Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing Assessment 2026 … 2026 Update • Verified Answers
✓ VERIFIED • 2026 UPDATE • 100% ACCURATE
Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing
Assessment 2026 UPDATE
Actual Exam Questions & Verified Answers
with Detailed Rationales
Document Type: Exam (Elaborations)
Academic Year:
Total Questions: 50 Multiple Choice
Includes: Correct Answers + Full Rationales
Status: Verified & Updated for 2026
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 1
,Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing Assessment 2026 … 2026 Update • Verified Answers
Questions & Verified Answers
1. A nurse is performing a neurovascular assessment on a patient with a leg cast. Which of the
following is a primary sign of potential compartment syndrome?
A. Localized warmth over the casted area
B. Occasional muscle twitching
C. Increased appetite and thirst
D. Pain that is not relieved by opioid medication
Answer: D
Rationale: Unrelenting pain that is out of proportion to the injury and not relieved by analgesics is a hallmark
sign of compartment syndrome, requiring immediate intervention. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings
supports safe, evidence-based practice and improves patient outcomes.
2. When assessing a patient for osteoporosis, which non-modifiable risk factor should the
nurse identify?
A. Low calcium intake
B. Sedentary lifestyle
C. Cigarette smoking
D. Small body frame and female gender
Answer: D
Rationale: Gender, age, and body frame size are non-modifiable risk factors, whereas diet, activity levels, and
smoking are modifiable. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings supports safe, evidence-based practice and
improves patient outcomes. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer (D)
requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications.
3. A patient who underwent a total hip arthroplasty is being positioned. Which movement must
the nurse avoid to prevent dislocation?
A. Adduction past the midline
B. Keeping the knees lower than the hips
C. Abduction of the affected leg
D. Flexion of the hip less than 90 degrees
Answer: A
Rationale: Adduction past the midline and hip flexion greater than 90 degrees are movements that increase
the risk of hip prosthesis dislocation. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer
(A) requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications. Recognizing this
principle allows the nurse to prioritize care, anticipate complications, and provide accurate patient education.
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 2
, Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing Assessment 2026 … 2026 Update • Verified Answers
4. Which type of wound drainage is characterized by a thick, yellow, green, or brown
appearance and often indicates infection?
A. Purulent
B. Sanguineous
C. Serosanguineous
D. Serous
Answer: A
Rationale: Purulent drainage is thick and colored (yellow, green, tan, or brown) and usually signifies the
presence of infection. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings supports safe, evidence-based practice and
improves patient outcomes. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer (A)
requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications.
5. A nurse observes a pressure injury that presents as a partial-thickness loss of dermis with a
shallow open ulcer and a red-pink wound bed. How should this be staged?
A. Stage I
B. Stage IV
C. Stage III
D. Stage II
Answer: D
Rationale: Stage II pressure injuries involve partial-thickness loss of skin with exposed dermis. The wound bed
is viable, pink or red, and moist. Recognizing this principle allows the nurse to prioritize care, anticipate
complications, and provide accurate patient education. Exam questions often test the ability to distinguish this
concept from closely related distractors, making a clear rationale essential for mastery.
6. What is the primary purpose of Buck’s traction?
A. To reduce muscle spasms and maintain alignment preoperatively
B. To provide long-term immobilization of a fracture
C. To facilitate wound healing through negative pressure
D. To allow for active range of motion of the affected limb
Answer: A
Rationale: Buck’s traction is a type of skin traction used to immobilize a limb, reduce muscle spasms, and
maintain alignment before surgical repair of a hip or femur fracture. Recognizing this principle allows the nurse
to prioritize care, anticipate complications, and provide accurate patient education.
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 3
✓ VERIFIED • 2026 UPDATE • 100% ACCURATE
Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing
Assessment 2026 UPDATE
Actual Exam Questions & Verified Answers
with Detailed Rationales
Document Type: Exam (Elaborations)
Academic Year:
Total Questions: 50 Multiple Choice
Includes: Correct Answers + Full Rationales
Status: Verified & Updated for 2026
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 1
,Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing Assessment 2026 … 2026 Update • Verified Answers
Questions & Verified Answers
1. A nurse is performing a neurovascular assessment on a patient with a leg cast. Which of the
following is a primary sign of potential compartment syndrome?
A. Localized warmth over the casted area
B. Occasional muscle twitching
C. Increased appetite and thirst
D. Pain that is not relieved by opioid medication
Answer: D
Rationale: Unrelenting pain that is out of proportion to the injury and not relieved by analgesics is a hallmark
sign of compartment syndrome, requiring immediate intervention. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings
supports safe, evidence-based practice and improves patient outcomes.
2. When assessing a patient for osteoporosis, which non-modifiable risk factor should the
nurse identify?
A. Low calcium intake
B. Sedentary lifestyle
C. Cigarette smoking
D. Small body frame and female gender
Answer: D
Rationale: Gender, age, and body frame size are non-modifiable risk factors, whereas diet, activity levels, and
smoking are modifiable. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings supports safe, evidence-based practice and
improves patient outcomes. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer (D)
requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications.
3. A patient who underwent a total hip arthroplasty is being positioned. Which movement must
the nurse avoid to prevent dislocation?
A. Adduction past the midline
B. Keeping the knees lower than the hips
C. Abduction of the affected leg
D. Flexion of the hip less than 90 degrees
Answer: A
Rationale: Adduction past the midline and hip flexion greater than 90 degrees are movements that increase
the risk of hip prosthesis dislocation. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer
(A) requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications. Recognizing this
principle allows the nurse to prioritize care, anticipate complications, and provide accurate patient education.
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 2
, Musculoskeletal and Wound Care Nursing Assessment 2026 … 2026 Update • Verified Answers
4. Which type of wound drainage is characterized by a thick, yellow, green, or brown
appearance and often indicates infection?
A. Purulent
B. Sanguineous
C. Serosanguineous
D. Serous
Answer: A
Rationale: Purulent drainage is thick and colored (yellow, green, tan, or brown) and usually signifies the
presence of infection. Applying this knowledge in clinical settings supports safe, evidence-based practice and
improves patient outcomes. This is an important clinical concept because selecting the correct answer (A)
requires understanding both the pathophysiology and the practical nursing implications.
5. A nurse observes a pressure injury that presents as a partial-thickness loss of dermis with a
shallow open ulcer and a red-pink wound bed. How should this be staged?
A. Stage I
B. Stage IV
C. Stage III
D. Stage II
Answer: D
Rationale: Stage II pressure injuries involve partial-thickness loss of skin with exposed dermis. The wound bed
is viable, pink or red, and moist. Recognizing this principle allows the nurse to prioritize care, anticipate
complications, and provide accurate patient education. Exam questions often test the ability to distinguish this
concept from closely related distractors, making a clear rationale essential for mastery.
6. What is the primary purpose of Buck’s traction?
A. To reduce muscle spasms and maintain alignment preoperatively
B. To provide long-term immobilization of a fracture
C. To facilitate wound healing through negative pressure
D. To allow for active range of motion of the affected limb
Answer: A
Rationale: Buck’s traction is a type of skin traction used to immobilize a limb, reduce muscle spasms, and
maintain alignment before surgical repair of a hip or femur fracture. Recognizing this principle allows the nurse
to prioritize care, anticipate complications, and provide accurate patient education.
Exam (Elaborations) • Actual Questions & Rationales Page 3
