Milking maneuver: How to perform, interpret, and document it
Download your free milking maneuver assessment form A one-page clinical form with patient details, the test procedure, a positive or negative result selection, and space for additional notes. It closes with clinician name, license number, and signature fields, so the sheet is ready for the chart. Download template Medial elbow pain in a throwing athlete […]
Arm squeeze test: How to perform, score and interpret
Your patient rubs the outside of their shoulder and says the ache has been there for six weeks. Nothing in the story points cleanly at one structure. The neck feels stiff, the arm feels heavy, and reaching overhead hurts. That presentation is common, and it is easy to get wrong. Cervical nerve root irritation refers […]
Dexterity test: Types, scoring, and administration guide
A patient tells you their hand feels clumsy. Grip strength looks fine, the arm moves well, and nothing in the chart explains it. Without a standardized measure, that complaint stays a comment in the file. A dexterity test puts a number on speed and control in the hand, scored the same way in every session, […]
Hand exercises for rheumatoid arthritis: a complete guide
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 1.3 million adults in the United States, and the hands are among the most commonly affected joints. Morning stiffness, reduced grip, and aching knuckles are daily realities for many RA patients. One of the most accessible tools for managing those symptoms costs nothing and needs no equipment. Regular hand exercises […]
Pinch grip test: How to perform, score, and interpret it
The pinch grip test targets the anterior interosseous nerve (AIN), a motor branch of the median nerve. You ask the patient to touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger. If that O collapses into a flat, pinched shape, the AIN becomes the prime suspect. That same movement has a […]
Hand nerve tests: Median, ulnar and radial exam guide
Nerve compression rarely announces itself. A patient mentions pins and needles at 3am, blames the pillow, and books in months later. By then the thenar eminence has started to flatten, and the window for a clean recovery has narrowed. A structured hand nerve exam catches it much earlier. It takes about five minutes and needs […]
ICD-10 Code S72.451K: Displaced supracondylar fracture
ICD-10 Code S72.451K: Quick reference In short, ICD-10 Code S72.451K is a billable code for a displaced supracondylar fracture of the right distal femur. That is, it applies at a follow-up encounter where the closed fracture has been noted as a nonunion. In turn, the 7th character K is what carries the nonunion status, and […]
Supine to long sit test: How to perform and interpret
Low back pain affects an estimated 619 million people globally. Physical therapists face the same question with each of those patients. Is the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) involved, or is the source lumbar or hip pathology? The supine to long sit test answers a narrower version of that question. It tracks apparent leg length as the […]
Eversion stress test: How to perform and interpret findings
Most ankle sprains involve the lateral ligaments, so medial injuries get far less attention. A missed deltoid ligament rupture can leave a patient with chronic instability, a long rehabilitation, and a failed return to sport. The eversion stress test is the clinical tool that catches deltoid damage first. This guide covers how to perform the […]
Hoover test: Free template
Download your free Hoover test template A printable assessment form with fields for patient details, voluntary hip flexion grading, and the involuntary hip extension you palpate. It also carries result checkboxes, interpretation prompts, and a section for classifying the weakness. Download template Telling functional lower limb weakness apart from a structural cause is one of […]