| 1 | DVBCWJW5 ;ALB/RLC JOINTS WKS TEXT - 1 ; 7 APRIL 2005
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| 2 |  ;;2.7;AMIE;**94**;FEB 17, 2004
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| 3 |  ;
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| 4 |  ;
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| 5 | TXT ;
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| 6 |  ;;A.  Review of Medical Records:
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| 7 |  ;;
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| 8 |  ;;
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| 9 |  ;;
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| 10 |  ;;B.  Medical History (Subjective Complaints):
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| 11 |  ;;
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| 12 |  ;;    Comment on:
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| 13 |  ;;
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| 14 |  ;;    1.  Pain, weakness, stiffness, swelling, heat and redness, 
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| 15 |  ;;        instability or giving way, "locking," fatigability, lack of 
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| 16 |  ;;        endurance, etc.
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| 17 |  ;;    2.  Treatment - type, dose, frequency, response, side effects.
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| 18 |  ;;    3.  If there are periods of flare-up of joint disease:
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| 19 |  ;;
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| 20 |  ;;        a.  State their severity, frequency, and duration.
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| 21 |  ;;        b.  Name the precipitating and alleviating factors.
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| 22 |  ;;        c.  State to what extent, if any, per veteran, they
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| 23 |  ;;            result in additional limitation of motion or
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| 24 |  ;;            functional impairment during the flare-up.
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| 25 |  ;;
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| 26 |  ;;    4.  Describe whether crutches, brace, cane, corrective shoes,
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| 27 |  ;;        etc., are needed.
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| 28 |  ;;    5.  Describe details of any surgery or injury.
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| 29 |  ;;    6.  Describe any episodes of dislocation or recurrent subluxation.
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| 30 |  ;;    7.  For inflammatory arthritis, describe any constitutional
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| 31 |  ;;        symptoms.
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| 32 |  ;;    8.  Describe the effects of the condition on the veteran's usual 
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| 33 |  ;;        occupation and daily activities.
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| 34 |  ;;    9.  Dominance of extremity and means used to identify
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| 35 |  ;;        dominant extremity.
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| 36 |  ;;   10.  If there is a prosthesis, provide date of prosthetic implant
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| 37 |  ;;        and describe any complaint of pain, weakness, or limitation
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| 38 |  ;;        of motion.  State whether crutches, brace, etc., are needed.
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| 39 |  ;;
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| 40 |  ;;
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| 41 |  ;;C.  Physical Examination (Objective Findings):
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| 42 |  ;;
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| 43 |  ;;    Address each of the following as appropriate to the condition 
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| 44 |  ;;    being examined and fully describe current findings:  A DETAILED 
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| 45 |  ;;    ASSESSMENT OF EACH AFFECTED JOINT IS REQUIRED, INCLUDING JOINTS 
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| 46 |  ;;    WITH PROSTHESES.
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| 47 |  ;;
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| 48 |  ;;    1.  Using a goniometer, measure the PASSIVE and ACTIVE range of 
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| 49 |  ;;        motion, including movement against gravity and against strong
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| 50 |  ;;        resistance.  Provide range of motion in degrees.
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| 51 |  ;;    2.  If the joint is painful on motion, state at what point in the
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| 52 |  ;;        range of motion pain begins and ends.
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| 53 |  ;;    3.  Describe presence or absence of: pain (including pain on repeated
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| 54 |  ;;        use); fatigue; weakness; lack of endurance; and incoordination.  
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| 55 |  ;;    4.  Describe objective evidence of painful motion, edema,
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| 56 |  ;;        effusion, instability, weakness, tenderness, redness, heat,
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| 57 |  ;;        abnormal movement, guarding of movement, etc.
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| 58 |  ;;    5.  For weight bearing joints (hip, knee, ankle), describe gait 
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| 59 |  ;;        and functional limitations on standing and walking.  Describe
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| 60 |  ;;        any callosities, breakdown, or unusual shoe wear pattern that
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| 61 |  ;;        would indicate abnormal weight bearing.
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| 62 |  ;;    6.  If ankylosis is present, describe the position of the bones of
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| 63 |  ;;        the joint in relationship to one another (in degrees of flexion,
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| 64 |  ;;        external rotation, etc.), and state whether the ankylosis is 
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| 65 |  ;;        stable and pain free.
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| 66 |  ;;    7.  If indicated, measure the leg length from the anterior
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| 67 |  ;;        superior iliac spine to the medial malleolus.
