UPPER-LIMB DISORDERS

Disorders of the upper limb cause significant morbidity and incur subs tantial costs. These conditions are amongst the most common reasons fo r attendance to occupational physicians, and they are also commonly en countered in the practice of a wide array of medical specialities (rhe umatology, orthopaedic surgery, rehabilitation and neurology). Despite this collective experience, standardized methods for labelling these conditions and algorithms for their clinical evaluation and treatment are only beginning to be developed. The purpose of this review is to o utline a classification system for upper limb disorders, to address th e features of the clinical history and examination which are of most b enefit in reaching a diagnosis, and to briefly outline approaches to i nvestigation and treatment.