What could be causing your patient’s lower limb numbness? And more importantly – how do you figure it out?

This week, we’ll talk about some strategies to help narrow down the cause of your patient’s symptoms, share some clinical pearls, some assessment techniques that can point you in the right direction (FAST), and more:

✅ The most essential history questions to ask
✅ Special questions just for lower limb numbness
✅ A quick assessment that will rule in or rule out a variety of causes
✅ Where to focus your physical exam for best results
✅ Common causes of lower limb numbness, and what you definitely want on your differential

Like so many other things in the clinical setting, assessing and managing lower limb numbness does get easier with practice. Having some pointers will also help to speed that process up and boost your confidence as a provider.

An example of a dermatome map can be found here through UptoDate: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/ima...

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Video Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
00:54 Approach a SystemBased Chief Complaint
01:48 Specific Questions for History & Assessment
05:30 Top 3 Most Common Causes
07:16 Broad Categories & Differentials
09:42 Physical Exams
10:37 Approach to Diagnostics

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Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. While anyone is welcome to view and listen, for legal and safety reasons, we are unable to diagnose, treat, or answer medical questions for individuals through this channel. We always refer individuals back to their primary care providers for medical care. If you’re a medical provider or student and have specific patient cases you have questions about, I cannot answer those here but would love to help you inside our mentorship program! Join the waitlist at https://www.realworldnp.com/mentoring.
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