Valgus extension overload test: How to perform it, interpret it, and treat a positive result
Apply valgus stress while extending the elbow from 70 degrees to full extension. Posteromedial pain means a positive VEO test.
Posterior interosseous nerve test: Anatomy, technique, and interpretation
PIN palsy weakens finger and thumb extension but spares the wrist. ECRL sits above the arcade of Frohse, so the wrist deviates radially.
Clonus reflex test: Technique, grading, and documentation
In adults, clonus is generally pathological. StatPearls calls more than 10 beats sustained. How to elicit, grade, and document it.
Nursing pain assessment: Tools, frameworks, and documentation
Pain is consistently underassessed in clinical settings. NCBI StatPearls notes that inadequate pain assessment remains one of the most common failures in nursing practice. It contributes directly to undertreated pain, avoidable patient suffering, and increased litigation risk. For practice owners and managers, the consequence is tangible: poor documentation, inconsistent reassessment, and staff who rely on […]
Transverse ligament stress test: Anatomy, technique, and results
Transverse ligament stress test: What it is and why it matters Upper cervical instability is one of the highest-stakes findings in manual therapy. The transverse ligament stress test gives clinicians a structured, hands-on way to screen for atlantoaxial instability before any cervical treatment begins. Missing this screen on a patient with an undetected ligament injury […]
Femoral nerve tension test: Procedure, interpretation, and next steps
Upper lumbar radiculopathy is notoriously underdiagnosed. The straight leg raise dominates neurodynamic testing education, but it only tensions the sciatic nerve and its roots at L4-S1. That leaves L2 and L3 involvement frequently missed in clinical assessment. The femoral nerve tension test, also called the reverse straight leg raise, targets those upper lumbar roots directly. […]
Homan’s sign test: How to perform it and what the results mean
Homan’s sign test is a bedside physical examination maneuver with over eight decades of clinical history. John Homans first described it in 1941 and redefined it in 1944. Clinicians used it to screen for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with calf pain, one-sided leg swelling, or a high clot risk. DVT occurs when a […]
Hip mobility test: at-home self-assessments and how to read results
What is a hip mobility test and why does it matter? A hip mobility test is a structured self-assessment that checks how freely your hip joint moves through its full range of motion. It is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a screening tool that tells you where restrictions sit, so you can address them […]
Matles test: how to perform and interpret the results
Missing an Achilles tendon rupture at first presentation is one of the more consequential errors in musculoskeletal medicine. Swelling and pain can mimic an ankle sprain. Many patients also keep some active plantarflexion through intact accessory muscles, so the injury looks milder than it is. The Matles test gives you a passive bedside check that […]
Mill’s test: How to perform and interpret it for tennis elbow
Mill’s test is a passive provocation test for tennis elbow. You pronate the patient’s forearm, flex the wrist, then extend the elbow. Familiar pain at the lateral epicondyle counts as a positive. The whole sequence takes under 30 seconds and needs no equipment. Lateral epicondylitis affects roughly 1% to 3% of working adults, so it […]