Clinical Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real ATC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Clinical Assessment flashcards as text
During a special orthopedic test, a positive Lachman test indicates injury to which structure?
Answer: Anterior cruciate ligament
The Lachman test assesses ACL integrity by applying an anterior tibial translation force with the knee at 20–30° of flexion.
An athlete presents with point tenderness at the medial epicondyle, pain with resisted wrist flexion, and numbness in the ring and little fingers. The MOST likely diagnosis is:
Answer: Medial epicondylitis with ulnar nerve involvement
Medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow) can involve the adjacent ulnar nerve, producing sensory symptoms in its distribution (ring and little fingers).
Which assessment tool uses the categories of eye opening, verbal response, and motor response to evaluate level of consciousness?
Answer: Glasgow Coma Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores eye opening (1–4), verbal response (1–5), and motor response (1–6) to quantify level of consciousness.
A positive Thompson test (Simmonds test) is characterized by:
Answer: Absence of plantarflexion when the calf is squeezed
In an Achilles tendon rupture, squeezing the calf (Thompson test) fails to produce plantarflexion because the tendon continuity is disrupted.
During a lower extremity assessment, the athletic trainer notes a valgus stress test is positive at 0° of knee flexion. This finding MOST likely implicates:
Answer: Medial collateral ligament and posteromedial capsule
A positive valgus stress test at full extension implicates both the MCL and the posteromedial capsular structures, indicating greater instability.
Which of the following best describes the Ottawa Ankle Rules?
Answer: Clinical decision guidelines using bony tenderness and weight-bearing ability to determine need for X-ray
The Ottawa Ankle Rules use specific bony tenderness locations and inability to bear weight to decide if radiographs are warranted, reducing unnecessary imaging.
An athlete is suspected of having compartment syndrome after a lower leg contusion. Which finding would MOST support this diagnosis?
Answer: Pain disproportionate to injury with pain on passive stretch
Acute compartment syndrome classically presents with pain out of proportion to the injury and worsening pain with passive stretch of the muscles within the affected compartment.