- WIPE, blah blah 🙂
- “Take vital signs”
- Proper exposure: both legs
- General inspection of the patient + surroundings (walking aids)
- Assess the pt’s gait
[green = upper spine, blue = lower spine]
1. Look: (from all sides, while the pt is standing)
- Skin changes (rash, redness, discoloration)
- Scars
- Swelling
- Muscle wasting
- Deformity (curvatures, torticollis)
2. Feel: (first ask if they have pain?)
- Temperature
- Paraspinal muscles, LN
- Spinous processes, sacroiliac joint
3. Move: active movements while holding the pt’s pelvis
- Flexion + extension
- Lateral flexion
- Rotation
4. Special tests:
- Straight leg raising
- Femoral stretch test
- Clonus
- Babinski sign
5. Dermatomes:
6. Myotomes:
- C5: shoulder abduction
- C6: elbow flexion
- C7: elbow and wrist extension
- C8: wrist and finger flexion
- T1: finger abduction
- L2: hip flexion
- L3: knee extension
- L4: ankle dorsiflexion
- L5: big toe dorsiflexion
- S1: ankle plater flexion
7. Reflexes:
- C5: biceps
- C6: brachioradialis
- C7: triceps
- L4: patellar
- S1: ankle jerk
8. Pulses:
- Brachial, radial, ulnar
- Popliteal, dorsalis pedis, post tibial
9. Joint above + joint below