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| 68 |  ;;    8.  For INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS, describe any constitutional signs.
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| 69 |  ;;    9.  Describe range of motion with prosthesis in same detail as 
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| 70 |  ;;        described above for non-prosthetic joints.
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| 71 |  ;;
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| 72 |  ;;
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| 73 |  ;;D. Normal Range of Motion:  All joint Range of Motion measurements 
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| 74 |  ;;must be made using a goniometer.  Show each measured range of motion 
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| 75 |  ;;separately rather than as a continuum.  For example, if the veteran 
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| 76 |  ;;lacks 10 degrees of full knee extension and has normal flexion, show 
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| 77 |  ;;the range of motion as extension to minus 10 degrees (or lacks 10 
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| 78 |  ;;degrees of extension) and flexion 0 to 140 degrees.  
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| 79 |  ;;
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| 80 |  ;;    1. Hip range of motion:  (Movement of femur as it rotates in the
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| 81 |  ;;        acetabulum.)
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| 82 |  ;;
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| 83 |  ;;            a. Normal range of motion, using the anatomical
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| 84 |  ;;            position as zero degrees.
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| 85 |  ;;  
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| 86 |  ;;            Flexion = 0 to 125 degrees (To gain a true picture of hip
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| 87 |  ;;            flexion, i.e., movement between the pelvis and femur in 
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| 88 |  ;;            the hip joint, the opposite thigh should be extended to 
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| 89 |  ;;            minimize motion between the pelvis and spine.)
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| 90 |  ;;
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| 91 |  ;;            Extension = 0 to 30 degrees.
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| 92 |  ;;
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| 93 |  ;;            Adduction = 0 to 25 degrees.
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| 94 |  ;;
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| 95 |  ;;            Abduction = 0 to 45 degrees.
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| 96 |  ;;
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| 97 |  ;;            External rotation = 0 to 60 degrees.
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| 98 |  ;;
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| 99 |  ;;            Internal rotation = 0 to 40 degrees.
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| 100 |  ;;
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| 101 |  ;;
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| 102 |  ;;    2. Knee range of motion:
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| 103 |  ;;
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| 104 |  ;;            a. Normal range of motion, using the anatomical
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| 105 |  ;;            position as zero degrees.
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| 106 |  ;;
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| 107 |  ;;            Flexion = 0 to 140 degrees.
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| 108 |  ;;
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| 109 |  ;;            Extension - zero degrees = full extension.  Show loss of 
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| 110 |  ;;            extension by describing the degrees in which extension is
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| 111 |  ;;            not possible.  (e.g., Show range of motion as extension to
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| 112 |  ;;            minus 10 degrees and flexion 0 to 140 degrees when full
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| 113 |  ;;            extension is limited by 10 degrees and full flexion is 
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| 114 |  ;;            possible.)
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| 115 |  ;;
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| 116 |  ;;            b.  Stability.
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| 117 |  ;;
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| 118 |  ;;            Medial and Lateral Collateral Ligaments:
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| 119 |  ;;            Varus/valgus in neutral and in 30 degrees of flexion -
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| 120 |  ;;            normal is no motion.
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| 121 |  ;;
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| 122 |  ;;            Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligaments:
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| 123 |  ;;            Anterior/posterior in 30 degrees of flexion with
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| 124 |  ;;            foot stabilized - normal is less than 5 mm. of motion
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| 125 |  ;;            (1/4 inch - Lachman's test) or in 90 degrees of flexion
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| 126 |  ;;            with foot stabilized - normal is less than 5mm. of motion
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| 127 |  ;;            (1/4 inch - anterior and posterior drawer test).
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| 128 |  ;;
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| 129 |  ;;            Medial and Lateral Meniscus:  Perform McMurray's test.
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| 130 |  ;;
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| 131 |  ;;
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| 132 |  ;;    3. Ankle range of motion:
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| 133 |  ;;
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| 134 |  ;;            a.  Neutral position is with foot at 90 degrees to
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| 135 |  ;;                ankle.  From that position, dorsiflexion is 0 to 20
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| 136 |  ;;                degrees; plantar flexion is 0 to 45 degrees.
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| 137 |  ;;            b.  Describe any varus or valgus angulation of the
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| 138 |  ;;                os calcis in relationship to the long axis of the
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| 139 |  ;;                tibia and fibula.
