How I Diagnose and Treat Cervical Radiculopathy [CASE STUDY Physical Therapy] – FPF Show E:119

By dpope2020

January 26, 2024

cervical pain, cervical radiculopathy, cervical radiculopathy chiropractic, cervical radiculopathy exercises, cervical radiculopathy physical therapy, cervical radiculopathy surgery, cervical radiculopathy symptoms, cervical radiculopathy test, cervical radiculopathy treatment, dan pope, el paso manual physical therapy, fitness pain free, neck pain, neck pain treatment, nerve pain, physical therapist, physical therapy, pinched nerve in neck

Cervical Radiculopathy Case study MASTER

How I Diagnose and Treat Cervical Radiculopathy [CASE STUDY Physical Therapy] - FPF Show E:119

To go along with today's episode I have a nice infographic to share...

Sign up to receive FREE: Cervical Radiculopathy - The Evidence Based Cheat Sheet

Click HERE to Download FREE

Grab the rest of the Mini Course and Sign up for the Certification Pre-sale list:

In today's video we go over How I Diagnose and Treat Cervical Radiculopathy [CASE STUDY Physical Therapy] - FPF Show E:119

0:00 Introduction
0:07 Subjective examination, history taking
1:33 Patient demographics
2:33 Aggravating movements
4:54 Training background, patient goals, prior healthcare experiences
6:29 Objective examination: strength testing
7:49 Range of motion testing for the cervical spine
9:27 Movement analysis
12:55 Imaging results (MRO, X-ray)
13:41 Palpation and sensory testing
14:31 Special tests
15:17 Reflex testing
15:29 Making an accurate diagnosis
15:49 Clinical decision making, next steps for this patient
18:14 Patient education: diagnosis, prognosis, natural history, expectations
21:04 Interventions to calm the area down and decrease pain (postures, movements, limiting reaching)
23:42 Plan of care: What will treatment look like for the patient?
25:15 Recommended frequency of visits and length of care
26:56 Recommended manual therapy for the patient
29:09 Modifying gym routine to respect the injury (What's OK and NOT OK to do?)
32:05 Day 1 treatment plan (exercises) and home exercise program (HEP)
36:52 Watching for red flags (progressive weakness)
37:44 Advancing the patient's Home Exercise Program (HEP)
39:31 Hand held dynamometer - Object strength measurements
41:26 How we returned back to the gym after cervical radiculopathy
43:12 What did a physical therapy treatment session look like for a patient with cervical radiculopathy?
47:01 Overall plan of care and discharge planning - expectations vs. reality
48:19 1 year re-evaluation - What is still limited?
49:37 Discharge home exercise program (template)

Neck pain really is radiculous...

- Dan Pope DPT,OCS,CSCS

Show Notes / Relevant Articles:

Want to support me and decide topics for future episodes? Click HERE to sign up for FPF "Insiders" for just a dollar. You'll gain access to 100+ webinars, e-books and complete guides. Plus, you'll get private access to the "Insiders" Facebook group where you can have all of your questions answered by me.

Looking for other ways to support me that are 100% free?

Like, comment and share on youtube, facebook and instagram
Leave a 5-star review on apple podcasts

Thank you!

Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS

References:

Dedering Å, Peolsson A, Cleland JA, Halvorsen M, Svensson MA, Kierkegaard M. The Effects of Neck-Specific Training Versus Prescribed Physical Activity on Pain and Disability in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Dec;99(12):2447-2456. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.06.008. Epub 2018 Jul 4. PMID: 30473018.
Borrella-Andrés S, Marqués-García I, Lucha-López MO, Fanlo-Mazas P, Hernández-Secorún M, Pérez-Bellmunt A, Tricás-Moreno JM, Hidalgo-García C. Manual Therapy as a Management of Cervical Radiculopathy: A Systematic Review. Biomed Res Int. 2021 Jun 3;2021:9936981. doi: 10.1155/2021/9936981. PMID: 34189141; PMCID: PMC8195637.