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A living orthopaedic atlas

Exam-focused orthopaedic references, a question bank, viva practice, and spaced-repetition revision — with every clinical claim traceable to its source. Content is educational only and is not a substitute for local supervision, clinical judgement, or institutional policy.

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Evidence. Clarity. Practice.

© 2026 OrthoVellum. For educational purposes only.

Not medical advice. Verify clinically important information against current local guidance.

Clinical Examination

Examination skills library

A practical library of look, feel, move, special-test, and diagnostic-sign examinations with positioning, hand placement, positive findings, false positives, and interpretation.

Examinations
40

structured skills pages

Core Skills
30

must-know stations

Target Pace
3-5m

per examination

How to use this section

Learn the sequence

Each examination moves from inspection to palpation, movement, special tests, interpretation, and common traps.

Practise out loud

Use pages as station scripts so hand placement and patient positioning become automatic, not read.

Link findings to decisions

Positive tests matter only when they change diagnosis, imaging, treatment, or safety.

Examination regions
40 examinations
Difficulty
Lower LimbCore

Ankle Achilles Complex Examination

Focused examination of the Achilles tendon including Thompson's test, Silfverskiold test, and assessment of tendinopathy, rupture, and gastrocnemius tightness.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Ankle Examination

Complete ankle examination covering lateral ligament stability, syndesmosis assessment, Achilles tendon integrity, and evaluation of common conditions including sprains, fractures, and arthritis.

5 mincomprehensive
Lower LimbCore

Ankle Instability Examination

Focused examination for chronic ankle instability including lateral ligament assessment, anterior drawer, talar tilt testing, and differentiation from syndesmotic injury.

5 minfocused
SpineAdvanced

Cervical Myelopathy Examination

Focused examination for cervical spondylotic myelopathy including upper motor neuron signs, Hoffman's test, gait assessment, and differentiation from other neurological conditions.

5 minfocused
SpineCore

Cervical Radiculopathy Examination

Focused examination for cervical radiculopathy including Spurling's test, dermatomal assessment, and differentiation from other causes of upper limb symptoms.

5 minfocused
SpineCore

Cervical Spine Examination

Comprehensive cervical spine examination including neurological assessment, myelopathy screening, radiculopathy evaluation, and recognition of red flags in neck pain.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbCore

Elbow Examination

Complete elbow examination covering inspection, palpation, range of motion, stability testing, and assessment of common pathologies including tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, and instability.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbAdvanced

Elbow Instability Examination

Focused examination for elbow instability including posterolateral rotatory instability (PLRI), valgus instability (MCL), and assessment of chronic instability patterns.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbIntermediate

Finger Examination

Focused examination of the fingers including flexor and extensor tendon integrity, pulley assessment, collateral ligament testing, and common finger pathologies.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Flatfoot Examination

Focused examination for adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD) including posterior tibial tendon assessment, flexibility testing, and staging of deformity.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Foot Examination

Complete foot examination covering hindfoot alignment, midfoot assessment, forefoot pathology, and evaluation of common conditions including flatfoot, cavus foot, hallux valgus, and diabetic foot.

5 mincomprehensive
SpecialCore

Gait Analysis

Comprehensive clinical gait analysis covering the normal gait cycle, identification of pathological gait patterns, and systematic assessment for orthopaedic and neurological conditions.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbCore

Hand Examination

Complete hand examination covering tendon integrity, intrinsic muscle function, nerve assessment, joint examination, and evaluation of common conditions including Dupuytren's, trigger finger, and rheumatoid arthritis.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbCore

Hand Nerve Examination

Focused examination of the median, ulnar, and radial nerves in the hand including motor testing, sensory assessment, and provocative tests for carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndromes.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Hip Examination

Master the comprehensive hip examination with Thomas test, Trendelenburg assessment, FADIR/FABER tests, and evaluation of osteoarthritis, FAI, and AVN.

5 mincomprehensive
Lower LimbCore

Hip Femoroacetabular Impingement Examination

Focused examination for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) including FADIR, FABER testing, and differentiation of cam vs pincer morphology.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Hip Osteoarthritis Assessment

Focused examination for hip osteoarthritis including functional assessment, severity grading, and differentiation from other causes of hip pain.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Knee Collateral Ligament Examination

Focused examination of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments including varus and valgus stress testing, posterolateral corner assessment, and recognition of combined ligament injuries.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Knee Cruciate Ligament Examination

Focused examination of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments including Lachman test, pivot shift, posterior drawer, and assessment of combined ligament injuries.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Knee Examination

Master the comprehensive knee examination including ligament stability testing (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL), meniscal assessment, patellofemoral evaluation, and common pathology recognition.

