A 70 year old woman presented with a three month history of neck and right shoulder pain. Symptoms were insidious in onset and she reported no pins and needles or paraesthesia on a day to day basis. She described that symptoms are worse when she first wakes up and at the end the day after shes has been knitting. She also reported that looking over her shoulder when reversing her car had become particularly difficult. She found that lying down helped ease her symptoms although occasionally this caused pins and needles in her right hand if she had too many pillows. She had visited her GP who had advised NSAID’s as needed and he had also sent her for an X-ray. The X-ray confirmed cervical degeneration of the discs C3-C6 with mild osteophyte formation. She had been advised that physiotherapy was the best management at this stage and referred her on.
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
- What other treatments can you suggest for this patient?
- How can the painful symptoms be alleviated?