The Confusion Between Infraspinatus Radiating Pain And C5-C6 Radiculopathy A Case Report

Objectives of the Study 1- To establish how infraspinatus radiating pain and C5-C6 radiculopathy differ. 2- To summarise the comparable symptoms and signs of C5-C6 radiculopathy and Infraspinatus radiating pain. Case Description A male patient aged 38 complained of numbness neck pain and pain moving to his left arm which began two years ago. As more symptoms and signs emerged the physician advised that he should undergo surgery. The patient encountered no symptoms subsequent to surgery and was able to return to work. However after a period of four months the radiating left-arm pain symptoms returned. Following this neck pain became more frequent and ultimately resulted in continuous pain. Following this he underwent a complete evaluation when he visited the physiotherapy clinic. The results did not reveal the origin of the pain and numbness as the cervical spine. He was then given the following treatment stretching exercise for the infraspinatus muscle myofascial release technique of the trigger points and Kinesio detoning taping. The patient experienced an improvement subsequent to this treatment and the symptoms began to recede. By conducting a comprehensive evaluation for the shoulder and the cervical we detected the difference between C5-C6 radiculopathy for the cervical spine and the shoulder girdle infraspinatus trigger points.Conclusion Subsequent to the clinical examination in this case no clinical evidence was found that the origin of the numbness and pain was due to nerve root compression or disc bulge. The infraspinatus muscle referral zone has considerable similarity with that of the C5-C6 dermatomes. Consequently this shows that differential diagnosis is significant in establishing the origin of the symptoms experienced by the patient.