Concepedia

Abstract

The case Mr. P is a 45-year-old airplane mechanic with a 5-year history of intermittent neck pain, occipital headaches, bilateral shoulder pain, interscapular pain and left arm pain. His condition has not improved with conservative management consisting of neck support with a soft collar, range of motion and isometric neck exercises, and analgesics. Over the last 12 months, his symptoms have become worse and more persistent. His most recent physical examination revealed decreased lateral flexion of the neck. Neck extension and head compression reproduce his neck, shoulder and interscapular pain. Motor and sensory functions are normal. He has hyperreflexia on the left side and Hoffmann's sign (finger jerk) bilaterally.