Orthopedic Assessment
Use when asked to administer, score, or explain an Orthopaedic Assessment — musculoskeletal evaluation using the DASH questionnaire — grounded in FormExamples/form-examples.
Musculoskeletal evaluation using the DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) questionnaire, with range of motion and functional assessment.
Scoring
Instrument: DASH Score. Range 0–100 (0 = no disability, 100 = most severe disability).
What it covers
Demographics; chief complaint; pain assessment; the DASH questionnaire; range of motion; strength testing; functional limitations; imaging history; current treatment; and surgical history.
Common pitfalls
- Treating DASH as specific to one joint — it measures upper-limb disability broadly (arm, shoulder, and hand together), so a high score doesn't localize which specific joint or structure is responsible; the range-of-motion and strength-testing sections are what localize the problem.
- Comparing DASH scores across unrelated conditions without context — the same score can reflect very different underlying pathology; DASH tracks disability, not diagnosis.
- Skipping imaging history when planning further workup — prior imaging findings materially change what further investigation is actually needed; omitting this section risks duplicate or unnecessarily invasive testing.
Learn more
- FormExamples: orthopedic-assessment for the full implementation, clinical references, and worked examples.
- Sports Medicine Assessment for a related musculoskeletal assessment.