A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Palpation (palpation) of prominent bone points, tendons, ligaments; musculature; joint (joint effusion); soft tissue swelling; tenderness (localization!).
- Measurement of joint mobility and range of motion of the affected joint(s) (according to the neutral zero method: range of motion is given as the maximum deflection of the joint from the neutral position in angular degrees, with the neutral position designated as 0°. The starting position is the “neutral position”: the person stands upright with the arms hanging down and relaxed, the thumbs pointing forward and the feet parallel. The adjacent angles are defined as the zero position. Standard is that the value away from the body is given first).
- Palmar flexion (bending of the hand towards the palm) and dorsal extension (extension of the hand towards the back of the hand).
- Radial abduction (lateral displacement of the hand in the direction of the radius) and ulnar abduction (lateral displacement of the hand in the direction of the ulna).
- Assessment of blood flow, motor function, and sensitivity:
- Circulation (palpation of pulses).
- Motor function: testing of gross strength in lateral comparison.
- Sensibility (neurological examination)
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
