Page 98 - Canine Lameness

70 5 The Rehabilitation Examination

Table 5.1 Description of end-feels with normal and abnormal examples.

Example
End-feel Description normal Example abnormal

Capsular Firm and yielding: joint capsule Shoulder and Loss of hip extension PROM with
restricts motion and resistance is hip extension hip osteoarthritis
not abrupt
Elastic Yielding with recoil: muscle and Tarsal flexion Patellar tendonitis, carpal
tendons restrict motion hyperextension
Bony Hard and unyielding: bone Elbow Advanced elbow osteoarthritis, loss
restricts motion and resistance is extension (or of elbow flexion, and extension
abrupt capsular) PROM
Muscle spasm Resistance with pain and visual None Myotendinopathies
and palpable muscle spasm:
muscle pain restricts motion
Tissue Soft tissue limits motion Shoulder or Large lipoma interfering with
approximation stifle flexion motion
Empty No end‐feel noted: unable to None Intra‐articular fracture, unable to
determine end‐feel due to pain evaluate

(A) (B)

Elastic Bony

(C) (D)

Capsular Spasm

Figure 5.2 Illustration of selected end-feels: (A) an elastic end-feel describes the sensation that is
observed when muscle or tendon are limiting range of motion, for example, with a supraspinatus
tendinopathy; (B) a bony end-feel can be observed if severe osteophyte production in an arthritic joint is
reducing range of motion; (C) similarly, a capsular end-feel may be observed with osteoarthritis; however,
the limiting tissue in this case is the thickened capsule rather than osteophytes; (D) muscle spasm end-feel
limits range of motion because of muscle pain.