Cervical Spine Flashcards
what is the percent of the population that will have neck pain within their lifetime
70%
Neck pain is almost as prevalent as what
Low back pain
What percent all patients seen does neck pain make up
25%
What percent of those with neck pain will develop chronic disabling problems
20%
What are the main elements of the subjective exam for the cervical spine (7)
- Nature and kind of disorder
- Area of symptoms
- Behavior of symptoms
- Present history
- Past history
- Special questions
- Questionnaires
What is it called when pain goes from distal to proximal
Centralization
What is it called when pain goes from proximal to distal
Peripheralization
What are the 2 types of behavior of symptoms
- Chemical pain
2. Mechanical pain
What are the characteristics of chemical pain (6)
- Constant pain
- High levels of pain
- Often diffuse
- Recent onset
- Easy aggravation of pain by all movement
- Takes time to calm down
How does chemical pain respond to NSAIDs
Favorably
True or False:
Your treatment should be gentle for patients with chemical pain
True
What are the characteristics of mechanical pain (6)
- Intermittent pain
- variable levels of pain
- Usually local
- Fairly recent to chronic
- Changes in position or movement in a particular direction ease pain
- Symptoms are short lived
How does mechanical pain respond to NSAIDs
Variable response
True or False:
Your treatment can be rougher for patients with mechanical pain
True
True or False:
Mechanical pain can be slightly referred
True
What can dizziness or light headedness mean
Vascular issue or vestibular issue
What can trouble talking or swallowing mean
CNS problem or instability after trauma
What can change in vision mean
Vertebral artery excluded
What can difficulty walking or drop attacks mean
Injury or nerve impingement to conduction pathways
What can difficulty holding small objects or writing mean
Compression of the spinal cord
Is numbness or tingling in both hands or feet a good thing
Absolutely not
What can difficulty concentrating or remembering things mean
Poor arterial blood flow or traumatic injuries
True or False:
It is normal for patients to feel symptoms unilaterally
True
What stand for NDI
Neck Disability Index
What is the NDI
10 item condition specific self report questionnaire
What do 7 questions measure
Functional status
What do the remaining 3 questions measure
- Pain intensity
- Concentration
- Headache
What is the NDI scored from
0-50
What is a good score
Lower scores
What is the minimum change needed to detect change
5 points
What is the patient specific functional scale specific to
Daily Life
What is the patient specific functional scale
Generic scale where the PT asks the patient to identify 3 items that they find difficult due to their injury
What is each item rated on
A scale from 0-10
What does 0 mean
Unable to perform activity
What does 10 mean
Task is not a problem
How do you determine the final score
Average the 3 scores
What is the minimum amount of change that must occur the see change
2.1
What is the minimum important clinical difference
2.0
True or False:
If there are multiple complaints/symptoms you should ask about each individually
True
What is spondylosis
Degeneration of the intervertebral disc
What is spondylolysis
Fracture of pars interarticularis