5 mincomprehensive
Lower LimbCore

Knee Meniscus Examination

Focused examination of the medial and lateral menisci including McMurray test, Thessaly test, Apley's, and differentiation of meniscal from ligamentous pathology.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbIntermediate

Knee Osteoarthritis Examination

Focused examination for knee osteoarthritis including alignment assessment, compartmental involvement, effusion detection, and functional evaluation.

5 minfocused
Lower LimbCore

Knee Patellofemoral Examination

Focused examination of the patellofemoral joint including assessment of patellar tracking, instability testing, and differentiation of anterior knee pain causes.

5 minfocused
SpecialCore

Lower Limb Neurological Examination

Comprehensive lower limb neurological examination including dermatomal and myotomal testing, peripheral nerve assessment, cauda equina screening, and gait analysis.

5 mincomprehensive
SpineCore

Lumbar Disc Herniation Examination

Focused examination for lumbar disc herniation including straight leg raise, crossed straight leg raise, femoral stretch testing, and differentiation of L4, L5, and S1 radiculopathy.

5 minfocused
SpineCore

Lumbar Spine Examination

Complete lumbar spine examination including neurological assessment, straight leg raise, femoral stretch test, and evaluation of disc herniation, stenosis, and mechanical back pain.

5 mincomprehensive
SpineIntermediate

Lumbar Stenosis Examination

Focused examination for lumbar spinal stenosis including neurogenic claudication assessment, provocative tests, and differentiation from vascular claudication.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbAdvanced

Rheumatoid Hand Examination

Comprehensive examination of the rheumatoid hand including characteristic deformities, tendon rupture assessment, and functional evaluation.

5 minfocused
SpecialAdvanced

Rheumatoid Hands Examination

Comprehensive examination of rheumatoid hands including characteristic deformities, tendon assessment, extra-articular manifestations, and functional assessment for surgical planning.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbCore

Shoulder Examination

Master the comprehensive shoulder examination with systematic Look-Feel-Move approach, rotator cuff assessment, instability testing, and impingement evaluation.

5 mincomprehensive
Upper LimbCore

Shoulder Impingement & ACJ Examination

Focused examination for subacromial impingement syndrome, acromioclavicular joint pathology, and differentiation of extrinsic from intrinsic causes of shoulder pain.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbCore

Shoulder Instability Examination

Focused examination for shoulder instability including anterior, posterior, and multidirectional instability testing, apprehension signs, and hyperlaxity assessment.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbCore

Shoulder Rotator Cuff Examination

Focused examination of the rotator cuff including individual muscle testing, lag signs, and differentiation of partial from full-thickness tears.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbIntermediate

Thumb Examination

Focused examination of the thumb including CMC joint osteoarthritis, UCL injuries (gamekeeper's/skier's thumb), tendon injuries, and trigger thumb.

5 minfocused
SpecialCore

Trauma Primary Survey (MSK Focus)

Systematic approach to trauma assessment with musculoskeletal focus including life-threatening hemorrhage control, pelvic and long bone fracture assessment, and integration with ATLS principles.

5 mincomprehensive
SpecialCore

Upper Limb Neurological Examination

Comprehensive upper limb neurological examination including dermatomal and myotomal testing, peripheral nerve assessment, and differentiation of radiculopathy from peripheral nerve lesions.

5 mincomprehensive
SpecialIntermediate

Upper Limb Peripheral Nerve Examination

Focused examination of individual upper limb peripheral nerves including median, ulnar, radial, and musculocutaneous nerves with specific motor and sensory testing.

5 minfocused
SpecialCore

Vascular Assessment

Essential vascular examination for orthopaedic assessment including peripheral pulse examination, compartment syndrome recognition, and neurovascular assessment of injured limbs.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbAdvanced

Wrist Carpal Instability Examination

Focused examination for carpal instability including scapholunate dissociation, lunotriquetral instability, DRUJ instability, and provocative testing for dynamic instability patterns.

5 minfocused
Upper LimbCore

Wrist Examination

Comprehensive wrist examination including DRUJ, carpal instability, TFCC assessment, and evaluation of common conditions like scaphoid injury and carpal tunnel syndrome.

5 mincomprehensive