12/9/2016 CHANG CJ Disclosures I have nothing to disclose UCSF 11 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ Disclosures I have nothing to disclose UCSF 11 th Annual Primary Care Sports Medicine Conference: Upper Extremity Stingers, Burners, and Cindy J. Chang, M.D. Winging: Nerve Injuries of the Upper Associate Professor Primary Care Sports Extremity Medicine December 9, 2016 2 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Exam Room Tips Objectives • Stock gowns/sheets and paper shorts in the room • Review common upper extremity nerve injuries • Be able to get to both sides of the exam table seen in athletes • Have a step stool handy • Discuss return to play issues concerning specific upper extremity nerve issues 4 5 1

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Case #1 Case #1 • 1994 AFC Championship Game • San Diego Charger upset the favored Pittsburgh Steelers 17-13 • Junior Seau recorded 16 tackles and a forced fumble despite: – Not being able to lift his arm above his shoulder – Playing with a bad left shoulder – Having a pinched nerve in his neck 6 7 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ “Arm not fine? First Clear the Spine!” Taking a Really Good History • Chief complaint -- eg, pain, numbness, weakness, location of symptoms? • Use a visual analogue scale -- patient's perceived level of pain • Anatomic pain drawings -- quick review of pain pattern. 8 10 2

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Taking a Really Good History Taking a Really Good History • Has the patient experienced previous episodes of • Onset, mechanism, what was done at that time? similar symptoms or localized neck pain? When and • How do activities and head positions affect for how long? What helped? Other spine pain? symptoms? In what position does patient • Any symptoms suggestive of a cervical myelopathy, sleep? Ever wake up with pain? e.g., changes in gait, bowel or bladder dysfunction, or sensory changes or weakness of the legs? • Social history: sport/position, occupation, field of study, amount of computer use, ergonomic set-up, alcohol and tobacco use • What previous treatments (prescribed or self- selected) has the patient tried? – ice and/or heat – Medications (eg, acetaminophen, aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]) – Physical therapy, traction, manipulation, acupuncture – Injections, surgical treatments 11 12 MS OLDCARTS OLDCARTS M echanism of Injury S ymptoms • O nset O nset • L ocation L ocation • D uration D uration • C haracter C haracter • A ggravating/ A lleviating A ggravating/ A lleviating • R adiation R adiation • T iming/ T reatments T iming/ T reatments • S everity www.fammedref.org/mnemonic/pain- S everity www.fammedref.org/mnemonic/pain- hx-old-carts-p hx-old-carts-p 3

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Typical Hx of Cervical Radiculopathy Typical Hx of Cervical Radiculopathy • Acute disc herniations and sudden narrowing of • Presents with neck the neural foramen can occur in injuries and/or arm discomfort involving cervical extension, lateral bending, or of insidious onset rotation and axial loading – range from a dull ache to a severe burning pain • Increased pain with these neck positions that cause foraminal narrowing • Initially, pain referred to medial border of scapula – chief complaint may be shoulder pain • As radiculopathy progresses, pain radiates to upper or lower arm and into the hand – along sensory distribution of the involved nerve root 15 16 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Cervical Radiculopathy If you think it’s Cervical Radiculopathy… • MRI most useful imaging choice • C-spine xrays including oblique views (“5 views”) may show degenerative changes – Order “7 views” if h/o trauma to neck Eubanks JD, AFP 2010 18 19 4

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Emphasize Posture If you think it’s Cervical Radiculopathy… • Most patients <35 will do well with a trial of conservative management (time, meds, rehab/modalities). • Emphasize time. Emphasize activity. Emphasize posture. Emphasize restful sleep. Emphasize time. The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” Eubanks JD, AFP 2010 - Voltaire 20 21 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Case #1 Case #1 After making a tackle, the football player jogs off without assistance, but is carrying his left arm with his right. You question him on the sideline. Which of the following symptoms do NOT make you think this is a stinger? 47% A. He describes a burning type of pain 33% B. He describes weakness in only his wrist extensors 17% C. He feels numbness in both arms D. He is having neck pain 3% 22 23 5

