6202 Final Exam (M9-13) Questions with
All Detailed Answers 2026-2027 Edition.
Fractures in the humerus, clavicle and acromion are treated by: - Answer These fractures
usually best heal spontaneously after proper immobilization; they rarely require surgery.
The primary exam techniques used for assessing the musculoskeletal system are:
A. Inspection and palpation
B. Inspection and percussion
C. Auscultation and palpation
D. Palpation and percussion - Answer A. Inspection and palpation
Typical joints affected are hands, knees, hips and spine.
A. OA
B. RA
C. General joint disease
D. Osteoporosis - Answer A. OA
The most common symptom of OA is joint pain. OA pain tends to worsen with activity, more
often following a period of rest. OA can also cause morning stiffness and generally lasts less
than 30 minutes, unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause stiffness for 45 minutes or longer.
OA is often asymmetrical, whereas RA is normally symmetrical and bilateral, especially in the
hands. Pain on ROM and limitation of ROM are common to all forms of OA.
Fred has been diagnosed with a trigger finger of the ring finger. Which of the following
management strategies is appropriate?
A. Surgical removal of the tendon sheath
B. NSAIDs
C. Local anesthetic injection into the tendon sheath
D. Splinting - Answer C. Local anesthetic injection into the tendon sheath
Which of the following statements concerning the musculoskeletal examination is true?
,A. The uninvolved side should be examined initially and then compared to the involved side.
B. The part of the body that is causing the patient pain should be examined first.
C. When possible, the patient should not be asked to perform active ROM exercises to avoid
causing pain
D. Radiographs should always be obtained prior to examination so as to not cause further injury
to the patient. - Answer A. The uninvolved side should be examined initially and then
compared to the involved side.
Mrs. Anderson is a 35-year-old woman who has been recently diagnosed with carpal tunnel
syndrome. She has 2 young children and asks the clinician what the chances are that they also
will develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Which of the following responses would be correct
regarding the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome?
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome commonly occurs in families. Genetic factors are thought to account
for about one-half the risk of developing carpal tunnel.
B. Only people w/occupations that require repeated flexion extension of the wrist, use of hand
tools that require forceful gripping, or use of hand tools that vibrate are at risk for developing
carpal tunnel.
C. An underlying musculoskeletal disorder must be present for a person to develop carpal
tunnel.
D. Carpal tunnel syndrome only occurs in the presence of a hormonal imbalance. - Answer B.
Only people w/occupations that require repeated flexion extension of the wrist, use of hand
tools that require forceful gripping, or use of hand tools that vibrate are at risk for developing
carpal tunnel.
Willow is a 67-year-old female and her bone mineral density is more than 1 SD below the young
adult reference mean. What is her diagnosis?
A. Normal bone mineral density
B. Osteopenia
C. Osteoporosis
D. Severe osteoporosis - Answer B. Osteopenia
A 70 year-old female fell 2 weeks ago and developed immediate pain in her left elbow on the
lateral epicondyle. She thought she just bruised it, but is now worried because it has not
improved. She has used Tylenol® and ice at home, and that has helped slightly. During your
examination, you find she has moderate swelling and ecchymosis, but no overtly obvious
deformity. Her ROM is uncomfortable and severely diminished due to the pain. No crepitus is
heard or felt. Her fingers are warm; her pulse is strong; and capillary refill is less than 2 seconds.
What should you do?
,A. Make an immediate referral for an orthopedic surgical evaluation without further
assessment.
B. Tell her that it takes time for these bruises to improve, so she should be patient.
C. Prescribe a splint for her left wrist and begin corticosteroid injections.
D. Send her to the emergency room for reduction of this obvious wrist fracture. - Answer C.
Prescribe a splint for her left wrist and begin corticosteroid injections.
