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Home › Physical Examination CE Courses › Physical Examination 202: Neck and Upper Extremities
At a Glance
| Course: | Physical Examination 202: Neck and Upper Extremities · 2 CE hours · $40 |
| Faculty: | Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP |
| Format: | Online, on-demand — start immediately |
| Pricing: | $40 ($20/hr) · automatic bundle discounts |
| Approval: | PACE Provider #34015544 · TCC co-sponsored |
PACE Provider #34015544 · Co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College · Completions reported to CE Broker
The neck and the arm share one nervous system, one set of trauma patterns, and one examination — and a missed unstable cervical injury is the mistake a chiropractor cannot afford. Physical Examination 202 is the two-hour course that works the region from the cervical spine to the wrist: stable versus unstable neck injuries (teardrop and burst fractures, subluxation and dislocation), vascular injury, disc herniation, brachial plexus, nerve root and spinal cord injury; the cervical examination itself — range-of-motion norms, axial compression, distraction and Spurling's tests, sensory, reflex and muscle testing with the pathologic reflexes and Hoffman's sign — and the imaging and electrodiagnostic decisions that follow; then the shoulder, elbow and wrist, test by test and image by image.
Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP — former team chiropractor for D.C. United and MMA ringside physician — teaches it the way a sports physician examines: painful positions first, then the specific orthopedic tests that confirm the diagnosis (Neer's, Hawkins-Kennedy, empty can, O'Brien's, Yergason's, lift-off, the drawer tests and sulcus sign, the AC joint shear test, Cozen's, Mills and reverse Mills, Tinel's), then the imaging that settles it — radiographic views, MSK ultrasound and the MRI findings behind SLAP tears, Bankart and Hill-Sachs lesions, rotator cuff and biceps tendon tears — with the return-to-play evidence for athletes after cervical spine injury and surgery. It is the second course in the CCEDseminars Physical Examination series, and the companion to his Physical Examination 203 on the lumbar spine and lower extremity.
Where This Course Fits — The Physical Examination Series
The CCEDseminars Physical Examination series is the on-demand catalog for the examination skills a chiropractor uses every day. New titles are released as faculty complete them, and there is no bundle in this category: each course is taken on its own, and the multi-course discount applies automatically in the cart when the hours add up.
Neurological Examination
Physical Examination 201: Current Concepts in Pupillometry (Michael Hall, DC, FIACN · 2 CE · $40)
Regional Orthopedic Examination — you are here
Physical Examination 202: Neck and Upper Extremities — this course (Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP · 2 CE · $40)
Physical Examination 203: Lumbar Spine and Lower Extremity (Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP · 2 CE · $40)
The current series, with pricing, lives on the Physical Examination category page.
What You'll Learn
On completing Physical Examination 202 you will be able to:
- Differentiate stable from unstable cervical spine injuries — teardrop and burst fractures, subluxation and dislocation — and recognize vascular injury, cervical disc herniation, brachial plexus injury, nerve root injury, and the spinal cord syndromes (central cord, anterior cord, Brown-Séquard, posterior cord) and cervical cord neurapraxia
- Perform the cervical examination: range-of-motion norms, axial compression, distraction and Spurling's tests, sensory, reflex and muscle testing including the pathologic reflexes and Hoffman's sign, and select radiographs, MRI, EMG/NCV and CT according to the findings
- Examine the shoulder with range of motion, the impingement and rotator cuff tests (Neer's, Hawkins-Kennedy, empty can, O'Brien's, Yergason's, lift-off), the instability tests (anterior and posterior drawer, sulcus sign) and the AC joint shear test, and interpret the radiographic views, MSK ultrasound and MRI findings of SLAP tears, Bankart and Hill-Sachs lesions and rotator cuff tears
- Evaluate the elbow and wrist: distal and proximal biceps tendon rupture, lacertus syndrome, lateral and medial elbow tendinopathy (Cozen's, Mills and reverse Mills tests), cubital tunnel syndrome (Tinel sign), De Quervain's tenosynovitis and intersection syndrome, with their imaging and management
