Lecture 18: Neck Injuries and on-field assessment Flashcards
what are the three main questions to be asking yourself when entering the field?
1: is the athlete at risk
- life/limb
2: is the area stable
- talking about the anatomical area
- can they continue without significant injury (safely and effectively)
3: how do I get the athlete off the field?
- walk
- assist
- non-weight bearing
- immobilized/boarded
what to do with a C-spine injury
1:stabilize the spine
2: see if they are conscious or unconscious
3: do Primary
primary survey
- determine the existence of potentially life-threatening situations
- UABC
- spinal injury (suspected by mechanism or appearance)
- supine - ensure ABC’s and stabilize
- prone - may need to reposition to ensure ABC’s
if answered YES: activate EAP (load and go)
if answered NO: secondary assessment
what are the UABC
u responsiveness (alert, verbal, pain or unresponsive)
airway (look, listen, feel)
breathing
circulation
the athlete with a suspected neck injury
1:stabilize the C-spine
2: assure athlete and tell them not to move
- be firm and assertive
3: get brief history and subjective report
4: begin your palpation
- looking for pain, sensation, weakness or deformation
- dermatomes, myotomes
- what is our differential diagnosis?
the 8 subjective spinal questoins
1: can you tell me what happened? (MOI)
2: do you have pain in your head?
3: do you have pain in your neck?
4: do you have pain in your back?
5: do you have tingling or numbness in any of your arms or legs?
- get specifics
- single arm or leg, both arms, both legs
6: do you have pain anywhere else?
7: can you wiggle your toes?
- check both sides
8: can you wiggle your fingers?
- check both sides
stinger/burner (mechanism)
nerve traction or compression particularly involving C5 and C6
1: shoulder distracted down from head and neck (stretch)
2: blow to supraclavicular fossa (wacked)
3: forced neck extension and rotation to injured side (pinched)
sings and symptoms of stinger/burner
- rarely neck pain
- unilateral symptoms
- can be transient
- sensory changes C5- C6 distribution
- motor changes C5-C6
- shoulder ABD/ER
- Elbow flexion
heals quickly, often by the time they reach the sideline
Return to play following stinger/Burner
following primary injury, same game return to play if
- quick resolution of all symptoms (seconds to minutes)
- full ROM
- full strength (compared to other side)
- ability to complete sport specific skills (can they protect themselves) without symptoms
- mentally ready
C-spine injuries: MOI
usually one of two mechanisms
1: axial load-vertical compression (burst fracture)
2: compression - flexion injury
- anterior portion compresses and posterior portion elongates
on field findings of C-spine injuries
- neck pain (spinous process pain, right down the middle)
- pain on central palpation (spinous process)
- bilateral neural findings (myotomes and dermatomes)
- upper and lower extremity findings
neck injuries to board or not to board
it is necessary to revise the current practice of cervical spine immobilization
palpation of the injured athlete
- need to palpate key structures of the upper back, neck, shoulder, clavicle and sternum
- failure to do so could mean aggravated injury, paralysis or death
neurological testing: sensation dermatomes
- cutaneous area receiving the greater part of its innervation from a single spinal nerve
- pin prick for pain or cotton for pressure
Neurological testing sensation C1
Top of head
Neurological testing sensation C2
Side of head
Neurological testing sensation C3
Side of neck
Neurological testing sensation C4
above clavicle
Neurological testing sensation C5
Lateral arm over deltoid
Neurological testing sensation C6
radial side of arm and entire thumb
Neurological testing sensation C7
Middle finger
Neurological testing sensation C8
ulnar side of arm and last 2 fingers
Neurological testing sensation T1
medial elbow
Neurological testing sensation L1
iliac crest
Neurological testing sensation L2
anteromedial thigh