Tinel's sign and Phalen's maneuver are used in identifying a common workplace condition that
the family nurse practitioner recognizes as:
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
B. Lateral epicondylitis
C. Dupuytren's disease
D. Thoracic outlet syndrome - Answer A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
Mrs. Thomas was seen in the office complaining of pain and point tenderness in the area of her
elbow. The pain has increased following a day of gardening 1 week ago. A physical finding that
differentiates the diagnosis and is most consistent with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is:
A. Ecchymosis, edema, and erythema over the lateral epicondyle
B. Pain at the elbow that radiates into the forearm accompanied by pain and weakness with
gripping objects (resisted movements at the wrist and forearm)
C. Inability to supinate and pronate the arm
D. Inability to flex or extend the elbow against resistance - Answer B. Pain at the elbow that
radiates into the forearm accompanied by pain and weakness with gripping objects (resisted
movements at the wrist and forearm)
The clinician suspects that a client has patellar instability. In order to test for this, the client is
seated with the quadriceps relaxed, and the knee is placed in extension. Next the patella is
displaced laterally, and the knee flexed to 30°. If instability is present, this maneuver displaces
the patella to an abnormal position on the lateral femoral condyle, and the client will perceive
pain. Testing for patellar instability in this way is known as:
A. Apprehension sign
B. Bulge sign
C. Thumb sign
D. Lachman sign - Answer A. Apprehension sign
, Felice is a 66-year-old female who complains that walking and prolonged standing causes pain
and weakness in her legs and buttocks. She expresses that she has short-term relief when she
leans on the shopping cart. When she sleeps on her back, she sometimes wakes up in the night
in pain. Which of the following diagnoses is most likely?
A. Multiple sclerosis
B. Herniated lumbar disc
C. Lumbar spinal stenosis
D. Cervical spondylosis - Answer C. Lumbar spinal stenosis
Sam is a 25-year-old who has been diagnosed with low back strain based on his history of
localized low back pain and muscle spasm along with a normal neurological examination. As the
clinician, you explain to Sam that low back pain is a diagnosis of exclusion. Which of the
following symptoms would alert the clinician to the more serious finding of a herniated nucleus
pulposus or ruptured disc?
A. Morning stiffness and limited mobility of the lumbar spine
B. Unilateral radicular pain symptoms that extend below the knee and are equal to or greater
than the back pain
C. Fever, chills, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate
D. Pathologic fractures, severe night pain, weight loss, and fatigue - Answer B. Unilateral
radicular pain symptoms that extend below the knee and are equal to or greater than the back
pain
Which diagnostic test is the diagnostic gold standard for patients that have tendinitis and have
failed conservative treatment?
A. Plain x-ray films
B. MRI
C. CT scan
D. Surgical exploration - Answer B. MRI
Debbie is a 43-year-old female being evaluated for a wrist injury. The clinician is assessing for
median nerve compression by having Debbie maintain forced flexion of her wrist for 1 minute
with the dorsal surface of each hand pressed together. Which of these tests did the clinician just
perform?
A. Allen's test
B. Phalen's test
All Detailed Answers 2026-2027 Edition.
Fractures in the humerus, clavicle and acromion are treated by: - Answer These fractures
usually best heal spontaneously after proper immobilization; they rarely require surgery.
The primary exam techniques used for assessing the musculoskeletal system are:
A. Inspection and palpation
B. Inspection and percussion
C. Auscultation and palpation
D. Palpation and percussion - Answer A. Inspection and palpation
Typical joints affected are hands, knees, hips and spine.
A. OA
B. RA
C. General joint disease
D. Osteoporosis - Answer A. OA
The most common symptom of OA is joint pain. OA pain tends to worsen with activity, more
often following a period of rest. OA can also cause morning stiffness and generally lasts less
than 30 minutes, unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause stiffness for 45 minutes or longer.
OA is often asymmetrical, whereas RA is normally symmetrical and bilateral, especially in the
hands. Pain on ROM and limitation of ROM are common to all forms of OA.
Fred has been diagnosed with a trigger finger of the ring finger. Which of the following
management strategies is appropriate?
A. Surgical removal of the tendon sheath
B. NSAIDs
C. Local anesthetic injection into the tendon sheath
D. Splinting - Answer C. Local anesthetic injection into the tendon sheath
Which of the following statements concerning the musculoskeletal examination is true?
,A. The uninvolved side should be examined initially and then compared to the involved side.
B. The part of the body that is causing the patient pain should be examined first.
C. When possible, the patient should not be asked to perform active ROM exercises to avoid
causing pain
D. Radiographs should always be obtained prior to examination so as to not cause further injury
to the patient. - Answer A. The uninvolved side should be examined initially and then
compared to the involved side.
Mrs. Anderson is a 35-year-old woman who has been recently diagnosed with carpal tunnel
syndrome. She has 2 young children and asks the clinician what the chances are that they also
will develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Which of the following responses would be correct
regarding the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome?
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome commonly occurs in families. Genetic factors are thought to account
for about one-half the risk of developing carpal tunnel.
B. Only people w/occupations that require repeated flexion extension of the wrist, use of hand
tools that require forceful gripping, or use of hand tools that vibrate are at risk for developing
carpal tunnel.
C. An underlying musculoskeletal disorder must be present for a person to develop carpal
tunnel.
