Physical Examination and Imaging Specific to the Extensor Mechanism

The extensor mechanism comprises a significantly diverse set of tissues, articular cartilage, bones, tendons, muscles, and ligaments. The pathology found in the extensor mechanism equally has a wide variety of issues ranging from mal-tracking, traumatic ruptures, and attritional wear associated with arthritic progression. The evaluation of these problems should be systematic and based on a comprehensive history and exam which leads to confirmatory imaging. Then treatment can be derived using guidance from qualitative and quantitative data in the imaging studies. Building a systematic approach to extensor mechanism problems facilitates accurate diagnosis and treatment.