(Disclaimer: This article is for general use only, and the information in the following content has been processed to protect patient privacy)
Abstract: A middle-aged male patient reported stiffness, pain, and limited movement in the neck. He initially thought it was a drop pillow, but it persisted without relief and thus came to the clinic. There was no sensation in the extremities as well as functional abnormalities except for neck symptoms. After cervical spine imaging, it showed straightening of the cervical curvature, thus confirming the diagnosis of cervical strain. The patient was recommended to be hospitalized for comprehensive conservative treatment, including cervical brace immobilization, physical therapy, and traction, etc. The neck pain and stiffness were relieved or even disappeared after 1 week.
Basic information】Male, 42 years old
Disease Type】Cervical strain injury
Hospital】Harbin First Hospital
Date of consultation】March 2022
Treatment plan】Cervical brace fixation, physiotherapy, traction and other comprehensive conservative treatment
Treatment Period】7 days of inpatient treatment and 3 months of outpatient follow-up
Effectiveness】The stiffness and pain of the neck was relieved and even disappeared.
I. Initial consultation
A middle-aged male patient reported stiffness, pain, and limited movement in his neck, which was thought to be a drop pillow at first, but continued to be unrelieved, so he came to the clinic. The patient reported no abnormal sensation in the upper extremities, no weakness in the lower extremities, normal walking, and no abnormal bowel function. Physical examination revealed stiffness of the neck muscles and straightening of the cervical spine curvature, which was initially diagnosed as cervical strain. After the imaging examination of the cervical spine, it showed that the cervical curvature was straightened and the physiological curvature disappeared, so the diagnosis of cervical strain was confirmed. The patient was recommended to be hospitalized for comprehensive conservative treatment to promote the recovery of cervical muscle strength, improve the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, and relieve the stiffness and pain of the neck.
II. Treatment history
The patient was admitted to the hospital for comprehensive conservative treatment, including external fixation of cervical brace, continuous traction of cervical spine, massage, acupuncture and physiotherapy, etc. Among them, continuous traction was chosen for cervical spine traction treatment, and the duration of each traction was 3 hours, which could promote the recovery of cervical spine curvature and relax the muscles and ligamentous structures of the neck, which could help relieve the symptoms of cervical spine pain and improve the performance of cervical stiffness. Through 7 days of comprehensive treatment, the patient’s cervical spine function was gradually restored and the pain was gradually relieved. In addition, attention is usually paid to increasing bed rest time, reducing weight-bearing on the neck and shoulders, and avoiding prolonged head lowering.
III. Treatment effect
After 1 week of comprehensive conservative treatment, the patient’s symptoms of neck stiffness, pain and restricted movement were significantly improved, the stiffness of neck muscles on palpation was relieved, the strength and intensity of neck muscles were improved to a certain extent, and the stability of cervical spine was also improved. Patients are recommended to have a 3-month outpatient follow-up so that they can clarify their recovery and adjust their conservative treatment measures in a timely manner under the guidance of the rehabilitation physician to avoid recurrence of cervical strain injury, which may affect normal work and life.
IV. Notes
We are glad that the patient has obvious improvement after 1 week of treatment, but still suggest that the patient needs to adhere to the neck exercise for a long time and the bad head-down habit should be improved to avoid recurrence of the disease. The external fixation of the cervical brace can generally be removed in 2 weeks. Long-term fixation is not conducive to the recovery of cervical strain, but will instead reduce the force on the cervical muscles, leading to cervical muscle atrophy and eventually affecting the stability of the cervical spine. Try to shorten the single working time in the usual work, work for 1 hour to leave the seat to move the neck, can do cervical spine m word exercise 3-5 minutes. If patients have symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain and upper limb numbness and dizziness, they should go to the orthopedic clinic in time to confirm whether they are progressing to cervical spondylosis.
V. Personal insight
Cervical spine strain is a common orthopedic disease, which is related to the usual overexertion and inattention to the protection of the cervical spine. Comprehensive conservative treatment at the early stage of the lesion can control the symptoms of cervical spine strain and prevent the continuous progress of cervical spine strain, which can prevent some patients from developing into cervical spondylosis. It is important to protect structures such as the muscles and ligaments of the cervical spine in ordinary life and avoid overuse. If you feel pain, stiffness or even dizziness in the neck or numbness in the hands, you should consult a doctor in time, as in this patient, and the symptoms will usually improve significantly after effective treatment.