Thigh Condition C&P Exam

Inside the exam room

1. The examiner will ask about the injury and whether it affects your hip, thigh muscles, or both. Identify recorded tears, wounds, and surgery.

2. The examiner will check movement and strength, and any relevant scars, lost tissue, or muscle fatigue. Explain pain, weakness, changes after repeated use, and unsafe movement.

3. You will be asked about walking and repeated activity. Explain trouble with stairs, giving way, how long you can keep going, and recovery time.

The examiner measures joint movement with a goniometer (angle-measuring tool).

How VA rates thigh condition

Explain problems moving the leg backward, inward, or outward. Tell the examiner about any muscle injury; muscle damage and limited joint movement have different rules. VA rates moving the thigh backward (extension) and impairment under 38 CFR § 4.71a, DCs 5251 and 5253. Distinct thigh muscle injuries are evaluated under 38 CFR § 4.73, DCs 5313–5315, based on the affected posterior, anterior, or medial muscle group and injury severity.

What each rating percentage means

Match the whole description with your exam and records. A single symptom or illustration does not decide your rating.

Rating	What the rule requires
10%	DC 5251: moving the thigh backward (extension) limited to 5°
10/20%	DC 5253: 10% if you cannot turn the affected foot outward more than 15° OR cannot cross your legs because inward thigh movement is limited; 20% if outward thigh movement is limited to 10° or less.
0/10/30/40%	DCs 5313–5314: slight, moderate, moderately severe, or severe injury to the muscles at the back/front of the thigh
0/10/20/30%	DC 5315: slight, moderate, moderately severe, or severe injury to the inner-thigh muscles

Check these details in your records

The examiner uses a condition form called a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ). Compare these items with your own records and explain what actually happens in daily life.

Thigh moving the thigh backward (extension) limited to 5 degrees10%DC 5251
Cannot toe-out more than 15 degrees with the affected leg10%DC 5253 rotation
Cannot cross legs due to moving the thigh inward (adduction) limitation10%DC 5253 moving the thigh inward (adduction)
Moving the thigh out to the side (abduction) motion lost beyond 10 degrees20%DC 5253
Moderate injury of Muscle Group XIII, XIV, or XV10%DCs 5313–5315
Severe injury of Muscle Group XIII or XIV40%DCs 5313–5314

What may happen in the exam room

Angle-measuring tool (goniometer) measurement of moving the thigh backward (extension), rotation, moving the thigh inward (adduction), and moving the thigh out to the side (abduction)
They test the muscles at the back, front, and inner side of your thigh
The examiner checks scars, lost tissue, shrinking muscles, and damage to the covering around a muscle
The examiner watches you walk and repeat movements

What the measurements tell you

Whether the examiner is measuring joint motion or a muscle-group injury
Strength compared with the opposite side
Tiredness, weakness, and what becomes harder after repeating an activity
Scar, tissue loss, or muscle wasting (atrophy)

Questions the examiner may cover

Was the original injury a strain, tear, penetrating wound, or surgery?
Which movements trigger weakness or pain?
Does the thigh give way after repetition?
Is the limitation at the hip joint, in the muscle, or both?

Questions to expect

Is the problem joint movement or a diagnosed muscle injury?

Explain: Identify injury, surgery and records. Describe weakness, fatigue, loss of control and the activity that brings them on.

Rating connection: Joint-motion and muscle-group injury rules are different. The affected muscle group and clinical injury findings determine the pathway.

How do repeated stairs, rising or walking change function?

Explain: Describe repetitions, time, rests and recovery; the examiner records relevant movement and strength.

Rating connection: Measured hip movement and documented muscle loss or endurance inform different parts of the assessment.

Your answer outline

During [task], I notice [actual symptom and location]. After [repetition or time], [what changes]. I [adjustment or recovery] before continuing. This happens [frequency]. My records describe [original injury or treatment, if known].

Mark approximate dates and counts as estimates.

My notes: ________________________

Service connection records

1. How is this connected to your service?

For a direct claim, identify your current disability, what happened in service, and evidence linking them. Being on active duty or orders alone does not prove that link.

