palpations Flashcards
Tragus
- Flap of skin just anterior to the external auditory meatus
* Anterior to the EAM
Zygomatic arch
- Anterior to ear canal, merges with the orbit
- -Formed by temporal and zygomatic bones
Movement of the Mandibular Condyle
- Place fingers just in front of ear and anterior to mastoid process
- Have partner perform different motions to feel
- -Open / Close
- -Deviate right / left
- -Protrude / Retract
- Also feel with little fingers inside the ear or listen with a sthethescope
Temporalis
- Place fingers 1 inch superior to zygomatic arch
- Have partner clench/relax their jaw
- Move fingers around and try to outline it
Masseter
- Place fingers between zygomatic arch and angle of mandible
* Have your partner clench/relax their jaw
Digastric
- Place fingertips along the underside of the mandible
* Have partner place tip of tongue firmly against roof of the mouth
Superficial Temporal Artery
*Palpate anterior to the ear and superior to the zygomatic arch
Facial Artery
*Locate masseter’s anterior border, place fingers next to the base of the mandible and feel for the artery
Platysma
- Felt of lateral sides of the neck.
* Ask partner to grimace (depress lower lip and angle of mounth)
Iliac Crest
- Most superior aspect of the pelvis
* Lay hands flat along the most superior aspect to check for symmetry
Iliac Tubercle
- 3 iches from top of crest
* Widest point of the crest
ASIS
- Move anterior until you feel the bump
- Drop off and hook under and check for symmetry
- Sartorius and TFL originate here
AIIS
- Inferior and slightly medial to ASIS
- Rectus Femoris originates here
- Ask patient to initiate hip flexion with knee extension.
Pubic Tubercle
- Superior bony aspect of the pubic symphysis
- Two approaches
- -Start with palmar contact, fingers towards belly button and slide down until it bumps against the tubercles and replace your palm with index fingers
- -Have patient find and then replace with your fingers
- -Check for symmetry
Rubic Rami
*Laterally from the tubercle
PSIS
- Directly under the dimple on the posterior aspect of the spine just above the buttocks.
- Check for symmetry and movement
- -Bending forward
SI joint
- Just medial to PSIS (Not “Entire Joint”)
* Common location of pain for patients with SI joint dysfunction
Spinous Process of S2
Between PSIS’s
Sacral Sulcus
- “Dip” between the S2 spinous process and the PSIS
- Check the depth comparing sides
- -Could give you an idea of any sacral torsions
Inferior Lateral Angle (ILA)
- Angle formed at the inferior apex of the sacrum proximal and lateral to the coccyx
- -Can assist in revealing a rotation of the sacrum
- -Used as a manipulation contact for mobilization of the ILA joint
Ischial Tuberosity
- Level of the gluteal fold
- Palm up, move up until ischial tuberosity rests between the thenar/hypothenar eminences
- Replace with the fingers
- Pain here could be ischial bursitis or possible hamstring strain
*Can also try in side lying and bending hip into flexion
Greater Trochanter
- Most prominent lateral aspect of the femur
- Common source of pain due to trochanteric bursa
- -Just posterior to the most lateral aspect
- Used as landmark to clinically check for hip anteversion or retroversion
Lesser Trochanter
- Located in proximal medial thigh, difficult to palpate.
* With patient in relaxed and supported hip flexion/external rotation, press down against femur.
Psoas
- Pt hooklying or in supported 90/90 position
- 2 inches lateral and then two inches inferior to umbilicus
- -Lateral to rectus
- Must go deep (breathe), ask patient to initiate hip flexion to feel it contract
Iliacus
- Palpate medial to ASIS and deep
- As patient breathes out attempt to go deeper and press in and laterally
- Ask patient to attempt to flex hip to feel contract
- Use a pad touch and not a tip touch bc tip touch will hurt more
Iliopsoas and Pectineus
- Palpate over anterior hip ~1.5 inches below the center of the inguinal ligament.
- Ask patient to attempt to flex hip
- Iliopsoas will be lateral, pectineus medial
Hamstrings
- To palpate their common origins, have patient lay on side and bring knee up to chest.
