NURS 6501 Week 8 Case Study Assignment; Spinal Cord Injury
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Case Study: Spinal Cord Injury
The client in this case study is a 64-year-old male that presents to the clinic with complaints of gradual onset of weakness in the left hand, which is his dominant hand. He reports ongoing tingling and numbness that starts at his elbow and over the past two to three days he has been dropping objects due to the weakness. The client has no recent injuries except for a crushing injury to the left thumb four years ago. The client is a mechanic and several years ago, he tripped over a tire and fell backwards hitting his head on a fender. No medical attention was provided, there was only a scrape on the elbow. A CT of the head and labs are all within normal limits. The only exception is a non-fasting blood sugar of 135 with no history of diabetes. An x-ray of the neck reveals mild-to-moderate degenerative disc disease at C6-C7 with slight impingement of the exiting nerve root and neuroforaminal narrowing. This paper will analyze this case study and explain the neurological and musculoskeletal pathophysiologic processes, how these processes interact, and any racial or ethnic variables that impact physiological functioning.
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Pathophysiologic Processes
The client’s radial nerve was damaged four years ago when he
experienced a crushing injury to his left thumb. The radial nerve is a part
of the peripheral nervous system and helps move the fingers, hand,
elbow, and wrist. Signs of radial nerve damage include difficulty
pinching, grasping, or picking up objects and numbness, weakness, or
pain in the hand or arm (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Thus, explaining why
the client started to drop objects because of weakness……….. Continue
