Table Of ContentA Case-Based
Approach
to Neck Pain
A Pocket Guide to Pathology,
Diagnosis and Management
Michael Harbus · Grant Cooper ·
Joseph E. Herrera · Zinovy Meyler ·
Marco Funiciello Editors
123
A Case-Based Approach to Neck
Pain
Michael Harbus • Grant Cooper
Joseph E. Herrera • Zinovy Meyler
Marco Funiciello
Editors
A Case-Based
Approach to Neck
Pain
A Pocket Guide to Pathology,
Diagnosis and Management
Editors
Michael Harbus Grant Cooper
Physical Medicine Princeton Spine and Joint Center
and Rehabilitation Princeton, NJ, USA
Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY, USA Zinovy Meyler
Princeton Spine and Joint Center
Joseph E. Herrera Princeton, NJ, USA
Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine
Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY, USA
Marco Funiciello
Princeton Spine and Joint Center
Princeton, NJ, USA
ISBN 978-3-031-17307-3 ISBN 978-3-031-17308-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17308-0
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022
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For Stephanie, Ellen, Fred,
Carolyn and Milton
Michael Harbus
For Ana, Mila, Lara, Luka,
Twinkle and Lili
Grant Cooper
For my parents Anna and
Mark, they serve as role models
and shaped my character; their
many sacrifices were aimed to
provide me with opportunities
in life.
Zinovy Meyler
To my loving wife Bonnie and
our beautiful children Antonella,
Juliana, Mia and Gianluca,
thank you for your love, patience
and never- ending dedication to
reading and a heartfelt thank
you to my parents who made a
lot of pizza to help me with
medical school bills.
Marco Funiciello
Preface
This book is designed to serve as a reference for students and
healthcare providers who treat neck pain. Neck pain is a common
presenting complaint of patients who visit providers who treat
musculoskeletal conditions. As with many musculoskeletal com-
plaints, there is significant overlap in the presentation of many of
the pathologies that cause neck pain, which can create challenges
in arriving at an accurate diagnosis based on a patient’s history
and physical exam.
The book provides an overview of the most common causes of
neck pain including strains, sprains, facet-mediated pain, radicu-
lopathies and discogenic pain, and it delves into the diagnosis and
treatment for these commonly seen conditions. The book presents
the anatomy, pathophysiology, presentation, diagnostic work-up
and evidence-based treatment plans for common causes of neck
pain in an easily accessible manner. By doing so, we hope that it
will enable its readers to provide more accurate diagnosis and
effective treatments for their patients.
Ultimately, this book aims to guide providers from multiple
specialties and disciplines—including physical therapists, pri-
mary care physicians, physiatrists and spine surgeons—in their
approach when treating patients who present with neck pain.
New York, NY, USA Michael Harbus
Princeton, NJ, USA Grant Cooper
New York, NY, USA Joseph E. Herrera
Princeton, NJ, USA Zinovy Meyler
Princeton, NJ, USA Marco Funiciello
vii
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my wife, Stephanie, for her endless generosity and
understanding; my parents, Ellen and Fred, for their selflessness,
and for being the best role models I could ask for; my sister, Caro-
lyn, for always being a source of advice and support; and my
grandparents, who taught me immeasurable amounts about hard
work, family and balance. I would also like to thank my co-editors
whose guidance made this book possible.
Michael Harbus
It has been a pleasure to collaborate on this book. I want to first
thank my co-editors and all of the amazing authors who worked
so hard to make this book a reality. Thank you to my colleagues at
Princeton Spine and Joint Center for continuing to push, nurture
and challenge me. And thank you to my family, Ana, Mila, Lara,
Luka, Twinkle and Lili for putting up with me when I disappear
into the study to write.
Grant Cooper
I would like to thank my amazing family, Sandra, Alex,
Mikhayla and Andrew for all of their continued love and support
through this journey. Thank you of course to my long-time friend,
colleague and co-editor on this and so many other projects, Dr.
Grant Cooper. Thank you to all of our fantastic authors and other
editors who came together to make this book a success.
Joseph E. Herrera, DO, FAAPMR
I would like to thank all of the great authors contributing to this
book, as well as my co-editors. I would also like to thank all
friends and colleagues for their support and camaraderie. I would
like to extend special gratitude to Ana and Grant for wearing so
ix
x Acknowledgements
many hats in my life including those of colleagues, pillars of sup-
port, advisors and advocates and for transcending friendship into
what feels like family.
Zinovy Meyler
A special thank you to my patients, my greatest teachers.
Thank you to our book’s co-contributors, without your help this
work would not have been possible and to my colleagues at
Princeton Spine and Joint Center who continue to help inspire my
passion for medicine.
Thank you,
Marco Funiciello
Contents
1 Cervical Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Craig Silverberg, Marya Ghazzi, and Michael Harbus
2 Cervical Strains and Sprains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Michael Harbus and Leili Shahgholi
3 Facet Joint Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chandni Patel
4 Discogenic Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Caroline Varlotta
5 Cervical Radiculopathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Jonathan Lee, Michael Harbus, and Carley Trentman
6 Cervical Myelopathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Toqa Afifi, Karolina Zektser, and Aditya Raghunandan
7 Sports Trauma and Fractures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Rebecca Freedman and Irene Kalbian
8 Rheumatologic Causes of Neck Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
German Valdez
9 Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Caroline Varlotta
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
xi
1
Cervical Anatomy
Craig Silverberg, Marya Ghazzi,
and Michael Harbus
Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the structures that make up
the neck. Included among these structures are the cervical verte-
brae, soft tissue structures, muscles, and vascular and lymphatic
structures. Additionally, a detailed review of the neurological
structures of the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous
system, and the autonomic nervous system that reside in the neck
is provided. The anatomical groundwork that is established in this
chapter will allow for an enhanced understanding of the patho-
logical conditions discussed throughout the book.
C. Silverberg · M. Harbus (*)
Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
M. Ghazzi
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1
Switzerland AG 2022
M. Harbus et al. (eds.), A Case-Based Approach to Neck Pain,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17308-0_1