Write the 5 Ws and how: who was there; what happened; when; where; why you were there; how the problem began. Add duty status, treatment, witnesses, and records. Mark uncertain dates as estimates.
Guard or Reserve: find your orders, dates, duty type, and any line-of-duty records. Active duty, training, and drills have different rules.
Secondary condition: it may start after service. Identify the service-connected condition and evidence that it caused or worsened this problem. A medical opinion may help explain the link.
Started before service? Record what changed during service. Presumptive condition? Check the required diagnosis and service history; qualifying claims do not require separate proof of a link.
Already service connected and seeking an increase? Focus on what has worsened and the records showing it.

If you do not know the cause, say so. Do not guess a medical connection.

Explain what changes in daily life

Describe both what you can do and what becomes difficult. Include how often it happens and how long it lasts.

Describe loss of power, endurance, or control after repeated use.
Explain difficulty climbing, rising, squatting, or controlling the leg.
Separate joint pain from muscle weakness when you can.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating every thigh complaint as a hip-joint rating
Omitting scars or tissue loss from a muscle injury
Leaving out how quickly you tire after repeating an activity

Records to get ready before the exam

Hip and Thigh Conditions DBQ
Muscle Injuries DBQ when applicable
Imaging, surgery records, and therapy strength testing
Photos of scars or atrophy

Preparation notes

Ask which DBQ and body structure the examiner is evaluating.
Tell the examiner when a movement hurts, follow their instructions, and do not force unsafe movement.

Pain, repeated use, and worse periods

Flare and repetition: For motion loss, 38 CFR §§ 4.40, 4.45, and 4.59 apply. Muscle injuries are separately characterized under 38 CFR §§ 4.55 and 4.56.

Official rating rule and code numbers

Use this source to check the full rule and its medical terms: 38 CFR 4.71a and 4.73, DCs 5251, 5253, 5313-5315. Source review recorded 2026-09-04.

Could one health problem have caused another?

A condition VA has already linked to your service may cause another health problem or make it worse. VA calls this secondary service connection. Having both conditions does not prove the link. Your records need to show a current diagnosis and explain how the first condition or its treatment affected the second.

Start with your records. Find the current diagnosis, the condition VA already linked to service, and evidence from someone qualified to explain the connection.
Ask about cause and worsening. Did the first condition or its treatment cause the new disability, or make an existing disability worse? These are different questions. The rules call them causation under 38 CFR § 3.310(a) and aggravation under § 3.310(b). If both are raised by your records, the medical opinion should address both; answering only the cause question may not be enough (El-Amin).
If treatment may be involved, collect the dates. List the medicine or surgery prescribed for the condition VA linked to service, the side effect, and the new diagnosis. Bring pharmacy records and dates when treatment started or stopped. A provider must explain the connection in your case; taking a medicine alone does not prove it.
If weight gain may be involved, ask how it fits. Weight gain or obesity can be a step between the first condition and another diagnosed disability under VAOPGCPREC 1-2017. Obesity itself does not receive a VA disability rating.
You do not need absolute certainty. VA uses the “at least as likely as not” standard and the reasonable-doubt rule under 38 CFR § 3.102. Ask a VA-accredited representative how the evidence applies to your claim.
The same symptom cannot be counted twice. This is the rule against pyramiding in 38 CFR § 4.14. Mental-health diagnoses generally share one § 4.130 rating when they affect the same work and social abilities. Trouble sleeping may be a symptom rather than a separate disability.
Check whether VA already assumes a link to service. Some conditions qualify based on where or when you served. These are called presumptive conditions. Examples can include chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypertension after qualifying herbicide exposure, and type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea (OSA) is not a PACT Act presumptive. Check eligibility before seeking a medical opinion about the link.
An exam form and a medical opinion do different jobs. A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) records the diagnosis and how severe it is. It may not explain why it is linked to service, often called a nexus. A VA-accredited veterans service organization (VSO) can help you file at no charge.

If another prescribed treatment may have caused a problem, ask your health care provider to record what happened and explain the connection in your case.

Sources: 38 CFR § 3.310 · 38 CFR § 4.14 · VA-accredited representatives

C&P exam for thigh condition: what to expect and how VA rates it.