Cervical spine assessment & treatment for neck pain & upper limb symptoms

Shoulder and upper limb pain can be referred from the cervical spine, or be due to tissue irritation in the area of pain. How can you identify if your patient's symptoms are referred from the cervical or thoracic spine, so you can target the areas that will help improve their upper limb or neck pain? When do you need to treat the cervical spine for your patient's shoulder or lateral elbow pain?

In this detailed and practical online course incorporating a case study of shoulder pain referred from the cervical spine, David Pope will help you discover how to assess and treat the cervical and thoracic spine for neck pain and upper limb symptoms. With demonstrated assessment and treatment techniques, you will be able to improve your assessment sensitivity and treatment results with neck and upper limb pain.

After watching this online course, you will be able to identify and successfully treat neck pain, and cervical referred upper limb pain using evidence based assessment and treatment techniques.

Part 1

• Introduction & case study

Part 2 

Evidence on C/sp treatment in upper limb pain. Indications that your patient's shoulder or upper limb pain are related or referred from the cervical or thoracic spine

• Types of shoulder pain related to the cervical spine

• Radiculopathy

• Radicular pain

• Somatic referred pain

• Neural irritation or entrapment

Part 3

• Differentiating local shoulder pain from referred pain

• Pain location, irritability

Part 4

• Active movement assessment

• Objective measures for cervical movement

• Thoracic movement assessment

• Shoulder assessment

Part 5

• Complex cervical movement

• Combined movements

• Special tests - quadrant & spurlings

Part 6

• Tests for radiculopathy & radicular pain

• Neurological assessment - strength testing

Part 7

• Neurological assessment - sensation & reflexes

Part 8

• Bony & surface anatomy of the cervical spine

• Locating facet joints and other structures

• Positioning for passive accessory testing

• Making your passive accessory testing sensitive and comfortable

• Where to assess for pain and where to assess for stiffness

Part 9

• How to be more sensitive with your passive accessory testing

• Central vs unilateral PAIVM's

• Identifying cervical or thoracic levels involved in your patients pain or symptoms

• Making your PAIVM assessment comfortable

• Thoracic spine and costovertebral joint assessment

Part 10

• Anteroposterior (AP) mobilisation - surface anatomy and how to assess

• Position to assess AP joint mobility

• Passive physiological assessment

• ULTT1 and assessing involvement in your patients neck pain

Part 11 

• Case study objective assessment & findings - shoulder and cervical spine

• Symptom modification

Part 12 Treatment -

• AP Mobilisation

• Reassessment

• Advanced mobilisation

• Mobilisation treatment progression

• AP mobilisation with physiological movement

Part 13

• PA PAIVM's - improving your sensitivity and patient comfort

• Treatment progression

• Reassessment

• Mobilisation with movement of the spine

• Sustained natural apophyseal glides SNAG's

Part 14

• Advanced treatment mobilisation

• Mobilisation during function

• Incorporating motor control and cueing

• Individualising your motor control and exercises

• Self treatment

Part 15

• Tying it all together

• Treatment of the case study

• Treatment progressions and outcomes