- Apply the current return-to-play evidence for collision and elite athletes after cervical spine injury and cervical spine surgery
Course Outline
- Neck Injuries — stable versus unstable fractures (compressive-flexion teardrop, vertical-compression burst), subluxation and dislocation; vascular injury of the neck (carotid versus vertebral artery); cervical disc herniation
- Neurological Injury of the Neck — brachial plexus and nerve root injury; spinal cord injury and cord anatomy (central cord, anterior cord, Brown-Séquard and posterior cord syndromes); cervical cord neurapraxia; injury statistics; return-to-play consensus and outcomes after cervical spine injury and surgery
- Cervical Examination — cervical sprain/strain; range-of-motion norms; axial compression, distraction and Spurling's tests; sensory evaluation, deep tendon and pathologic reflexes (Hoffman's sign and the upper-extremity pathologic reflexes), muscle testing; cranial nerve and concussion evaluation after motor vehicle accident; diagnostic testing — radiographs, MRI, EMG/NCV, CT
- Shoulder Examination — range-of-motion norms; impingement and rotator cuff testing (Neer's, Hawkins-Kennedy, empty can, O'Brien's, Yergason's, lift-off); instability testing (anterior and posterior drawer, sulcus sign); the clinical pearl of painful-position-guided orthopedic testing
- The Acromioclavicular Joint — anatomy, the revised grading system, AC joint instability and the shear test, features of AC separation
- Shoulder Imaging — the three preferred options (X-ray, diagnostic ultrasound, MRI/arthrogram); non-traumatic and trauma radiographic views (AP neutral, baby arm, scapula Y, inferior-superior axial, transthoracic lateral); MSK ultrasound; MRI as the gold standard — supraspinatus tears, SLAP tears, Bankart and Hill-Sachs lesions
- The Elbow — ligaments and capsule, flexor and extensor muscles; distal biceps tendon rupture and the imaging update; lacertus syndrome; proximal (long head) biceps tendon tear; lateral elbow tendinopathy (Cozen's and Mills tests, MSK ultrasound, MRI); medial elbow tendinopathy (reverse Mills test); cubital tunnel syndrome — etiology, testing, Tinel sign, surgery when conservative care fails
- The Wrist — De Quervain's tenosynovitis (evaluation and treatment); intersection syndrome (evaluation and management)
Your Physical Examination Faculty
Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP — instructor of this course — is a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. A graduate of National University of Health Sciences (BS Human Biology; Doctor of Chiropractic), he served as chiropractor for D.C. United from 1996 to 1998 and as an MMA ringside physician from 2009 to 2015, and he teaches the CCEDseminars Sports Injuries, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation courses and Physical Examination 203: Lumbar Spine and Lower Extremity, the companion to this course. Faculty profile »
Michael Hall, DC, FIACN — chiropractic neurologist — teaches Physical Examination 201: Current Concepts in Pupillometry. Faculty profile »
Credit, Reporting & State Rules
Physical Examination 202 is a 2-hour on-demand course. Your completion is recorded electronically when you pass the post-course assessment, and your certificate is issued immediately. Completions are reported to CE Broker for the states CCEDseminars serves.
Boards set their own caps on online hours, and some limit hours by category. Before you plan a block of online hours, confirm your board's current rules on the State/Region CEU Approvals page. Texas licensees can verify provider status through the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Approved states for this course are listed at the bottom of this page.
What It Costs — and How to Pay Less
Physical Examination 202 is $40 for 2 CE hours — $20 per hour. Multi-course discounts apply automatically in the cart — 10% on 6–9 hours and 20% on 10 or more — with no promo code to enter.
There is no bundle in the Physical Examination category. 202 is the companion to Dr. O'Hara's 203 Lumbar Spine and Lower Extremity (2 CE · $40) — the two together cover the orthopedic examination from the cervical spine to the hamstring for $80 — and adding Dr. Hall's 201 Current Concepts in Pupillometry (2 CE · $40) makes 6 CE hours, which is where the automatic 10% discount starts: $108 instead of $120, with hours combining across any CCEDseminars category in the same cart.
