Physiotherapy Blog. Sharing knowledge & Encouraging growth.
This blog is dedicated to the physical examination for cervical radiculopathy. We discuss the current clinical prediction rule, neurodynamic tests and neurological examination involved in making this clinical diagnosis.
Read MoreThis is the first of a three part series on cervical radiculopathy. Cervical radiculopathy occurs when the cervical nerve roots are compressed resulting in pain, paraesthesia, and weakness into the upper extremity. The first step in making this clinical diagnosis is understanding dermatomal pain patterns indicative of nerve root pain.
Read MoreAfter several months of hard work and long days I have completed all the study requirements needed to gain a certificate of professional equivalency in California. This is the missing element for being approved to sit the National Physical Therapy Exam and gaining a Physiotherapy licence in the US. The greatest challenge was finding out exactly what needed to be done. Doing it took far less time than I originally thought. This blog explains how I got through the 8 subjects needed to get the green light to apply to sit the NPTE.
Read MoreWhen a patient presents with arm pain, paraesthesia and weakness, you may first suspect cervical radiculopathy. In the rare and more sinister cases however, a Pancoast tumour may be present. This blog reviews the clinical presentation and diagnostic work up of a patient with neck and shoulder pain.
Read MoreSpending time deciphering and interpreting the meaning of MRI and CT scans for our patients is a difficult task. How do we know what is normal and what is related to pathology? This blog explores a recent systematic review that provides evidence about the prevalence of normal age-related changes on spinal imaging of the lumbar spine and MRI changes in the cervical spine .
Read MoreDisc bulges are often associated with negative thoughts about prognosis and recovery and it can be challenging to educate our patients about their ability to recover. A systematic review was published in 2014 that shows how extrusions and sequestrations have a higher probability of spontaneous regressions. The bigger the bulge the better.
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