Five OCS Test questions you should Be Prepared to Answer

The 2021 OCS exam is closer than you think! 

Studying for the Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) examination can be a tedious task and a bit overwhelming. Unlike the NPTE, many people who are preparing for the OCS have full time jobs, families, and other commitments to juggle. Plus, there are only a few high quality resources available to help one prepare for the exam and even fewer which provide practice quiz or test questions. For this reason, OPTIM has comprised a library of nearly 300 questions that can adequately prepare you the OCS examination! 

In this post, we will provide you with 5 questions that you MUST be prepared to answer while taking the OCS examination. With each question, consider the larger topic, background information, diagnostic accuracy (if appropriate), contextual factors, and more.  

**All answers provided at the bottom of this post!

Question 1

A 37-year-old female patient presents to you in clinic with complaints of low back pain that radiates down into her right hip and upper thigh pain that started two weeks ago after she picked up her 4 year old son and felt a “pop” in her back. She reports that immediately after the injury her back felt stiff, but by the time she woke up the next morning she had 5/10 pain on the R side of her low back that jumped to 9/10 and spread halfway down her right leg with forward bending. She reports that her pain might be getting a little bit better, but she still can’t bend forward without pain and that sitting or driving for more than a few minutes increases the pain significantly. She reports that her most comfortably position is standing or walking.

Based on the treatment based classification (TBC) system which of the following is the best approach to physical therapy management for the patient in the case above? Select one:
a. Traction 
b. Stabilization 
c. Specific exercise 
d. Manipulation

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Question 2

A patient presents to you 2 weeks s/p FOOSH injury that occurred while she was in her yard raking and stepped awkwardly on a pine cone which caused her to fall down and brace her fall with her right hand. She reports pain in the right wrist that she assumed would go away on it's own but has persisted.

​Which of the following are signs that a patient may present with a scaphoid fracture and could warrant referral for further imaging to rule out a fracture? 
a. Palpation to the anatomic snuffbox 
b. Palpation of the scaphoid tubercle with wrist extension 
c. Axial loading of the first metacarpal 
d. All of the above

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Question 3

Which of the following tests are considered the most evidence based cluster for determining sub-acromial impingement?:
Select one: 
a. Hawkins-Kennedy, Painful Arc, and ER MMT weakness 
b. Neer, relocation, and Hawkins-Kennedy tests 
c. Empty can, Hawkins-Kennedy, and speed’s tests 
d. Sulcus sign, speed’s test, and empty can test

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Question 4

Which of the following MRI findings is an EARLY sign of disk degeneration?
a. Reduced signal intensity in the nuclear area of the IV disc 
b. Disc space narrowing 
c. Osteophytes 
d. Spinal stenosis

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Question 5

A patient presents to PT with complaints of numbness/tingling in the L antero-lateral thigh that impact standing and sitting comfortably. You find diminished sensation in this area however, motor performance is intact and the patient has full hip ROM.

​Which of the following health conditions should be at the top of your hypothesis list?
a. Lumbar radiculopathy (L 4,5) 
b. Meralgia Paresthetica 
c. Sports hernia 
d. Trochanteric Bursitis

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Answers

1. c. Specific exercise
2. d. All of the above
3. a. Hawkins-Kennedy, Painful Arc, and ER MMT weakness [Park et al 05 and 08]
4. a. Reduced signal intensity in the nuclear area of the IV disc. [the other 3 answers are late signs]
5. ​b. Meralgia paresthetica​