A physical examination is part of every medical examination. The physical examination performed differs from the doctor who performs it. This difference is due on the one hand to the symptoms of the patient and on the other hand to the specialty of the examining physician. A complete physical examination takes a relatively long time, so that the examination is often symptom-oriented.
General, superficial examination
At the very beginning of an examination, the patient’s blood pressure is measured. During a general physical examination, the doctor first looks at the patient (inspection). The doctor first looks at changes in the chest (thorax).
These changes can be scars from operations such as a bypass operation or changes in the area of the bony structures such as a funnel chest. He also evaluates the color of the skin (skin coloring). Usually, the doctor also looks at the hands and evaluates not only the warmth of the hands, but also the shape of the fingertips and nails.
These can take the form of so-called drum flail fingers and watch glass nails if the supply of oxygen is limited for a longer period of time. To further assess an oxygen deficiency, the doctor also examines the color of the lips and tongue. If these parts of the body turn blue, one speaks of central or peripheral cyanosis, depending on the cause.
During the further inspection of the face, the doctor pays attention to the shape of the pupils and the white skin of the eyes (sclerae). A yellowing of the sclera is an indication of jaundice (icterus). During the further physical examination, many doctors start examining the lymph nodes.
Most doctors start with an examination of the lymph nodes in the neck and throat area. To do this, they palpate along the muscles and once below the lower jaw. Many examiners take this opportunity to look directly at the thyroid gland.
The patient is usually asked to swallow once while the doctor palpates the thyroid gland. Then the lymph nodes are palpated once above and once below the clavicle. The lymph nodes in the armpit are then examined. For this purpose, the patient sitting on the couch is asked to cross his arms behind his head so that the doctor can palpate the lymph nodes in the front and back axillary fold. To examine the lymph nodes in the depth of the armpit, the doctor forms an abutment by pulling the patient’s arm down.
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