Essay on Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Extremities: A Physical Examination Experience

Musculoskeletal is the type of disorder that causes pain in the human musculoskeletal system (Cox, Varatharajan, Cote & Optima Collaboration, 2016). In human anatomy, extremities refer to the upper and lower limbs (hands and legs, respectively) (Cox et al., 2016). Musculoskeletal disorders of the extremities are complicated and difficult to assess. I remember an experience that I was conducting a physical examination to an older patient who was suffering from musculoskeletal of the lower limbs. The patient, a female, had swollen feet, which showed the Deep Vein Thrombosis (DPV). The toes also did not look normal since the skin color there was turning to pale.

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From my above encounter, the significant problem that could potentially arise from the assessment is the increased risk of patient fall. Notably, the patient exhibits symptoms and signs that signify the status of immobility, which increases her chances to fall. The assessment will involve checking her independence in moving. The findings from this examination will determine the severity need of assistance, which could include canes, wheelchairs, and people. The possible fall could, in turn, worsen her condition to become life-threatening.

To overcome the challenge of falling, it will be prudent for me to stimulate patients' muscles' strength during the assessment. Considering the patient is an elder, it would be a correct assumption that her skeletal, muscular strength in the extremities is declining, which is a probable cause of the musculoskeletal disorder. In this case, for example, I will massage her feet to relax the muscles to attempt to make her toes normal again. Also, I would encourage the patient to walk with support from either a person or a tool to exercise the muscles. According to Aoyama, Suzuki, and Kuzuya (2015), physical massage and exercises strengthen muscles by giving them the endurance to improve normal body posture, which, in turn, reduces falls risks.

Notably, the Christian World view plays a significant role in this assessment. Even though the opinions may differ, all world views in Christianity advocates for "moral theology" as Jesus had discussed (Christians et al., 2015). It explains about the acceptable and the unacceptable behaviors, which can be applied in clinical code of ethics when attending to a patient (Christians et al., 2015). For instance, Jesus advocated for equity among all people regardless of their position in society. One clinical code I would apply in this experience is "Justice" that requires me to treat all patients equally (Christians et al., 2015).

References

Aoyama, M., Suzuki, Y., & Kuzuya, M. (2015). Muscle Strength of Lower Extremities Related to Incident Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. J Gerontol Geriat Res, 4(207), 2. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Maki_Aoyama/publication/278031625_Muscle_Strength_of_Lower_Extremities_Related_to_Incident_Falls_in_Community-Dwelling_Older_Adults/links/557aa5a808aeacff2003f526.pdf

Christians, C. G., Richardson, K. B., Fackler, M., Kreshel, P., & Woods, R. H. (2015). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, CourseSmart eTextbook. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315663579

Cox, J., Varatharajan, S., Cote, P., & Optima Collaboration. (2016). Effectiveness of acupuncture therapies to manage musculoskeletal disorders of the extremities: a systematic review. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 46(6), 409-429. Retrieved from https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2016.6270