The laying on of hands. The stethoscope. The “does it hurt when I press here.” We are all familiar with the physical exam a doctor does when investigating our symptoms. But in the 21st century, with access to ultrasound and MRI, are these old-fashioned techniques still relevant or just cool parlour tricks? Returning guest Niko joins Chris to discuss the evidence behind hands-on maneuvers taught to medical students to help diagnose a variety of conditions. Warning: you may be shocked.   JAMA’s series on the Rational Clinical Examination: https://jamanetwork.com/collections/6257/the-rational-clinical-examination   (4:44) Scenario #1: A torn meniscus or ligament in the knee   Lachman test: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Lachman_Test McMurray test: https://www.physio-pedia.com/McMurrays_Test   (17:20) Scenario #2: Carpal tunnel syndrome   Tinel’s test: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Tinel%E2%80%99s_Test Phalen’s test: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Phalen%E2%80%99s_Test   (24:29) Scenario #3: Meningitis   Brudzinski’s sign of meningitis: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19069.htm Kernig’s sign of meningitis: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19077.htm   (32:41) Scenario #4: Abdominal aortic aneurysm   (38:13) Scenario #5: Pneumonia   Whispered pectoriloquy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispered_pectoriloquy   (45:45) Scenario #6: Appendicitis   McBurney’s point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McBurney%27s_point Rovsing’s sign: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovsing%27s_sign Psoas sign: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoas_sign Obturator’s sign: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obturator_sign       * Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl. * Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.   To make a one-time donation to our show, you can now use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!