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| 140 |  ;;
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| 141 |  ;;
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| 142 |  ;;    4. Shoulder, elbow, forearm, and wrist range of motion:
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| 143 |  ;;
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| 144 |  ;;          a. Normal range of motion is measured with zero degrees the 
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| 145 |  ;;          anatomical position except for 2 situations:
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| 146 |  ;;
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| 147 |  ;;               i. Supination and pronation of the
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| 148 |  ;;                  forearm is measured with the arm
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| 149 |  ;;                  against the body, the elbow
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| 150 |  ;;                  flexed to 90 degrees, and the
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| 151 |  ;;                  forearm in mid position (zero
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| 152 |  ;;                  degrees) between supination and
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| 153 |  ;;                  pronation.
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| 154 |  ;;              ii. Shoulder rotation is measured
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| 155 |  ;;                  with the arm abducted to 90
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| 156 |  ;;                  degrees, the elbow flexed to 90
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| 157 |  ;;                  degrees, and the forearm
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| 158 |  ;;                  reflecting the midpoint (zero
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| 159 |  ;;                  degrees) between internal and
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| 160 |  ;;                  external rotation of the shoulder.
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| 161 |  ;;
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| 162 |  ;;          b.  Shoulder forward flexion = zero to 180
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| 163 |  ;;              degrees.
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| 164 |  ;;          c.  Shoulder abduction = zero to 180 degrees.
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| 165 |  ;;          d.  Shoulder external rotation = zero to 90
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| 166 |  ;;              degrees.
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| 167 |  ;;          e.  Shoulder internal rotation = zero to 90
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| 168 |  ;;              degrees.
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| 169 |  ;;          f.  Elbow flexion = zero to 145 degrees.
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| 170 |  ;;          g.  Forearm supination = zero to 85 degrees.
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| 171 |  ;;          h.  Forearm pronation = zero to 80 degrees.
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| 172 |  ;;          i.  Wrist dorsiflexion (extension) = zero to 70
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| 173 |  ;;              degrees.
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| 174 |  ;;          j.  Wrist palmar flexion = zero to 80 degrees.
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| 175 |  ;;          k.  Wrist radial deviation = zero to 20 degrees.
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| 176 |  ;;          l.  Wrist ulnar deviation = zero to 45 degrees.
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| 177 |  ;;
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| 178 |  ;;
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| 179 |  ;;E.  Diagnostic and Clinical Tests:
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| 180 |  ;;
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| 181 |  ;;    1.  As indicated:  X-rays, including special views or weight 
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| 182 |  ;;        bearing films, MRI, arthrogram, diagnostic arthroscopy. 
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| 183 |  ;;        NOTE:  The diagnosis of degenerative arthritis or post-
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| 184 |  ;;        traumatic arthritis of a joint requires X-ray confirmation.  Once
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| 185 |  ;;        the diagnosis has been confirmed in a joint, further X-rays of
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| 186 |  ;;        that joint are not required.
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| 187 |  ;;    2.  Include results of all diagnostic and clinical tests in the
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| 188 |  ;;        examination report.
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| 189 |  ;;
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| 190 |  ;;
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| 191 |  ;;F.  Diagnosis:
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| 192 |  ;;
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| 193 |  ;;
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| 194 |  ;;G.  Additional Limitation of Joint Function:
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| 195 |  ;;
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| 196 |  ;;    Impairment of joint function is determined by actual range of joint
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| 197 |  ;;    motion as reported in the physical examination and additional limitation
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| 198 |  ;;    of joint function caused by the following factors:
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| 199 |  ;;
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| 200 |  ;;       - Pain, including pain on repeated use and pain during flare-ups
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| 201 |  ;;       - Fatigue
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| 202 |  ;;       - Weakness
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| 203 |  ;;       - Lack of endurance
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| 204 |  ;;       - Incoordination
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| 205 |  ;;
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| 206 |  ;;    1.  Do any of the above factors additionally limit joint function?
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| 207 |  ;;    If so, express the additional limitation in degrees.
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| 208 |  ;;
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| 209 |  ;;    2.  Indicate if you cannot determine, without resort to mere
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| 210 |  ;;    speculation, whether any of these factors cause additional functional
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| 211 |  ;;    loss.  For example, indicate if you would need to resort to mere
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| 212 |  ;;    speculation in order to express additional limitation due to
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| 213 |  ;;    flare-ups.
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| 214 |  ;;
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| 215 |  ;;
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| 216 |  ;;
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| 217 |  ;;Signature:                             Date:
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| 218 |  ;;END
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