Osteopathic Evaluation and Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Approach in a Patient With Myelopathy and Tetraparesis Related to Cervical Ependymoma: A Case Report
Neck pain with associated upper limb symptomatology presents commonly in primary care, musculoskeletal specialty, and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) clinics. Thorough evaluation to determine the presence of red flags prior to providing treatment is a prerequisite for OMM providers. In the present case report, a 48-year-old right-hand-dominant woman with chronic neck pain and weakness in the left arm was found to have cervical myelopathy due to intramedullary ependymoma. Urgent surgical consultation facilitated appropriate spinal decompression followed by in-patient rehabilitation. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first case reported involving the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in the sub-acute rehabilitation phase following spinal cord tumor surgical decompression.Abstract
Contributor Notes
College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa. Financial disclosures: none reported.
Dr Lewis prepared this manuscript as one of the requirements to earn fellowship in the American Academy of Osteopathy. The Committee on Fellowship in the AAO provided peer reviewing for this article, and it was edited to conform to the AAOJ’s style guidelines.