The photos in this section of the website are all copyright, and must not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author, Professor R.L.Huckstep, or the publisher Churchill Livingstone.

(1) 

In the examination of the orthopaedic patient it is important that a systematic approach be taken. This examination will be simplified by adoption of the author’s ‘Rule of 3’. This simplified method of remembering, and particularly not missing anything important, will be described. There will be the occasional exception.

It is important that the examination should be systematic. The overall patient should be examined briefly before the individual part.

Try not to hurt your patient and look at the patient’s face and not the umbilicus!

Examination should be systematic and divided into the following categories: 

1. Look  2. Feel 3. Move

1. Part affected 2. Part distal 3. Rest of patient

1. Skin

2. Soft tissues — i. Vessels ii. Nerves iii. Other structures — i.e. muscles, tendons and lymph glands.

3. Bone and joint including ligaments

Slides 1-25  l  Slides 26-50  l  Slides 51-75  l  Slides 76-100 l  Slides 101-125  l  Slides 126-150