Physical Therapy Evaluation Tool (PEAT) 2 Practice Exam

Tenderness in the anatomical snuffbox after a fall on an outstretched hand points to a scaphoid fracture. The snuffbox is the hollow on the radial (thumb) side of the wrist bounded medially by the extensor pollicis longus tendon and laterally by the tendons of abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis; the scaphoid lies in this space. Because the scaphoid bears load during extension and has a tenuous blood supply, fractures here are classic after FOOSH and require careful evaluation to prevent complications like nonunion or avascular SAMPLEnecrosis. While other carpal bones can fracture with similar injuries, tenderness specifically in this region most strongly implicates the scaphoid. Imaging may be inconclusive initially, so clinicians often repeat X-rays or immobilize if suspicion remains high.