You palpate the joint. You order the film. But does your interpretation match what the surgeon down the hall would call it?

Advanced practice clinicians are asked to examine, image, and manage musculoskeletal complaints with the same confidence as a subspecialist, often without the years of orthopaedic residency training behind that confidence.

This 2026 clinical reference closes that gap with a systematic, exam-room-ready approach to every major joint and region.

• Region-by-region physical examination, from shoulder instability testing to lumbar radiculopathy screening

• Plain film, CT, and MRI interpretation strategy built around clinical decision rules

• Fracture classification and splinting technique for the advanced practice clinician managing acute trauma

• Step-by-step joint aspiration and injection technique, including landmark and ultrasound-guided approaches

• Sports medicine coverage of concussion assessment, overuse injury, and return-to-play decision-making

• Pediatric orthopaedic red flags, metabolic bone disease, and perioperative optimization

Every chapter includes original clinical illustrations built for label accuracy, and the book links to a companion video course of more than 100 curated lectures through an embedded QR code.

Written by a practicing physician assistant for the clinicians who see these patients first, this is the reference we wished we had during training.