Musculoskeletal/Neuro Flashcards
Sample questions for tremors/Parkinson’s Disease
Where is the tremor? How long does it last? How is it treated? What medications are you on? Limitations on ADLs?
Sample questions for parasthesias (pins and needles)
Precipitating factors? How long did it last? How was it treated? Are you on any medications? How often does it occur? Residual symptoms?
Sample questions for nerve injuries, MS, nervous system disease
Precipitating factors? Causation? When was it diagnosed? What are your specific symptoms? How is it treated? How often do flare-ups occur? Residual symptoms?
Sample questions for headaches
Precipitating factors? How long do they last? How are they treated? How often do they occur? Residual symptoms?
Sample questions for psych meds and herbal meds
What are the medications? Why do the take them? How often do you take them? Do they help? What happens if you d/c the med suddenly or forget a dose? Do you have any side effects?
Sample questions for neuromuscular pain
Which joints are affected?
Do you have LBP?
How well is it managed?
What are the precipitating factors for the pain?
What is your normal ROM?
What makes the pain worse? What makes it better?
Sample questions to assess functional capacity?
have you been doing usual work at your job or at home?
have you been participating in your normal activities in the last 6 months?
Sample questions for chronic pain management?
What have you taken? Why did you take it? When/how long did you take it? How effective was the treatment? Do some meds work better than others at treating your pain?
What is a key concept when providing anesthetics to a patient with a neuromuscular disorder?
pay special attention to positioning and always attempt to maintain a normal range of motion!
then DOCUMENT that you did it
When would you asses the temporomandibular joint?
on someone who has RA or pre-existing TMJ
What are abnormal findings during a TMJ assessment?
swelling, pain, decreased motility
What are normal findings during a TMJ assessment?
clicking or popping
How will you assess the TMJ?
place tips of index finger just in front of the tragus and ask patient to open their mouth.
fingertips should drop into the space where the jaw.
ask the patient to open and close jaw, protrude jaw, and slide it side to side.
How can you assess the C-spine?
flexion = touch chin to chest extension = look up at the ceiling rotation = turn head side to side lateral = touch ear to shoulder on each side
How would you assess shoulder ROM?
abduct the arms to shoulder level
raise arms vertically above the head with palms facing each other
place both hands behind neck with elbows out to the side
place both hands on lumbar spine
Why is it important to assess the shoulder joint pre-op?
thoracic outlet syndrome can occur in the prone position –> causes limb ischemia and potential brachial plexus injury
How can you perform an assessment of the elbow joint?
have patient flex and extend forearm
have patient turn palms up and down to assess pronation and supination
When would it be important to complete a hip ROM?
if the patient is going to be positioned in lithotomy
How would you assess hip ROM?
place hand under the patients lumbar spine and ask them to bring their knee to their chest
place hand on patient’s opposite iliac spine and abduct and extend the leg until the patient tells you to stop or when the iliac spine moves
How would you test cranial nerve 1?
olfactory - have patient smell something common and identify it
How would you assess cranial nerve 2?
pupillary reaction to light, accomodation, confrontation
How would you assess cranial nerve 3?
extra ocular movements
How would you assess cranial nerve 4?
extraocular movements
How would you assess cranial nerve 5?
have patient clench teeth and palpate temporal and masseter muscles
check sensation of trigeminal nerve path
check corneal reflex
How could you assess cranial nerve 6?
extra ocular movements
How could you assess cranial nerve 7?
smile/frown, close eyes tightly against resistance, puff out both cheeks,
How can you assess cranial nerve 8?
general impression of the patient should give you an indication of their hearing level but a more comprehensive exam would require tuning forks and other specialized instruments and must be performed by an audiologist
How could you assess cranial nerve 9 and 10?
voice hoarseness, gag reflex (tongue depressor), checking to make sure of symmetrical palatal movement during “aaahhhh”,
How can you assess cranial nerve 12?
ask the patient to move tongue from side to side
How can you assess cranial nerve 11?
have patient elevate shoulders against resistance or turn their head against resistance
List some important dermatome landmarks:
C3 - front of neck C6 - thumb C8 - pinky T4 - nipple T10 - umbilicus L1 - groin L5 - big toe S1 - heel S3 - perianal region
How is muscle strength standardly assessed?
On a scale from 0-5
0: no movement
1: flickr
2: no effort against gravity
3: some effort against gravity
4: some resistance
5: full strength
What nerves are involved in elbow movement?
flexion - C5, C6
extension - C6, C7, C8
What nerves are involved in palmar grip?
C7, C8, T1