Cervicothoracic Flashcards
Red flag screening
- fatigue
- fever/chill/night sweats
- unexplained weight change
- nausea/vomiting
- dizziness/light headedness
- change in mentation
Osteomyelitis risk factors
- diabetes
- hx of intravenous drug use
- recent surgery
- recent pneumonia
- immunosuppressive disorders
- unrelenting pain
- fevers/chills
- inflammatory signs
Cancer risk factors
- age>50
- hx of cancer (GREATEST PREDICTOR)
- unexplained weight loss
- no improvement > 1 month
**If no factors present sn=100%
Meningitis sx
Risk Factors:
- hx of recent infection
- hx of skull fracture
S/S
- fever
- pain on slump testing
- headache
- GI symptoms
- confusion
- seizures
- sleepiness
- photophobia
*If fever, neck stiffness, altered mental status ALL negative -can rule out Sn 99-100%
Pancoast’s Tumor - what is it?
- malignant tumor in apex of lung
* commonly misdiagnosed as cervical discogenic pain, TOS or shoulder issue
Pancoast’s tumor - s/s/risk factors
- men > 50 w/ hx of smoking
- shoulder and scapular nagging pain extending into ulnar distribution
- hand atrophy
- pulmonary symptoms
- neck and shoulder symptoms fail to improve in several treatments and risk factors are present = refer to MD
- often pressures c8-T1 nerve roots
Cervical myelopathy s/s
- gait deviation
- (+) Hoffman’s test
- (+) inverted uspinator sign
- (+) Babinski
LR increases w/ increasing positive tests
Hoffman’s test
How to perform: Grasp the patient’s middle phalanx of 3rd digit at distal end with your 2nd and 3rd distal phalanges. Flick the patient’s distal phalanx into flexion using your thumb.
Positive test: Adduction of thumb and/or flexion of fingers
Inverted supinator sign
How to perform: Using reflex hammer, strike the brachioradialis tendon near radial styloid process at distal end of radius (C6 DTR).
Positive test: Finger flexion
Upper cervical instability s/s
- occipital HA
- severe AROM limitations
- signs of myelopathy
Upper cervical instability risk factors
- hx of trauma
- RA
- down syndrome
- Os odontoideum
Upper cervical instability clinical tests
- sharp purser (sn. 88, sp. 96) - DECREASES symptoms
- transverse ligament test (provocative)
- alar ligament test
CAD risk factors
- past hx of cervical trauma
- hx of migraine-type HA
- hyperlipidemia
- cardiac/vascular disease
- previous CVA or TIA
- diabetes
- trivial head/neck trauma
- clotting disorders
- anticoagulant therapy
- long term steroid use
- recent infection
- immediately post partum
Canadian c-spine rules
- High risk factors that mandate radiography
- Low risk factors which allow safe ROM assessment
- Able to rotate
Canadian c-spine rules - high risk factors mandating radiography
1. Age >/= 65 yo OR 2. Dangerous mechanism (fall from elevation <3ft or 5 stairs, axial load to head, MVC high speed (>100km/hr), rollover, ejection, motorized recreational vehicles, bicycle struck or collision) OR 3. Paresthesias in extremities
Canadian c-spine rules - low risk factors that allow safe assessment of ROM
1. simple rear end MVC (pushed into oncoming traffic, hit by bus/large truck, rollover, hit by high speed vehicle) OR 2. sitting position in E.D. OR 3. Ambulatory at any time OR 4. Delayed onset of neck pain OR 5. Absence of midline c-spine tenderness
Canadian c-spine - neck mobility
Must be able to actively rotate 45* (L) and (R) for NO radiograph
Canadian c-spine rules DO NOT APPLY IF…
- non trauma case
- Glasgow coma scale <15
- unstable vital signs
- age < 16 years
- acute paralysis
- known vertebral disease
- previous c-spine surgery
- pregnant
Cervical manipulation and mobilization
Clinicians should consider using thrust and non-thrust to reduce neck pain and headache.
*combining these with exercise is MORE effective than using alone (STRONG EVIDENCE)
6 predictors for immediate improvement (of pain, satisfaction, or perception of condition) following c-spine thrust (Tseng et al)
- intial NDI scores less than 11.5 (23%)
- bilateral involvement
- NOT performing sedentary work >5 hours/day
- feeling better while moving neck
- do not feel worse with neck extension
- diagnosis of spondylosis w/o radiculopathy
Presence of 4 or more increase probability from 60 to 89%
HVLAT vs. Laser for cervicogenic headaches (Nilsson et al)
HVLAT reduced analgesic use by 36%, unchanged in other groups
Spinal mob and manip for chronic neck pain and headaches (Vernon et al.)
Moderate to high quality evidence suggests clinically important improvements from spinal mob/manip at 6, 12, 104 weeks post treatment
Cochrane review of cervical manip and mob
manip and mob produced similar effects - low quality evidence to support cervical manip over mob
CPR - thoracic spine manipulation for neck pain
- symptom duration <30 days
- no symptoms distal to shoulder
- looking up does not aggravate
- FABQPA < 12
- diminished upper thoracic spine kyphosis
- cervical ext <30*
(+) LR 3 or more present = 5.5
- LOOK UP PERCENTAGES*
- validation study failed because all groups improved!