Question 1

A professional tennis player comes into the clinic complaining of a sore elbow.The nurse suspects that he has tenderness at the:

Accepted Answer

A)  olecranon bursa.
B)  annular ligament.
C)  base of the radius.
D)  medial and lateral epicondyle. D

Question 2

The nurse has completed the musculoskeletal examination of a patient's knee and has found a positive bulge sign.The nurse suspects:

Accepted Answer

A)  irregular bony margins.
B)  soft tissue swelling in the joint.
C)  swelling from fluid in the epicondyle.
D)  swelling from fluid in the suprapatellar pouch. D

Question 3

The nurse knows that the incidence of osteoporosis is greatest in which group?

Accepted Answer

A)  Males of African descent
B)  Females of African descent
C)  Females of European descent
D)  Aboriginal males C

Question 4

A patient is able to flex his right arm forward without difficulty or pain,but is unable to abduct his arm because of pain and muscle spasms.The nurse suspects:

Accepted Answer

A)  crepitation.
B)  rotator cuff lesions.
C)  dislocated shoulder.
D)  rheumatoid arthritis.

Question 5

A patient is visiting the clinic for an evaluation of a swollen,painful knuckle.The nurse notices that the knuckle above his wedding ring on the left hand is swollen,and he is unable to remove the ring.This joint is called the:

Accepted Answer

A)  interphalangeal joint.
B)  tarsometatarsal joint.
C)  metacarpophalangeal joint.
D)  talocalcaneonavicular joint.

Question 6

The knee joint is the articulation of the femur,the tibia,and the:

Accepted Answer

A)  fibula.
B)  radius.
C)  patella.
D)  humerus.

Question 7

A 40-year-old man has come into the clinic with complaints of "extreme tenderness in my toes." The nurse notes that his toes are slightly swollen,reddened,and warm to the touch.His complaints would suggest:

Accepted Answer

A)  osteoporosis.
B)  acute gout.
C)  ankylosing spondylitis.
D)  degenerative joint disease.

Question 8

An 85-year-old patient comments during his annual physical that he seems to be getting shorter as he ages.The nurse should explain that decreased height occurs with aging because:

Accepted Answer

A)  long bones tend to shorten with age.
B)  of the shortening of the vertebral column.
C)  there is a significant loss of subcutaneous fat.
D)  there is a thickening of the intervertebral discs.

Question 9

During a neonatal examination,the nurse notes that the newborn infant has six toes.This finding is documented as:

Accepted Answer

A)  unidactyly.
B)  syndactyly.
C)  polydactyly.
D)  multidactyly.

Question 10

A patient's annual physical examination reveals a lateral curvature of the thoracic and lumbar segments of his spine;however,this curvature disappears with forward bending.The nurse knows that this abnormality of the spine is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  structural scoliosis.
B)  functional scoliosis.
C)  herniated nucleus pulposus.
D)  dislocated nucleus pulposus.

Question 11

A mother brings her newborn male infant in for a checkup.She tells the nurse that he doesn't seem to be moving his right arm as much as his left and that he seems to have pain when she lifts him up under the arms.The nurse suspects a fractured clavicle and would observe for:

Accepted Answer

A)  a negative Allis sign.
B)  a positive Ortolani sign.
C)  limited range of motion during the Moro reflex.
D)  limited range of motion during LaSegue's reflex.

Question 12

Which test should the nurse use to check for large amounts of fluid around the patella?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ballottement
B)  Tinel's sign
C)  Phalen test
D)  McMurray's test

Question 13

A patient is being assessed for his range of joint movement.The nurse asks him to move his arm in toward the centre of his body.This movement is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  flexion.
B)  abduction.
C)  adduction.
D)  extension.

Question 14

During an examination,the nurse asks a patient to bend forward from the waist and notes that the patient has lateral tilting.When one of his legs is raised straight up,he complains of a pain going down the buttock into the leg.The nurse suspects:

Accepted Answer

A)  scoliosis.
B)  a meniscus tear.
C)  a herniated nucleus pulposus.
D)  a spasm of paravertebral muscles.

Question 15

A patient who has had rheumatoid arthritis for years comes to the clinic to ask about changes in her hands.The nurse knows that changes associated with rheumatoid arthritis include:

Accepted Answer

A)  Heberden's nodes.
B)  Bouchard's nodules.
C)  swan-neck deformities.
D)  Dupuytren's contractures.

Question 16

The nurse is explaining the growth of long bones to a mother of a toddler.The nurse knows that bones increase in width or diameter by deposition of new bony tissue around the shafts.The nurse also knows that lengthening occurs at the:

Accepted Answer

A)  bursa.
B)  calcaneus.
C)  epiphyses.
D)  tuberosities.

Question 17

The nurse is planning to measure a patient's angles of joint flexion.What instrument will be used?

Accepted Answer

A)  Caliper
B)  Protractor
C)  Goniometer
D)  Measuring tape

Question 18

The nurse is assessing a 1-week-old infant and testing his muscle strength.The nurse lifts the infant with her hands under the axillae,and notes that the infant starts to "slip" between her hands.The nurse should:

Accepted Answer

A)  suspect a fractured clavicle.
B)  consider that the infant may have a deformity of the spine.
C)  suspect that the infant may have weakness of the shoulder muscles.
D)  consider this a normal finding because the musculature of an infant at this age is undeveloped.

Question 19

A patient states,"I can hear a crunching or grating sound when I kneel." She also states,"it is very difficult to get out of bed in the morning because of stiffness and pain in my joints." The nurse suspects that the sound the patient hears is:

Accepted Answer

A)  crepitation.
B)  a bone spur.
C)  a loose tendon.
D)  fluid in the knee joint.

Question 20

A woman who is 8 months pregnant comments that she has noticed a change in her posture and that she is having low back pain.The nurse tells her that during pregnancy,women have a posture shift to compensate for the enlarging fetus.This shift in posture is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  lordosis.
B)  scoliosis.
C)  ankylosis.
D)  kyphosis.

Exam 24: Musculoskeletal System