history in joint injuries
Last reviewed 01/2018
In a joint injury, as with many acute injuries, the history is of prime importance, since the examination is often impossible due to pain.
The history ought to include:
- mechanism and position of the limb: - twisting suggests subluxation or dislocation
- timing of the swelling: - less than 2 hours - haemarthrosis implies fracture, capsular damage or ACL rupture - greater than 12 hours: post traumatic effusion, meniscal tear