A 24-year-old woman attends rheumatology outpatients with an eight-week history of painful hands. On examination she is tearful and thin. You are the medic on duty…

100 Cases in Orthopaedics and Rheumatology presents 100 scenarios commonly seen by medical students and junior doctors in orthopaedic and rheumatology clinics, or in the emergency department. A succinct summary of the patient's history, examination and initial investigations, with clinical and/or imaging photographs, is followed by questions on the diagnosis and management of each case. The answer includes a detailed discussion on each topic, with further illustration where appropriate, providing an essential revision aid as well as a practical guide for students and junior doctors.

Making clinical decisions and choosing the best course of action is one of the most challenging and difficult parts of training to become a doctor. These cases will teach students and junior doctors to recognize important symptoms and signs and, where appropriate, their relationship to other medical conditions, and to develop their diagnostic and management skills.