Standing, sitting, or lying supine
Ask the patient to wear shorts or lift the pant leg to allow direct palpation on the skin.
Lateral to the patient.
May I touch the side of your leg to feel the motion in the bones of your leg? (or point to the area).
Please straighten and bend your knee and then point your toes inward and outward (or demonstrate, which is much easier).
The knee joint can be viewed in a narrow sense as the tibiofemoral joint. In a broader sense it can be viewed as the tibiofemoral and the patellofemoral joints, and as a complex of four joints as the tibiofemoral joint (with medial and lateral tibiofemoral joints), patellofemoral joint, and some include the proximal tibiofibular joint.
Tibiofibular joint motion occurs naturally with tibiofemoral joint motion.
Starting with the patient relaxed, either demonstrate or guide the patient to do the following motions:
Tibiofibular joint motion occurs naturally with tibiofemoral joint motion.
Starting with the patient relaxed, either demonstrate or guide the patient to do the following motions:
- Knee joint extension and flexion while you palpate and observe tibiofibular upward glide with extension and downward glide with flexion.
- ï Knee joint medial and lateral rotation while you palpate and observe subtle and variable tibiofibular glide and/or rotation, or both..
VH ñ Knee joint ñ quadriceps and hamstrings on one side, only bones on the other side