Degenerative Spine
A 48-year-old office worker presents with 6 weeks of neck pain radiating to the right arm, affecting the lateral forearm and thumb. She describes numbness in the thumb and index finger and weakness when flexing her elbow. Examination reveals diminished biceps reflex, weakness of elbow flexion and wrist extension, and positive Spurling test reproducing arm pain. MRI shows a right-sided C5-6 disc herniation. Regarding cervical radiculopathy:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
Cervical radiculopathy results from compression or irritation of a cervical nerve root; common cause...
Classic dermatomal patterns: C5 (lateral arm/shoulder, deltoid weakness, biceps reflex), C6 (lateral...
In the cervical spine, the nerve root exits BELOW the correspondingly numbered vertebra; all cervica...
Most cervical radiculopathy (80-90%) improves with conservative treatment including NSAIDs, physical...
Surgical indications include progressive neurological deficit, intractable pain despite 6-12 weeks o...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option