MSK history and examination Flashcards
What do you need to ask about the site of pain?
What is the pattern of joints involved?
- Which joints?
- Small or large?
- Single/multiple?
- Bilateral?
- Symmetrical/asymmetrical?
What are some associated symptoms of MSK pain?
Stiffness and/or swelling Crepitus Erythema Increased local temperature Fatigue Malaise Depression Systemic temperature Rashes/skin conditions Nodules Abdominal pain Weight loss Systemic symptoms Dry mouth and gritty eyes
What do you need to ask about timing?
Relationship to time of day?
- How do they feel in the morning/evening?
- How do you sleep?
What do exacerbating factors have to do with the type of condition?
Exercise - mechanical/degenerative conditions
Rest - inflammatory conditions
What do you ask in a MSK PMH?
Anything similar previously? Tests/diagnoses/treatments? Did they work? S/E? Hx of trauma? Recent infective episodes? Diabetes? Psoriasis? IBD? Coeliac disease? TB? Autoimmune conditions? Risk factors for gout?
What do you ask in a drug Hx?
Current medications for presenting condition
Other current medications
OTC? Do they work?
What should you ask in a social Hx?
Occupation - does it affect their employment? Sports and hobbies? Home circumstances AODL Smoking Alcohol
What should you ask in a FHx?
FHx of RA, OA, psoriasis, gout, UC, Crohn’s, connective tissue disease or any other autoimmune diseases?
What are the initial questions to ask in a GALS examination?
Do you have any pain or stiffness in your muscles, joints or back?
Are you able to completely dress or undress yourself without difficulty?
Are you able to climb up and down stairs without any difficulty?
What are the main steps in a GALS examination?
Inspection Gait Arms Legs Spine
What do you look for in the inspection and how do you do it? GALS
Look from front - abnormalities in shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, chest, hips, knees, thighs and feet
Look from side - presence of normal spine curvatures, hip and knee flexion deformities or knee hyperextension
Look from back - abnormalities in shoulders, spine, and paraspinal muscles, level of iliac crests, gluteal regions, popliteal fossae, calves, achilles tendons nad hind feet
What do you look for in their gait and how do you do it? GALS
Ask patient to walk a few steps, turn and walk back
Comment on arm swing, pelvic tilt, stride length, ability to turn quickly and any painful gait on walking
Ask whether walking is painful/painless
What do you assess in the spine? GALS
Assess flexion of lumbar spine
Assess lateral flexion of neck
What should you observe in the arms? GALS
Shoulders
Wrists and hands
What movements do you need to do when assessing the shoulders? GALS
Ask patient to put their hands behind their head and push their elbows back
Observe abnormalities in ROM of shoulder abduction and external rotation and elbow flexion
What do you need to do when assessing the hands and wrists? GALS
Look
Feel
Move
What should you look for in the wrists and hands? GALS
Hands out in front of them palms down
Ask them to turn hands over palms up
Observe any joint swelling, deformity, loss of contours, muscle wasting, skin/nail changes and nodules in wrists and hands
Observe ability to supinate and pronate at elbow
Observe ability to fully straighten elbow
What do you feel for in the hands? GALS
Assess tenderness by performing lateral squeeze of MCPs
What do you look for when you move the hands? GALS
Check ability to make a full fist covering the nails
Ask patient to squeeze fingers to assess grip strength
Ask patient to bring each finger to meet the thumb
What do you look at in the legs? GALS
Hips and knees
Feet
What do you look for in the hips? GALS
Ask the patient to fully flex and extend their knee placing hand over knee to assess for crepitus
Bend knee and hip to 90 degrees
Hold knee and use ankle to move leg assessing external and internal rotation of the hip
Patellar tap test/bulge test
What do you look for in the feet? GALS
Inspect soles for swelling, deformity or callosities
Squeeze across MTP joints checking for tenderness
What are the steps in a joint examination?
Look
Feel
Move
Special tests
What do you look for in a hip examination and how do you do it?
With patient standing
- Inspect from front for pelvic tilt, joint deformities, wasting of quadriceps
- Inspect from side for exaggerated lumbar lordosis
- Inspect from behind for wasting of gluteal muscles and scoliosis
- Look at stance
With patient supine
- Inspect for scars in groin, anterior and lateral thighs
- Roll patient onto side to inspect gluteal region
Assess symmetry - leg length discrepancy?