Easy assessment of
musculoskeletal system
for GPs
Aspects of examining the
musculoskeletal system
Revisiting the basics
GALS
Video
Some bits and pieces / a personal view
History
“Have you any pain or stiffness in your
muscles, joints or back?”
“Do you have any trouble getting up or
down stairs?”
“Do you have any difficulty getting
dressed?”
Revisiting the basics
Inspection Look
Palpation Feel
Movement Move
Stability
Function
Compare with opposite side
Palpation
Nature of swelling
–bony
–synovial
–effusion
Warmth
Tenderness
Movement
Active and passive
Range of movement
Crepitus
Note pain
Instability
Stability
Subluxation or dislocation
–MCP
–Radioulnar
–subtalar
–MTP
Function
Lower limbs -gait
Hands
–pincer grip
–power grip
G A L S
Doherty, Dacre, Dieppe and Snaith (1992)
The GALS locomotor screen, Annals of
Rheumatic diseases 51: 1165-9
GAIT
ARMS
LEGS
SPINE
G A L S
“…provide a valuable screening test for
use in general practice”
“the procedure can be viewed as a
general functional (disability), as well as
a basic musculoskeletal assessment”
“..be useful in selective situations as a
rapid test of functional performance and
to screen out regional locomotor
abnormalities that merit closer scrutiny”
GALS recordingG A M
A
L
S
Bits and pieces
Hands
Wrists -CTS + de Q
Shoulders
Backs
Hips
Feet -biomechanics
Hypermobility
Fibromyalgia
Hand -RA
Early synovitis
PIP -skin discolouration and tenderness
Clench fist -MCPs should be white with
no infilling
MCP squeeze to elicit tenderness
Inferior radio ulnar stress test
Bulge sign at knee
MTP squeeze test
Hand OA
Raynauds 1
Raynauds 2
Scleroderma early
Scleroderma
Sclerodactaly (acrosclerosis)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
•Phalen’s
•Tinel’s
De Quervains tenosynovitis
APL and EPB tendons
tender over radial styloid
sometimes nodule (thickened sheath)
Finkelsteins test
Rest it
Inject it
Shoulders
Shoulder or not
Glenohumeral or not -external rotation
Tenderness
–bicipital groove
–subacromial
Painful arc of abduction
Shoulder -abduction
Shoulder function related to
abduction
Backs
Lumbar flexion
–Modified Schobers -or use
your fingers
–Fingers to floor =
misleading
Lumbar extension
Lumbar lateral flexion
“Sacroiliac restriction”
Backs -neurologyRootSensory lossMotor weaknessReflex
L4
Medial calf and
ankle
Knee extension,
foot inversion
Knee
L5
Medial foot and
hallux
Dorsiflexion foot
and hallux
None
S1
Outer foot and
sole
Plantar flexion foot
Ankle
Hips
Internal rotation -can examine sitting
Trochanteric bursitis
Trendelenburg -to distinguish lumbosacral from
hip pain
Biomechanics -stance phase
Contact
–outer border heel strikes then
–PRONATION at subtalar joint shifts centre
gravity medially
–causes tibia to internally rotate
–purpose is shock absorption/adaption
uneven ground
Biomechanics -stance phase (2)
Midstance
–forefoot loaded
–subtalar joint supinates
–causes tibia to externally rotate
–foot is converted to rigid lever ready for
propulsion
–ends with heel lift
Biomechanics -stance phase (3)
Propulsion
–app 25% bodyweight on metatarsals and
toes (esp 1st)
–ends with toes off
Abnormal pronation and
supination
Over pronation
Subtalar pronation
unchecked
longitudinal arch
stretches and
flattens
excess rotation of
tibia
Hallux valgus
Plantar fasciitis
Achilles tendonitis
Post tibial tendonitis
stress# navicular
anterior knee pain
low back pain
Hypermobility
1Dorsiflexion of 5th MCP to 90 degrees
2Apposition of thumb to volar aspect of
forearm
3Hyperextension of elbow by 10 degrees
4Hyperextension of knee by 10 degrees
5Hands flat on floor with knees extended