The Diagnostic Accuracy of the Clinical Examination

When patients get musculoskeletal pain and seek care, the healthcare professional performs a detailed clinical examination to determine a diagnosis and determine a plan of care which often includes imaging. There are only a few studies that have looked at the accuracy of the clinical examination in a primary care setting, most studies having been performed in a specialty practice treating Orthopedic or Sports injuries. In these practices, surgery has become and remains the gold standard. However, in primary care, often imaging like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become the the criterion standard. This double blind study will compare the diagnosis reached by clinical exam to the results found on MRI. In addition, the examining clinician will report their recommended plan of care after the examination.