during an emergency room examination for an injured arm, the physician palpates the arms entire lenght starting at he shoulder and ending at the fingers of the hand , this process takes him from an
Starting from the shoulder and ending at the fingers of the hand, the physician is performing a thorough examination of the entire length of the arm. This process is known as palpation, which involves using their hands to apply gentle pressure and touch various parts of the arm to assess for tenderness, swelling, or abnormalities.
To perform palpation, the physician typically follows these steps:
1. Clean hands: The physician begins by washing their hands or using hand sanitizer to ensure they are working with clean hands, minimizing the risk of introducing any infection.
2. Positioning: The patient is usually asked to lie down or sit in a comfortable position, allowing the physician easy access to the arm without causing discomfort or additional injury.
3. Assessing the shoulder: The physician starts by palpating the shoulder joint, feeling for any tenderness, swelling, or abnormalities around the collarbone, scapula (shoulder blade), and upper arm.
4. Moving down the arm: From the shoulder, the physician progresses down the arm, gently applying pressure and feeling each segment. They assess the upper arm, elbow, lower arm, and wrist. They check for swelling, muscle tension, tenderness, bony deformities, or any other irregularities.
5. Palpating the hand: Finally, the physician palpates the fingers, assessing each finger and the joints for tenderness, swelling, range of motion, and any signs of injury.
During this process, the physician is gathering important information to help diagnose and determine the appropriate treatment for the injury.