Symptom behaviour interview
Maps 24-hour pattern, aggravators, easers and prior episodes to frame load management.
Assessment mixes history, red-flag screening, movement observation and selected special tests.
No single test is perfect; clusters and functional tasks usually outweigh any isolated manoeuvre.
Assessment tests
Active range screen
Compares available motion and symptom reproduction through preferred planes.
Resisted isometric battery
Identifies painful or weak directions that guide early exercise selection.
Functional task test
Squat, reach, gait or sport-specific drill matched to the person’s goals.
Special orthopaedic tests
Selected manoeuvres for ligament, tendon or joint suspicion — interpreted in context.
Red flags
These warrant prompt clinical review rather than unsupervised exercise progression.
Progressive neurological deficit
Worsening weakness, saddle anaesthesia or bowel/bladder change needs urgent review.
Unexplained fever or night pain
Systemic features with musculoskeletal pain raise infection or malignancy concerns.
Trauma with inability to bear load
Ottawa-style rules and fracture pathways apply after significant injury.
Vascular or visceral signs
Chest pain, sudden severe headache, or abdominal symptoms are not “rehab problems” first.
Red flags are rare but decisive — when present they outrank routine exercise progression.
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