723 Differential Diagnosis & TIM

differential diagnosis

is the systematic process of comparing signs and symptoms to distinguish between a musculoskeletal or neuromuscular problem that a physical therapist can treat, and a serious medical condition or visceral disease that requires a referral to a physician

review of systems

in the subjective portion of your evaluation

systems review

in the objective portion of your evaluation

T

trauma; obvious trauma, microtrauma

I

inflammatory; -itis, aseptic (non-infectious) or septic (infectious)

M

metabolic; conditions that are metabolic or significantly impact the metabolic system

Va

vascular; cardiac system, arterial supply, venous return, lymphatic system

De

degenerative; conditions that are degenerative in nature

Tu

tumor; benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous)

Co

congenital; conditions from birth or early in life

Ne

neurological/psychogenic; neurologic diagnoses such as spinal muscular atrophy, migraine or psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, etc

what is the TIM list used for

to help generate hypotheses and avoid errors in clinical reasoning