CPT code 97163: Physical therapy evaluation, high complexity
CPT code 97163 is the billable code for a physical therapy evaluation of high complexity. It applies when the presentation, the examination, and the clinical decision making all reach the highest tier of the evaluation family. The American Medical Association’s CPT code set requires three components, and all of them together. The typical time associated […]
Shoulder exam: A complete clinical guide for practitioners
Shoulder impingement accounts for 44-65% of shoulder pain complaints seen in general practice, according to the NIH’s published clinical assessment review. Roughly 1% of adults over 45 present to their primary care physician with shoulder pain each year. Most of those presentations involve the rotator cuff, subacromial space, or glenohumeral joint, structures that respond very […]
Respiratory exam template: IPPA steps and documentation
Download your free respiratory exam template The form walks through inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation in order. It has fields for respiratory rate, chest expansion, percussion notes, breath sounds, and a normal-limits check for each section. Download template A respiratory exam is four steps in a fixed order: look, feel, tap, listen. Run them the […]
SOAP notes for physical therapy
Download your free physical therapy SOAP note template A four-part note form with prompts for every section, from pain rating and functional limits through range of motion and muscle grades. It also covers progress toward goals, visit frequency, and home exercise instructions. Download template SOAP notes for physical therapy do one job above all others. […]
Timed up and go test: How to administer, score, and interpret results
Falls cost the US healthcare system an estimated $50 billion annually, yet most falls are predictable. The timed up and go test is one of the few clinical tools that can flag elevated fall risk in under two minutes. It needs nothing more than a chair, a stopwatch, and 3 meters of floor space. Despite […]
Fortin finger test: procedure, interpretation, and clinical use
A comprehensive review in Anesthesia and Analgesia puts the sacroiliac joint behind 15% to 30% of mechanical low back pain. Despite that prevalence, isolating the SI joint as the pain source remains one of the harder tasks in musculoskeletal practice. The fortin finger test offers a fast, non-invasive starting point. It needs no equipment, takes […]
Patellar grind test (Clarke’s sign): procedure and accuracy
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) accounts for up to 25% of sports-related knee injuries, according to a peer-reviewed review published in PMC. Runners, adolescents, and desk-bound patients all arrive with the same complaint of diffuse anterior knee pain. The patellar grind test is usually the first special test a clinician reaches for. A positive result means […]
Maudsley’s test: how to perform and interpret the result
Maudsley’s test checks for tennis elbow by resisting middle finger extension with the elbow straight. Pain at the lateral epicondyle is a positive result. It points to the common extensor origin as the source of the patient’s lateral elbow pain. The test takes seconds, needs no equipment, and brings on pain in most patients who […]
Hornblower test: how to perform and interpret it
Shoulder assessment relies on a battery of special tests. Knowing which muscle each one targets is what separates a useful finding from a vague one. The hornblower test is one of the most specific tests in that battery. It targets the posterior rotator cuff directly, flagging teres minor insufficiency that imaging alone can miss before […]
Jerk Test Assessment Template
Download your free jerk test assessment template The form prints the eight-step procedure alongside blank fields for the complaint, your clinical evaluation, the findings, and your recommendation. Print it, or attach it to the patient record. Download template The jerk test is one of the most specific orthopedic screening maneuvers for posterior shoulder instability. A […]