Course Description

Needs Statement

More than 40 million Americans suffer from some type of musculoskeletal condition, which, by many estimates, accounts for 30% of all primary-care encounters. The aging U.S. population and the increasingly active lifestyles of many Americans have led to an increase in this type of complaint. Although a common complaint, techniques for diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions are often underemphasized in medical training, resulting in a lack of clinical confidence in primary-care providers to diagnose and treat patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Intended Audience

This symposium is intended for all primary-care providers, general internists and emergency department clinicians who encounter patients with musculoskeletal injuries or disease.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this symposium, the participant will provide better patient care through an increased ability to:

• List common symptoms of musculoskeletal tumors and describe treatment options
• List expected outcomes of hip arthritis treatment, describe surgical alternatives and identify whether patients are better suited for medical or surgical treatment
• Recognize symptoms of common hand disorders, describe treatment of common hand disorders and identify when to refer to a hand specialist
• Review evaluation and differential diagnosis of spine disorders, describe conservative care for spine disorders, outline the risks of surgery and distinguish when to refer to a spine disorder specialist
• Recognize symptoms of common knee disorders, perform basic examination of the knee, describe treatment of common knee disorders and contrast medical and surgical treatments
• Identify new therapeutic options for treatment of muscle and tendon injuries
• Perform basic shoulder examination, list common shoulder diagnoses and identify common treatment options for shoulder pathology 
• List symptoms of common disorders of the foot and contrast medical and surgical treatment of foot disorders
• Describe the indications for joint injection, review equipment options and execute injection and aspiration techniques 
• Perform diagnostic exam of the shoulder, knee, ankle and hand