Musculoskeletal Practice Questions

Musculoskeletal questions test fracture classification, compartment syndrome recognition, osteoporosis diagnosis, and frozen shoulder workup, which is high-yield on the MCCQE, USMLE Step 2 CK, and PLAB. These four sample questions come from MediLingo's bank of 3,900+ questions across 23 specialties.

Sample questions

Question 1

An 80-year-old man has a femoral neck fracture with complete displacement and no fragment contact. What is the Garden classification?

a) Garden I

b) Garden IV ✓ Correct

c) Garden II

d) Garden III

Key teaching point: Garden IV = completely displaced femoral neck fracture.

Question 2

A patient has classic signs of acute compartment syndrome. What is the next step?

a) Clinical diagnosis — proceed to fasciotomy without delay ✓ Correct

b) Wait for compartment pressure measurements

c) Elevate above heart level and observe

d) Start heparin infusion

Key teaching point: Compartment syndrome is clinical — fasciotomy emergently, don't wait for pressures.

Question 3

A 68-year-old woman has a DXA T-score of -2.7 at the femoral neck. How is this classified?

a) T-score -1.5

b) T-score -0.8

c) T-score -2.0

d) T-score -2.7 ✓ Correct

Key teaching point: T-score ≤-2.5 = osteoporosis; -1 to -2.5 = osteopenia.

Question 4

What is the role of imaging in diagnosing adhesive capsulitis?

a) X-ray always shows erosions

b) Clinical diagnosis; imaging usually normal ✓ Correct

c) MRI is mandatory

d) Arthroscopy required

Key teaching point: Frozen shoulder is clinical; imaging mainly excludes mimics.

Keep going — 3,900+ questions

With streaks, XP and duels. Free for med students in 72 countries; 30-day free trial elsewhere.

More practice questions

Neurology — Stroke, seizure, headache, and movement disorders
Nephrology — AKI, CKD, electrolytes, acid-base, and glomerular disease
Hematology — Anemias, coagulation disorders, leukemias, and lymphomas
MSK & Rheumatology — Arthritis, fractures, metabolic bone disease, and vasculitis
Infectious Disease — Endocarditis, HIV, UTIs, sepsis, and tropical infections
General Surgery — Biliary disease, breast, thyroid, and perioperative care
Biostatistics & Epidemiology — Risk reduction, study design, confidence intervals, and screening
Dermatology — Inflammatory dermatoses, infections, and skin manifestations
Ophthalmology — Red eye, acute vision loss, and glaucoma
ENT — Epistaxis, otitis media, croup, and pharyngeal infections
Geriatrics & Palliative Care — Falls, delirium, dementia, capacity, and end-of-life
Psychiatry — Mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis, and substance use
Cardiology — Acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, arrhythmias, and valvular disease
Respiratory — Asthma, COPD, pneumonia, and pulmonary embolism
Gastroenterology — IBD, cirrhosis, GI bleeding, biliary disease, and pancreatitis
Endocrine — Diabetes diagnosis, medications, and hypoglycemia
Urology — Ureteral stones, hematuria workup, and renal colic
Emergency Medicine — Trauma resuscitation, tamponade, tension pneumothorax, and burns
Pediatrics — Neonatal fever, febrile seizures, autism screening, and ADHD
Obstetrics & Gynecology — Pre-eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy, antepartum bleeding, and postpartum hemorrhage
Pharmacology — Antihypertensives, anticoagulant reversal, and beta-blocker selectivity
Ethics — Informed consent, emergency treatment, minors, and refusal of care