References
- Updated return-to-play recommendations for collision athletes after cervical spine injury: a modified Delphi consensus study with the Cervical Spine Research Society. Neurosurgery. 2020;87(4):647–654. doi:10.1093/neuros/nyaa308
- Return-to-play outcomes in elite athletes after cervical spine surgery: a systematic review. Sports Health. 2021;13(5):437–445. doi:10.1177/19417381211007813
- Torg JS. Cervical spine injuries and return to football. Sports Health. 2009;1(5):376–383. doi:10.1177/1941738109343161
- O'Keefe K, Holschen JC. Head and neck injuries in athletes. The Sports Medicine Core Curriculum Lecture Series (ACEP Section Grant).
- Pinas M, Nijs S, Shahabpour M. Distal biceps brachii tendon injuries: an imaging update.
- Lacertus syndrome: use of pre- and post-exercise MRI to aid in diagnosis and treatment (case report, ScienceDirect).
- Rezaee A, Jones J. Shoulder radiograph protocol. Radiopaedia.org.
- Spinal cord injury statistics. brainandspinalcord.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Physical Examination 202 cover?
The physical examination of the neck and upper extremities as a chiropractor performs it: stable versus unstable cervical injuries (teardrop and burst fractures, subluxation, dislocation), vascular injury, disc herniation, brachial plexus, nerve root (cervical radiculopathy) and spinal cord injury; the cervical exam — range of motion, axial compression, distraction and Spurling's tests, sensory, reflex and muscle testing, Hoffman's sign — and when to order X-ray, MRI, EMG/NCV or CT; the shoulder tests (Neer's, Hawkins-Kennedy, empty can, O'Brien's, Yergason's, lift-off, drawer tests, sulcus sign, AC shear) and the imaging behind SLAP tears, Bankart and Hill-Sachs lesions and rotator cuff tears; and the elbow and wrist — biceps tendon rupture, lateral and medial epicondyle tendinopathy, cubital tunnel syndrome, De Quervain's tenosynovitis and intersection syndrome.
Who teaches the course, and who is it for?
Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP — Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, former chiropractor for D.C. United and MMA ringside physician — teaches the 2-hour course. It is written for Doctors of Chiropractic who examine neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist complaints in practice and want a sports-medicine examiner's sequence: the injury patterns to rule out first, the tests that confirm, and the imaging that settles it.
What tests does a chiropractor use to tell whether neck pain is coming from a pinched nerve?
The cervical examination the course teaches: range of motion, then axial compression and distraction, then Spurling's test — extension, rotation and lateral flexion that compresses the nerve root, with a positive test referring pain from the neck into the arm — alongside sensory testing, reflexes and muscle strength. Those findings decide whether radiographs, MRI or nerve studies are ordered, and whether an unstable injury has to be excluded before any treatment.
How is the course delivered, and how do I earn the CE credit?
Physical Examination 202 is online and on-demand: you start immediately after checkout and work at your own pace. When you pass the post-course assessment your completion is recorded electronically and your certificate is issued right away. CCEDseminars is PACE Provider #34015544 and the course is co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College; completions are reported to CE Broker for the states served. Approved states are listed at the bottom of this page, and confirming your own board's requirements remains your responsibility.
What pairs well with Physical Examination 202?
Dr. O'Hara's Physical Examination 203: Lumbar Spine and Lower Extremity is the companion course — the two together cover the orthopedic examination from the cervical spine to the hamstring, 4 CE hours for $80. Add Dr. Hall's Physical Examination 201: Current Concepts in Pupillometry and the three reach 6 CE hours, where the automatic 10% multi-course discount starts ($108 instead of $120). New Physical Examination titles are released as faculty complete them; the current list with pricing lives on the category page.
State approval and licensing reminder. CCEDseminars is PACE Provider #34015544. Approved states for this course are listed at the bottom of this page, and board rules on online hours change — confirming your own board's current requirements before you enroll is your responsibility.
Physical Examination 202: Neck and Upper Extremities
2 CE hours · $40 · online, on demand · Dennis O'Hara, DC, DACBSP
CCEDseminars · PACE Provider #34015544 · Reviewed by Monte Horne, DC · Last updated October 22, 2026 (CT)