How To: Perform a lower extremity exam on a patient

In this medical video, learn the process of examining the lower extremity of the body. See demonstrations of how you inspect the lower extremity, how you palpate and then perform passive range of motion of the hip, knee and ankle. John D. Gazewood, MD, MSPH, will also teach doctors special maneuvers to help examine a knee injury. With any type of musculoskeletal exam, you're looking for things like deformity, swelling, and changes in coloration.

For a full lesson on the principles of the musculoskeletal examination and the examination of the lower extremity, go to University of Virginia's School of Medicine Interactive Learning Module. This module provides an overview of the surface anatomy of the spine and lower extremity, and an introduction to the examination of the spine and lower extremity.