- -Tenderness could be direct damage to hamstrings or ischial bursitis
- Have patient lay prone and resist knee flexion and palpate along medial and lateral hamstring tendons/muscles.
- Trace down the muscle and distinguish between the different insertions distally at the knee joint.
Sartorius
- Palpate ASIS in supine, externally rotate the hip slightly and resist flexion.
- A “V” is formed
- -TFL laterally
- -Sartorius medially
- -Space between and distally is rectus femoris
*Work you way down the lateral thigh/leg to knee palpating and attempting to “bend” ITB.
Gluteus Medius/Minimus
- In side lying or standing, palpate below iliac crest asking the patient to perform 1st few degrees of abduction.
- Palpate down towards greater trochanter.
*Minimus is deep to medius and originates distally.
Gluteus Maximus
- Most posterior and superficial glut muscle
* Resist hip extension with knee bent to feel it contract.
Piriformis
- Palpate deep to gluteus maximus.
- One finger on the sacrum just inferior to PSIS and the other on the uppermost aspect of the greater trochanter marks the line of pull. Work deep and run fingers perpendicular to the fibers to feel.
- -Two different functions depending on amount of hip flexion
- -Try to find the superior and inferior borders
Sciatic Nerve
- Prone
- -Approximately half way to a third the distance of the piriformis and distal/deep to that
- Sidelying with hip flexed
- -midway between greater trochanter and ischial tuberosity
Femoral Triangle Surface Palpation
Superior Border --Inguinal ligament Lateral Border --Sartorius Medial Border --Adductor longus Floor -Medial ---Pectineus ---Adductor longus -Lateral ---Iliopsoas
Hip Flexion
- Patient supine with knees extended and no hip abduction/adduction and rotation.
- Keep contralateral LE flat
- -Provides additional stabilization
- -Also use hand to prevent posterior tilting of pelvis
- As patient flexes hip allow knee to bend
- -Reduces hamstring tension.
- When ROM is complete, move hand stabilizing pelvis to hold/position proximal arm
Hip Abduction
- Patient supine with knees extended and hips in neutral abd/adduction and rotation.
- -Starting position is 90° on the goniometer
- Position patient to opposite end of table of leg being tested
- -Lets the table support the moving leg.
Hip Adduction
- Patient supine with knees extended and hips in neutral abd/adduction and rotation.
- -Starting position is 90°
- Position contralateral extremity in abduction.
- -Provides sufficient space to complete full adduction ROM.
Hip Extension
- Patient prone with both knees extended and neutral abd/adduction and rotation
- Stabilize pelvis with one hand while patient extends hip raising it from the table
- -Keep contralateral extremity flat on table.
- Keep knee in extension
- -Reduce tension on rectus femoris.
- At end ROM the therapist can use distal hand to support the femur and keep distal goniometer arm in alignment.
Hip IR
- Patient sitting with knees flexed to 90° over a supported surface
- Place hip in 0° abd/adduction and in 90° of flexion.
- -Towel roll under distal end of femur.
- Stabilize distal end of femur
- Prevents compensations
- -Abd/adduction
- -Flexion
- -Lateral tilting of pelvis
Hip ER
- Patient sitting with tested knee at 90° and contralateral knee flexed beyond 90°
- -Allows hip being measured to complete full ROM
- Place hip in 0° abd/adduction and in 90° of flexion.
- -Towel roll under distal end of femur.
- Stabilize distal end of femur
- Prevents compensations
- -Abd/adduction
- -Flexion
- -Lateral tilting of pelvis
Thomas Test
- Patient supine, whole body on table
- -Ask patient to bring their knee to chest (non-tested leg)
- -Some hold it tight to stomach
- -Some pull just prior to a posterior pelvic tilt
- Can assist the patient by holding the knee toward chest to maintain a flat back
- Thigh should be down in contact with table
*To quantify the muscle length use same landmarks as measuring hip flexion/extension
Modified Thomas Test
- Patient resting against end of table with glutes against edge then lay down with resting leg off table
- May need to straighten knee to reduce tightness of rectus – 80 deg of flexion considered normal