12/9/2016 “ “ “ “ Burners/Stingers ” ” ” ” “ “ Burners/Stingers ” “ “ ” ” ” CHANG CJ CHANG CJ • Definition: – Nerve injuries resulting from trauma to neck or shoulder area – Cause a traction or compression along brachial plexus or cervical neck roots. • Diagnosis – Immediate onset of burning pain down the arm unilaterally – Can be associated with numbness or weakness • Lasts seconds to hours Safran MR, AJSM 2004 25 26 “ “ Burners/Stingers ” “ “ ” ” ” “ “ “ “ Burners/Stingers ” ” ” ” CHANG CJ CHANG CJ • Risk factors – Contact sports – Spinal stenosis • Symptoms – Usually last seconds to minutes – In 5-10%, can last hours to days or longer – Burn, electric shock, warmth, tingly – Numbness, weakness 27 28 6

12/9/2016 “ “ Burners/Stingers ” ” “ “ ” ” CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Case #2 35 yo dragon boat racer walks into clinic to request a prescription for physical therapy for her “rotator cuff • Work-up if: tendinitis”. You do a very quick exam and she is – Weakness lasts several days weak when testing all of her rotator cuff muscles. – Recurrent burners/stingers What should you do next? – Neck pain – Atypical symptoms, e.g. bilat UE A. Order an Xray 50% • Tests B. Check her sensation over her deltoid 39% region – Radiographs to include flexion/extension views, obliques C. Visually inspect her shoulder girdle – MRI C-Spine D. Write the prescription but limit to 3 6% 5% wks with strict follow-up – EMG/NCS if > 3 weeks post injury and weakness 29 31 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Scapular Winging The Role of the Scapula • Scapula serves as the attachment site for 17 muscles • function to stabilize scapula to thorax, provide power to the upper limb, and synchronize glenohumeral motion. 33 34 7

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Scapular Motion Scapular Stabilizer • Elevation and upward rotation : trapezius • Scapular protraction (anterior and lateral motion): serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor muscle • Scapular retraction (medial motion) : rhomboid major and minor muscles 35 36 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Scapular Winging Scapular Winging • Long Thoracic Nerve • Observe active forward (LTN) is branch of flexion and abduction from brachial plexus C5, 6, 7 behind patient • Seen in pectoral region • Watch for scapular winging on surface of serratus on descent anterior, just behind mid-axillary line • Dysfunction also common with rotator cuff tears and instability • Wall push up – for more pronounced winging seen with Long thoracic Nerve injury – serratus anterior palsy 37 38 8

12/9/2016 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Scapular Winging - LTN Scapular Winging – LTN - Treatment • Nonoperative • Mechanisms of injury to long thoracic nerve – observation, bracing, and strengthening – iatrogenic from anesthesia • observation minimum 6 months for nerve to recover • 10% had prior surgery • Operative – repetitive stretch injury (most common) – pectoralis transfer; decompression, neurolysis, and • increased risk with head tilted away during tetanic electrical stimulation overhead arm activity • failure of spontaneous resolution after 1-2 years – compression injury • direct compression of nerve at any site – scapula fracture Nawa S, Nath RK et al, J Brach Plex BMC Periph Nerve Inj Musculoskeletal Disorders 2007 2015 39 40 CHANG CJ CHANG CJ Case #3 Case #3 She plays outside hitter on a volleyball team which increased practices to 5x/wk a month ago preparing 22 yo RHD woman presents with increasing right for nationals. You suspect what pathology? shoulder pain despite doing rehab exercises diligently every day. This is what you see on A. Suprascapular nerve entrapment at the observation: suprascapular notch resulting in atrophy of the supraspinatus B. Suprascapular nerve entrapment at the 35% spinoglenoid notch resulting in atrophy of the 31% infraspinatus and teres minor 26% C. Suprascapular nerve entrapment at the suprascapular notch resulting in atrophy of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus 8% D. Suprascapular nerve entrapment at the spinoglenoid notch resulting in atrophy of the infraspinatus 41 42 9