MOTOR EXAMINATION OF THE LOWER LIMB

1867 Words4 Pages

MOTOR EXAMINATION OF THE LOWER LIMB

• Inspection - Ask the child to lie down on the bed and expose to the underpants with the legs and thighs entirely exposed. Place a towel over the groin and inspect the lower limb.

o Posture – Note the resting posture. Look for abnormal flexion or extension, unusual rotation, clawing of the foot or limb shortening. Always compare with the other side for symmetry.

o Muscle Bulk - Look for muscle wasting of the quadriceps and anterior tibials and hypertrophy of the calf muscles. Compare one side with the other and proximal with distal (asymmetry).

o Involuntary Movements - Inspect for abnormal involuntary motor activity like fasciculations, tremor, etc.

o Paucity of voluntary movements

o Contractures

o Scars particularly on the posterior aspect of the lower limb

o Equipment - Urinary catheter

• Gait Examination

Function assessment of the lower limbs is a very important part of the neurological examination. In some instances, this area alone is given as an individual case in the exam. It is important to remember that normal stance and gait depends on intact visual, proprioceptive, corticospinal, extrapyramidal, cerebellar pathways and motor systems. There are two phases to the normal walking cycle: stance phase, when the foot is on the ground; and swing phase, when it is moving forward. While assessing gait, one should evaluate both the stance and walking (with various manoeuvres). Prior to the assessment, ask the child to remove the socks and shoes and examine the shoe.

o Stance: Make sure the legs and the thighs are clearly visible.

 Look for limb shortening

 Foot and knee position – valgus/ varus

 Width of stance

 Romberg sign (refer cerebellar examination)

o Walking: ...

... middle of paper ...

...the sole from the heel upwards and curve inwards across the ball of the foot medially before it reaches the toes. In children older than one year, flexion of the big toe at the metatarsophalangeal joint is the normal response. The abnormal response, also called as positive Babinski's sign, is characterised by extension of the big toe and fanning of the other toes and is seen in upper motor neuron lesion.

 Cremasteric reflex (L1-2): This reflex is NEVER elicited in the exam and is mentioned here only for the sake of completion. Ask the child to lie down on the back, abduct and externally rotate the thigh. With a blunt object, stroke the superior and medial aspect of the thigh in a downward direction. The normal response is the contraction of the cremaster muscle that pulls up the testicle on the side stimulated briskly.

• Function

o Gait assessment – refer above

More about MOTOR EXAMINATION OF THE LOWER LIMB

Open Document