- Title
- The anatomy and pathophysiology of neck pain
- Creator
- Bogduk, Nikolai
- Relation
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America Vol. 22, Issue 3, p. 367-382
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2011.03.008
- Publisher
- W.B. Saunders Co.
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2011
- Description
- In preparation for considering the pathophysiology of neck pain, a critical distinction must be made. The neck is not the upper limb. The upper limb is not the neck. By the same token, pain in the neck is not pain in the upper limb, and vice versa. For these reasons, neck pain should not, and must not, be confused with cervical radicular pain. Neck pain is perceived in the neck, and its causes, mechanisms, investigation, and treatment are different from those of cervical radicular pain. Reciprocally, cervical radicular pain is perceived in the upper limb, and its causes, mechanisms, investigation, and treatment are different from those of neck pain. Equating the 2 conditions, or confusing them, results in misdiagnosis, inappropriate investigations, and inappropriate treatment that is destined to fail. Confusion arises because neck pain and cervical radicular pain are both caused by disorders of the cervical spine, but this common site of disease does not constitute a basis for equating the 2 conditions. In all other respects the 2 conditions are totally different. So critical is the difference that pedagogically it is unwise to include the 2 topics in the same book, let alone the same article. Doing so, as has been the tradition, risks readers remaining confused, and applying to neck pain the interpretations, investigations, and treatment that apply to radicular pain. However, traditions and expectations are difficult to break. In deference to habit, this article addresses both entities, but does so by underplaying cervical radicular pain so as to retain the emphasis on neck pain. Cervical radicular pain is covered in a later article, and more comprehensively elsewhere.
- Subject
- neck pain; cervical; anatomy; nerve supply
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1064400
- Identifier
- uon:17538
- Identifier
- ISSN:1047-9651
- Language
- eng
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