Upper Extremity Pre-Exam Form in Chapman
Putting on a coat should not require a strategy. When a shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand stops cooperating, it interrupts everything else. These are the questions your therapist will ask at our Chapman clinic, listed so you can work through them before you arrive.
What your upper extremity pre-exam covers.
We measure arms in reach, not in pain scores. Can you get a plate down from the top shelf, fasten a seatbelt, get a coat on without a manoeuvre, lie on that side at night. Those are the things we test, and they are what these questions are really about.
Read them before your visit and answer whatever you can. There is nothing to submit on this page and nothing to print. When you are ready for an appointment, use the booking form further down.
Which side, and how far it reaches
Which arm, and whether it is the one you write with. Then try it at home: can you reach straight overhead to a top shelf, behind your back to a rear pocket or a bra strap, across your body to the opposite shoulder? Note where the movement stops, and whether pain or stiffness stopped it.
Shoulder pain →Night pain and how you sleep
Shoulders are honest at night. Does it wake you, and is that every night or only after a heavy day? Which side do you sleep on now, and which side did you sleep on before this started? If you have relocated to a recliner, say so, because that tells us plenty on its own.
Request an appointment →Grip, dropping things and numb fingers
Whether jar lids, door handles and tools have become a fight. Whether anything has slipped out of your hand with no warning at all. Then be exact about numbness: thumb, index and middle is a different story from ring and little finger, and tingling that wakes you at night is different again.
Elbow, wrist & hand →How it started, and what the arm has to do
A fall, a catch, a lift that went badly, or nothing you can name. Any previous dislocation, fracture or surgery on that arm. Then the demands you are going to put back on it: overhead work, tools and vibration, a keyboard and mouse all day, lifting on a shift, throwing, quilting, gardening, carrying a grandchild.
Call (785) 922-4016 →What to bring to your first visit
- Your prescription, if a physician has already written you one
- Your driver’s licence or another photo ID
- Your insurance cards, or your Worker’s Comp or auto claim information
- A list of your medications with the dosage and how often you take them
- Copies of any X-ray, MRI or CT reports for that shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand
- Your personal calendar, so we can schedule the rest of your visits before you leave
Bring any sling, brace or splint you have been given, and wear a top that lets us see the shoulder move. Kansas direct access means most patients can start physical therapy without a physician referral. Some insurance plans still require one for coverage, so we verify your specific plan before your first visit and tell you exactly where you stand.
Your Chapman clinic
Tues and Thurs, 7:20 am to 5:00 pm
If writing is the very thing that hurts, do not write. Call (785) 922-4016 and answer these on the phone, or come in a few minutes early and go through them with us at the front desk. Nobody is turned away for arriving with nothing prepared. Use the form below and we will call you back to confirm a time.