pGALS - paediatric Gait Arms Legs and Spine: a simple examination of the musculoskeletal system.

We describe pGALS (paediatric Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine) - a simple quick musculoskeletal assessment to distinguish abnormal from normal joints in children and young people. The use of pGALS is aimed at the non-specialist in paediatric musculoskeletal medicine as a basic clinical skill to be used in conjunction with essential knowledge about red flags, normal development and awareness of patterns of musculoskeletal pathologies. pGALS has been validated in school-aged children and also in the context of acute general paediatrics to detect abnormal joints.