- S - signs & symptoms
- A - Allergies
- M - Medications
- P - Past medical Hx
- L - Last meal & drink
- E - Events leading up to present illness/injury
- S - Social Hx
A patient presents with joint swelling and pain, you aspirate the synovial fluid and find the following results. What do they suggest?
- Colour -> Colourless
- Clarity - Transparent/translucent
- Viscosity -> Normal
- WBC -> <200 cells/mm3
- Neutrophils -> <25% of total WCC
- Gram stain -> Negative
- Crystals -> Negative
Normal
A patient presents with joint swelling and pain, you aspirate the synovial fluid and find the following results. What do they suggest?
- Colour ->Yellow/Green
- Clarity -> Cloudy/Opaque
- Viscosity -> Decreased
- WBC -> >50,000/mm3
- Neutrophils -> 75%
- Gram stain -> Positive
- Crystals -> Negative
Septic Arthritis
A patient presents with joint swelling and pain, you aspirate the synovial fluid and find the following results. What do they suggest?
- Colour ->Straw like/yellow
- Clarity -> Translucent
- Viscosity -> Increase
- WBC -> <2000/mm3
- Neutrophils -> <25%
- Gram stain -> Negative
- Crystals -> Negative
Non-inflammatory pathology
A patient presents with joint swelling and pain, you aspirate the synovial fluid and find the following results. What do they suggest?
- Colour ->Yellow
- Clarity -> Cloudy
- Viscosity -> Decreased
- WBC -> 2000-50,000/mm3
- Neutrophils -> 50%
- Gram stain -> Negative
- Crystals -> Positive or Negative
Inflammatory Pathology
- Positive crystals = Gout
- Negative crystals = Pseudogout
A patient presents with joint swelling and pain, you aspirate the synovial fluid and find the following results. What do they suggest?
- Colour ->Red/xanthochromic
- Clarity -> Bloody
- Viscosity -> Variable (Increased/Decreased)
- WBC -> 200-20,000/mm3
- Neutrophils -> 50-75%
- Gram stain -> Negative
- Crystals -> Negative
Haemarthrosis
You are given a patients x-ray result to interpret. How would you do this?
[Patient details]
- Patient ID - Name & DOB & Date of x-ray
- Image orientation
- Adequacy - Correct projection/Area of interest included
- Should be more than one view - AP/Lateral/Frog leg (Hip)
- Joint above & Joint below should be shown
- Due to the potential for additional injuries - Fracture/dislocation
- Is bone and soft tissue easily seen & differentiated
- Assess if the patient is rotated
[Assess image]
- Alignment
- Bones
- Cortex - Should be smooth, continuous line
- Density
- Trabecular pattern - Disruptions Lucent/Sclerotic lines
- Lucent (Black) lines -> Displaced fracture
- Sclerotic (White) lines -> Overlapping fracture
- Is patient skeletally mature (Fused epiphyses/growth plates)
- Cartilage & Joints Assess for degeneration - LOSS
- Loss of joint space
- Osteophytes
- Subchondral cysts
- Sclerosis (Subchondral)
- Inflammatory changes
- Periarticular osteoporosis
- Soft tissue swelling
- Bony erosions
- Soft tissue
- Artefacts
[Describe fracture]
- Site of fracture
- Which bone
- Which part of the bone
- Proximal/Middle/Distal 1/3 OR Intra-articular
- Examine entire cortex for any breaks
- Type of fracture
- Simple (Skin intact)/Open (Skin not intact)
- Transverse (Perpendicular to long axis of bone)
- Oblique (Angled <90 deg to long axis of bone)
- Spiral (Curving around bone)
- Greenstick (Break in one cortex, other cortex remains intact)
- Vertical (Parallel to long axis of bone)
- Is it single or comminuted (>2 fragments of bone)
- Is it displaced or not?If displaced, in what direction? (relationship of distal fragment to the proximal fragment)
- Non-displaced
- Anterior/Posterior/medial/lateral displacement
- Impacted (Bone fragments driven into each other)
- Is it angulated?
- Movement of distal fragment relative to proximal bones in deg
- Is the bone of normal consistency or not?
- Osteopenia -> Most of bone is dark (Radiolucent) and cortex is thin
- Radiolucency around joint -> Inflammation/infected joint
- Focal lucent areas -> Bone lesion
- Sclerotic (Radio-opaque) -> Sclerotic bone metastases
- Is there any shortening of the bone?
[Present exam]
- Wash hands & Thank patient
- “This is patient x who is a x year old Male/Female with the following findings”
- I would take a full Hx from the patient & Examine the joint
- Consider differentials
- Investigations
- Observations
- Bloods
- Imaging
- Management
What are the different types of #?
- Simple (Skin intact)/Open (Skin not intact)
- Transverse (Perpendicular to long axis of bone)
- Oblique (Angled <90 deg to long axis of bone)
- Spiral (Curving around bone)
- Greenstick (Break in one cortex, other cortex remains intact)
- Vertical (Parallel to long axis of bone)
What is the difference between Subluxation and Dislocation?
Subluxation -> Normal anatomy of the join is disrupted - remains contact between articular surfaces of the joint
Dislocation -> Complete disruption of the joint with no contact b/w joint surfaces
What would be the findings on x-ray in a joint with OA?
LOSS
- Loss of joint space
- Osteophytes
- Subchondral sclerosis
- Subchondral cysts
What would be the findings on x-ray in a joint with RA or any other inflammatory arthritis?
LESP
- Loss of joint space
- Erosions of bone
- Soft tissue swelling
- Periarticular Osteoporosis
What would be the findings on x-ray in a patient with Gout?
- Overhanging edges
- Usually 1st MTP joint
- Erosions
What is meant by the following terms:
Varus
Valgus
Varus – Distal part to the joint described points TOWARDS the midline
Valgus
What is the growth plate/Physis?
What is the biggest worry with a growth plate injury in children?
Physis = Area of cartilage which proliferates and the leading edge calcifies to form new bone
Can lead to cessation of growth & limb shortening
What is the structure of bone?
- Epiphysis (Superior)
- Physis (Growth plate)
- Metaphysis
- Diaphysis (Shaft)
What is SUFE?
- Slipped upper femoral epiphyses - Caused by instability of the proximal femoral physis which then allows the cap of the femoral head epiphysis to slip
- Usually a-traumatic or due to minor injury














