Cervical Spine pathology Flashcards
How can nerve stretching occur
Fall on arm, pull on arm, and seat belt during an accident
What is cervical stenosis
Narrowing of the intervertbral foramen or vertebral foramen
What is on symptom of down syndrome in the cervical spine
Laxity of transverse ligament
What should you not do with a person with down syndrome
Cervical spine manipulation
What is DDD
Degenerative disc disease
What is DJD
Degenerative joint disease
What is spondylosis
Wear and tear
What is tortocollis
Rye neck, side bending or distortion of neck
What is an ataxic gait
An unstable staggering gait
What causes acute tortocillis
Nerve impingment, muscle guarding, slept wrong, derangement of disc
What is the estimated % of incidence of neck pain
10-20%
What percent of people who experienced neck pain had neck pain in the last 6 months
54%
What is the estimated % of population that will experience neck pain
22-70%
When is the prevalence of neck pain most common
Women in the 5th decade of life
Where should the center of gravity be for the cervical spine
Anterior to the OA joint
What is postural syndrome
Only being in the specific posture causes pain
When is the problem considered to be musculoskeletal
If pain or symptoms change with movement
True or False:
Referred pain is more involved pain
True
True or False:
Stenosis can cause radicular pain
True
What are the 5 things to look for when clinically examining impaired posture
- A/PROM
- Strength and endurance
- Accessory motion test (joint play)
- Postural exam
- Ergonomics (work place)
What are some examples of MOI for acute injuries (5)
- Violent flexion
- Impaction (compression)
- Lateral stretch injuries
- Extension
- Whiplash
What is whiplash
Extension followed by flexion
What are some factors that result in poorer chance of recovery from whiplash (4)
- Older than 35
- Higher level of disability
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritable: overly alerts, easily startled
What is an insult
Injury
What is the order of soft tissue disruption with forward flexion injury (5)
- Supraspinous ligament
- Infraspinous ligament
- Capsule
- Disc (nucleus pulposus)
- Bone insult possible
True or False:
You should move in the direction that makes symptoms worse to promote healing
False
True or False:
Finding the preferred direction of movement is key in the healing process
True
What is a high state of contractility
Spasm
What is it called when all muscles contract to hold muscles still
Guarding
What are the tissues insulted due to trauma (6)
- Ligament
- Musculotendonous units
- Bone
- Disc
- Articular capsule
- Nerves/Spinal cord
What makes up the brachial plexus
Anterior rami of C5-T1
What nerves make up the brachial plexus (9)
- Subscapular
- Suprascapular
- Radial
- Musculocutaneous
- Median
- Thoracodorsal
- Long thoracic
- Dorsal scapular
- Median cutaneous nerve
What are the 3 classes of brachial plexus injuries
- Class 1: Neuropraxia
- Class 2: Axonotmesis
- Class 3: Neurotmesis
What causes neuropraxia
No actual damage to the nerve, only compression, it is the most common, stinger
How long does pain last during neuropraxia
5 minutes - 25 hours
What causes an axonotmesis
Some axon and nerve damage due to a crush mechanism
What are symptoms of axonotmesis
Wallerian degeneration and muscle weakness
What is wallerian degeneration
Injury to nerve where part distal to injury loses axon, myelin, and conduction ability
How long do symptoms last for axonotmesis
10 days - 2 weeks
What causes neurotmesis
Partial tear or complete severance of all neural and connective tissue elements
How long does it take a neurotmesis to repair
For a partial tear up to a year
For full tear there is little hope that function will recover
What are the 4 peripheral nerves that can have secondary trauma
- Spinal accessory nerve
- Suprascapular nerve
- Axillary nerve
- Long thoracic nerve
What causes injury of the spinal accessory nerve
Injury near clavicle
What causes injury of the suprascapular nerve
Blow to the base of the neck
What causes injury to the axillary nerve
GH dislocation or GH hyperextension
What does the spinal accessory nerve innervate
Trapezius and sternocleidomastoid
What does the suprascapular nerve innervate
Supraspinatus and infraspinatus
What does the axillary nerve innervate
Deltoid and teres minor
What does the long thoracic nerve innervate
Serratus anterior
What is stenosis
Narrowing
What is the diameter of the spinal canal
17-18 mm
What is the diameter of the spinal cord
About 10 mm
Where does a lateral stenosis occur
Intervertebral foramen
What type of problem does a lateral stenosis cause
LMN