What is a musculoskeletal evaluation?
A musculoskeletal evaluation is an examination that Dr. Sahai carries out to assess the bones, joints, connective tissues, and muscles that make up your musculoskeletal system.
By observing the range of movement you have, examining your posture at rest and when moving, and looking for signs of swelling or other abnormalities, Dr. Sahai can form an accurate picture of any problems that may be causing your chronic pain.
What happens during a musculoskeletal evaluation?
Your musculoskeletal evaluation consists of several stages where Dr. Sahai examines specific functions or areas of your anatomy in turn:
Gait
Dr. Sahai asks you to walk forward and then come back so she can look at the smoothness of your gait and how well you can turn. She then examines you while you’re standing still to check:
- How evenly developed your muscles are
- Spinal alignment
- Alignment of legs and arms
- Pelvic alignment
- How well you can extend your elbows and knees
- Profile of your foot, including your arch and toes
Dr. Sahai assesses all these aspects from in front and behind, and from either side.
Arms
Next, Dr. Sahai looks at how well you can move your arms. She asks you to move your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a variety of ways so she can check for:
- Joint rotation
- Flexibility
- Joint swelling or deformity
- Grip strength
- Fine precision skills
- Joint pain
Dr. Sahai asks you to tell her if you feel any discomfort, but also observes any visual clues that tell her how painful any movement might be for you.
Legs
Moving on to your legs, Dr. Sahai asks you to lay on an examination table so she can check:
- Joint flexion
- Internal hip rotation
- Soles of your feet
- Joint tenderness
Dr. Sahai also performs a patellar tap to identify any knee effusion.
Spine
Dr. Sahai looks at the alignment of your spine from behind to see if the vertical line is true, and then checks it from each side. She’ll ask you to move your head so she can assess lateral flexion in your neck, and touch your toes to check spinal flexion.
What happens after my musculoskeletal evaluation?
After carrying out a thorough musculoskeletal evaluation, Dr. Sahai has a far clearer idea of what may be causing your pain. She can identify a range of problems and see how any abnormality or learned way of moving is affecting the rest of your body.
For instance, if chronic pain makes you adopt a hunched position in an effort to reduce your discomfort, over time this unnatural posture can cause new musculoskeletal problems as well as making your original pain worse.
If you’re experiencing chronic pain, call Phoenician Pain & Rehabilitation Center or book a consultation with Dr. Sahai online today.