D. Carpal tunnel syndrome only occurs in the presence of a hormonal imbalance. - Answer B.
Only people w/occupations that require repeated flexion extension of the wrist, use of hand
tools that require forceful gripping, or use of hand tools that vibrate are at risk for developing
carpal tunnel.
Willow is a 67-year-old female and her bone mineral density is more than 1 SD below the young
adult reference mean. What is her diagnosis?
A. Normal bone mineral density
B. Osteopenia
C. Osteoporosis
D. Severe osteoporosis - Answer B. Osteopenia
A 70 year-old female fell 2 weeks ago and developed immediate pain in her left elbow on the
lateral epicondyle. She thought she just bruised it, but is now worried because it has not
improved. She has used Tylenol® and ice at home, and that has helped slightly. During your
examination, you find she has moderate swelling and ecchymosis, but no overtly obvious
deformity. Her ROM is uncomfortable and severely diminished due to the pain. No crepitus is
heard or felt. Her fingers are warm; her pulse is strong; and capillary refill is less than 2 seconds.
What should you do?
,A. Make an immediate referral for an orthopedic surgical evaluation without further
assessment.
B. Tell her that it takes time for these bruises to improve, so she should be patient.
C. Prescribe a splint for her left wrist and begin corticosteroid injections.
D. Send her to the emergency room for reduction of this obvious wrist fracture. - Answer C.
Prescribe a splint for her left wrist and begin corticosteroid injections.
Tinel's sign and Phalen's maneuver are used in identifying a common workplace condition that
the family nurse practitioner recognizes as:
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
B. Lateral epicondylitis
C. Dupuytren's disease
D. Thoracic outlet syndrome - Answer A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
Mrs. Thomas was seen in the office complaining of pain and point tenderness in the area of her
elbow. The pain has increased following a day of gardening 1 week ago. A physical finding that
differentiates the diagnosis and is most consistent with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is:
A. Ecchymosis, edema, and erythema over the lateral epicondyle
B. Pain at the elbow that radiates into the forearm accompanied by pain and weakness with
gripping objects (resisted movements at the wrist and forearm)
C. Inability to supinate and pronate the arm
D. Inability to flex or extend the elbow against resistance - Answer B. Pain at the elbow that
radiates into the forearm accompanied by pain and weakness with gripping objects (resisted
movements at the wrist and forearm)
The clinician suspects that a client has patellar instability. In order to test for this, the client is
seated with the quadriceps relaxed, and the knee is placed in extension. Next the patella is
displaced laterally, and the knee flexed to 30°. If instability is present, this maneuver displaces
the patella to an abnormal position on the lateral femoral condyle, and the client will perceive
pain. Testing for patellar instability in this way is known as:
A. Apprehension sign
B. Bulge sign
C. Thumb sign
D. Lachman sign - Answer A. Apprehension sign
, Felice is a 66-year-old female who complains that walking and prolonged standing causes pain
and weakness in her legs and buttocks. She expresses that she has short-term relief when she
leans on the shopping cart. When she sleeps on her back, she sometimes wakes up in the night
in pain. Which of the following diagnoses is most likely?
A. Multiple sclerosis
B. Herniated lumbar disc
C. Lumbar spinal stenosis
D. Cervical spondylosis - Answer C. Lumbar spinal stenosis
Sam is a 25-year-old who has been diagnosed with low back strain based on his history of
localized low back pain and muscle spasm along with a normal neurological examination. As the
clinician, you explain to Sam that low back pain is a diagnosis of exclusion. Which of the
following symptoms would alert the clinician to the more serious finding of a herniated nucleus
pulposus or ruptured disc?
A. Morning stiffness and limited mobility of the lumbar spine
B. Unilateral radicular pain symptoms that extend below the knee and are equal to or greater
than the back pain
C. Fever, chills, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate
D. Pathologic fractures, severe night pain, weight loss, and fatigue - Answer B. Unilateral
radicular pain symptoms that extend below the knee and are equal to or greater than the back
pain
Which diagnostic test is the diagnostic gold standard for patients that have tendinitis and have
failed conservative treatment?
A. Plain x-ray films
B. MRI
C. CT scan
D. Surgical exploration - Answer B. MRI
Debbie is a 43-year-old female being evaluated for a wrist injury. The clinician is assessing for
median nerve compression by having Debbie maintain forced flexion of her wrist for 1 minute
with the dorsal surface of each hand pressed together. Which of these tests did the clinician just
perform?
A. Allen's test
B. Phalen's test
