Personal reflection

The chosen condition for our clustering assignment was facet joint syndrome of the lumbar spine.

The purpose of this assessment was to research facet joint syndrome, what it is and the relevant
anatomy, and come up with a cluster of orthopaedic tests that would help in the diagnosis of facet
joint syndrome, either by ruling in facet joint syndrome, or ruling out other potential conditions.

This assignment has highlighted to me that no specific test is 100% reliable, valid, sensitive or
specific (Magee, 2008), and that orthopaedic tests should not be used in isolation when determining
a patient’s diagnosis. Although an orthopaedic test may not provide a definitive diagnosis, combined
with the patient history, the examiners observation and a cluster of orthopaedic tests, a much
clearer picture of the diagnosis is understood (Magee, 2008).

To ensure that the information we researched was accurate, we ensured that it was from a reliable
source, either from the prescribed textbook for our course or relevant peer-reviewed literature.

We used a team approach to complete this assessment. We split the assessment into what we
believed to be equal parts, with each member of our group researching different aspects of the
assignment, with help from others when needed. A team approach was necessary to bounce ideas
off the other members in the group and to ensure that we were all on the same page when it came
to putting the finished piece of assessment together.

This assignment helped me to understand the importance of obtaining a patient history, as well as
clustering orthopaedic tests in order to determine whether a particular type of disease, condition or
injury is present and how I will implement this into my future career as a chiropractor.

References

Magee, D., 2008. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 6th ed. Elsevier Health Sciences, Alberta, Canada.