Spinal Infection: A Case Study

HISOTRY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: This 40-year-old Latin female presents with complaints of low back and right leg pain she said that she hurt her back in a motor vehicle accident three years ago and she has had a history of intermittent low back pain since that time. Last December she started a job where she had to lift boxes that weighed approximately 40 pounds. Around the first of January this year she began to complain of back pain that

Range of motion shows flexion of 85 degrees, extension of 30 degrees, and lateral tilt of 25 degrees bilaterally. Straight leg raise is positive on the right at 90 degrees for low back pain. Bechterew's test is positive on the right. The patient has diminished sensation in the right L4, L5 and S1 dermatomes. Deep tendon reflexes are absent in the right knee and right ankle.

The patient is a 72 year old female. She has been experiencing progressively worse pain and stiffness in her joints. She is reports that she is having decreased range of motion, redness, and swelling in her joints. She is reports symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of her body. She is also reporting the symptoms are worse when she first wakes up in the morning.

Per the medical report dated 07/18/16, patient is being seen for her lower backache, rated 7/10 with medications and 10/10 without medications. Current medications include Ambien 10mg; Maxalt-MLT 10mg; Norco 10/325mg; Evzio 0.4mg; orphenadrine 100 mg and gabapentin 600 mg.

Narcotics. If your pain doesn't improve with over-the-counter medications, your doctor may prescribe narcotics, such

10/30/15 Medical Evaluation reported neck, low back, and left sacroiliac pain. Physical examination of the lumbar spine revealed decreased ROM on

Because severe pain is more difficult to control, Mrs R may become anxious and fatigued, and may also withdraw again from the regimen if there is no success in achieving pain relief; therefore, the preventive approach needs to be considered. (Wells, 2014). For an effective pain control pain, Mrs R should also keep a daily record of her pain. Writing a diary can help empower the patient in her own care, give her confidence and increase self-efficacy (Bastable, 2014). Also, a strategy of pain management is to combine opiods with non-narcotics, such as Tylenol, in order to enhance pain relief and to slowly decrease the use of narcotics overtime (Lewis, 2014). Mrs R was explained to always follow the right dosage of medication to optimize the narcotic results. A complete assessment of pain should be performed: PQRST. Pain is a subjective concept and the patient must describe the pain in order to provide an effective care plan (Jarvis, 2013). Responses to pain medication should be documented to facilitate communication between health care providers, therefore to maximise effective pain management strategies (Lewis, 2014). The use of non-pharmacological therapy for pain is also recommended to Mrs R because it helps reduce the dose of an analgesic/opiod required to control pain and helps to minimize analgesic side effects, and also promote the release of endorphins which inhibit pain signals (NCBI, 2010). Mrs R is encouraged to use distraction such as watching TV, listening to the radio/music, which redirect the attention on something and away of the pain. Imagery can also be proposed to divert the focus away from the pain by stimulating the client’s imagination to develop sensory images. Relaxation strategies can also be used to help Mrs R to be free of her anxiety and stress, and to reduce muscle tension (Lewis,

Opioids used for moderate-to-severe pain are morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl. Morphine is generally used in a clinical setting via intravenously (IV) or intramuscular injections (IM) after surgeries for pain management, trauma pain or in cancer patients. It is not used for individual with head trauma due to its sedative side effect. Hydromorphone is used for patients that have a negative reaction to morphine or if the morphine is not giving adequate pain relief (Curry III & Fausel, 2011, p. 28). Fentanyl, which are transdermal patches, are used for individuals with cancer who experience breakthrough pain and for those individual who are unable to take pain medication orally or via IV. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, sedation, drowsiness, confusion, respiratory depression or arrest, hypotension and death.

Patient is diagnosed with pain disorder with related psychological factors and complex regional pain syndrome I of the right upper limb, chronic pain syndrome. He will follow-up in 4 weeks.

The x-rays of Plaintiff’s spine showed normal alignment, no swelling, no fracture or dislocation and normal lordosis of the cervical and lumbar spine. Plaintiff’s left knee x-ray also showed no fracture or dislocation, but moderate decrease in the meduial articular joint space. Plaintiff was given a general diagnosis of neck pain, back pain, low back pain and left knee pain. Plaintiff was prescribed 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks of physical therapy.

Per the medical report dated 08/12/16 by Dr. Gunderson, the patient had neck pain, as well as headaches, dizziness and blurred vision. The neck pain radiated into both shoulders, but more so on the right, and occasionally she had tingling in her upper extremities. She described the neck pain as severe and intermittent, and not related to any specific activity, and relieved with massage. The pain in her lower back was in the beltline and radiated into both lower extremities, more so on the left. She described the pain as moderately severe and constant, and not related to any activity, and only relieved with nerve medicines. On examination, the patient had tenderness in the lower cervical region about C5 to C7. Range of motion of her neck was 75% of normal. Motor, sensory, and reflex examinations in the upper extremities were normal. On examination of the lumbar spine, the patient could dress and undress without difficulty. She had a bent forward posture and gait. She had reduced lumbar motion and with maximum forward flexion, her fingertips were 12 inches from the floor. Lateral flexion was 50% of normal, and she had no active extension in the lumbar spine. Motor, sensory, and reflex examinations in the lower extremities were normal. There was paravertebral tenderness about L4-5 bilaterally, as well as in both sacroiliac and sciatic notch regions. Straight leg caused hip and thigh pain at 50 degrees bilaterally. Of note, X-rays of the cervical spine demonstrated disc degeneration at C5-6. X-rays of the lumbar spine were normal. Patient sustained

It is especially common to a hospital patient with a present existence of different infection.

In case of injury due to herniation of disc frogment, severe radicular pain is limb can also be present

Current medications: Prescribed Antacids, Nexium, q24h, or when pain is severe, Tylenol 500 mg, PO, q12h.

4.) Acetaminophen-Oxycodone (Trade Name: Percocet 5/325) 1-2 tablets by mouth, every four hours; used for decreasing pain as well as decreasing a temperature (Deglin & Vallerand, 2007).