It is already halfway through the trimester. That means midterms galore! With two this past week and four the coming week, I devoted most of my free time to studying the necessary material for the exams.

I have been reviewing the material for each class, specifically radiology, since it is the first exam next week. This is the third radiology class of the program. The first was normal radiographic anatomy; the second focused on the physics of radiology; and the third class is focused on diagnosis of joint pathology. The first step in diagnosing abnormalities on film is to know what normal looks like (hence why it is the first radiology class we take). If the film is abnormal, the next step is to figure out what is abnormal about it. From there, a diagnosis can be hypothesized. Each condition has its own defining characteristic such as narrowing joint space and bony spurs for degenerative joint disease (DJD).

Image Source: WebMD.com

The other exam I have been studying for is Evaluation and Management of the Extremities. This past week, we were quizzed on conditions of the elbow and how to treat them. Two of the more common elbow conditions are medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow) and lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow). Both conditions are due to overuse or poor technique. The mechanism and location of the injuries differ but they are similar in epidemiology as both are due to tendinopathies. We also learn the orthopedic tests to differentiate between these two conditions.

Image Source: Active650.com

There are also exams in Botanical Medicine and Pharmacology. Thankfully, the concepts of those two classes overlap, though the memorization of the different names of herbs and drugs is tedious. That said, I need to get back to studying.

Thank you for reading, if you have any questions please feel free to email me at [email protected]