The examination of the legs, like that of the hands, can be a difficult clinical task because students are rarely taught how to specifically approach this problem either in clinical practice or in mock examinations.
The diagnostic possibilities fall into two groups; there is either an obvious lesion in which case it becomes a spot diagnosis, or, the candidate is expected to carry out a complete neurological examination of the legs.
Both these possibilities are covered and a large variety of short cases are presented as examples. Two expert neurologists examine short cases, as a candidate would be expected to do in the examination, and the examination steps are presented.
Dr M Afzal Mir, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Physician, UHW, Cardiff.