The Cervical Spine Flashcards
In addition to the usual items, what else should the PT ask a patient experiencing cervical spine pain? (6)
- How many and what type of PILLOWS does the patient use when sleeping?
- What POSITIONS does the patient adopt when sleeping?
- Does the patient experience DIZZINESS with cervical movements?
- Does the patient have HEADACHES?
- Does the patient have symptoms in the area of the shoulders or TMJ?
- Does the patient have any numbness or tingling in the hands or feet?
The pillow should support the cervical spine in the _____ position.
NEUTRAL
True or False: Pts. with normal spinal curves should sleep with no pillow or a flat pillow in supine but have more support from a pillow in side lying.
TRUE
The neck should be kept in a neutral position
Patients with an increase in their _____ curve need to use a _____ pillow when lying supine.
- Kyphotic
2. Thicker
What 2 sleeping positions are not advisable for patients with cervical spine pain? Why?
- Prone lying: forces neck into rotation for prolonged periods of time
- Lying in fetal position: positions spine into too much flexion
What 2 diagnoses may a patient that reports dizziness with cervical movements present with?
- Cervical artery insufficiency
2. Middle ear/vestibular problem
How can a PT differentiate between cervical artery insufficiency vs a middle ear/vestibular problem?
- Instruct the patient to rotate the trunk while keeping the head forward in standing position
- No reproduction of symptoms = middle ear problem (fluid in semicircular canal not changing)
- Symptoms reproduced = vertebral artery problem (neck is moving into rotation)
A problem with C1 can refer pain to the ____ , C2 to the _____, and C3 to the _____.
C1 = top of the head C2 = temporal area C3 = occiput
Neck problems commonly refer pain to the _____.
SHOULDERS
Regional interdependence exists between the neck, ____, and ___.
Shoulders
TMJ
What diagnosis may be indicated by numbness and tingling in the hands?
Space-occupying lesion in the intervertebral foramen
What diagnosis may be indicated by numbness and tingling in the feet?
Spinal cord lesion
In addition to the usual items, what 5 things should be observed in patients with cervical spine pain?
- Forward head posture
- Protracted scapulae
- Increased/decreased cervical lordosis
- Breathing Pattern
- Antalgic gait
What may walking with a wide base of support and heavy footed gait indicate the loss of? (2)
- Loss of proprioception
2. Loss of sensation/motor control due to a lesion of the spinal cord
List 5 signs/sxs associated with cervical myelopathy.
At least 3 of the following are present:
- Antalgic gait, gait with wide base of support
- Positive Babinski
- Positive Hoffman’s
- Inverted brachioradialis reflex = inverted supinator sign: present when the brachioradialis reflex elicits finger flexion and not elbow flexion
- Age > 45
List 4 things to check for when assessing cervical AROM in sitting.
- Quality/smoothness of movement
- Segmental location of an increase/decrease in motion
- Symmetry of motion into side bending/rotation
- Deviations to left/right with forward bending
How is AROM of the upper cervical spine assessed in sitting?
Instruct the patient to poke the chin out (backward bending) and pull the chin in (forward bending = axial extension)