ABSTRACT
It is essential that all doctors have a sound basic knowledge of orthopaedic disease, because so many of the patients who come to the general surgical and medical clinics have abnormalities of their musculoskeletal system. As the primary concern in orthopaedic conditions is often function, you must be able to examine the muscles, bones and joints properly, assessing function as well as any structural abnormality. This chapter describes the examination of each of these structures and some of the common abnormalities and diseases that affect them.
