Case Background
A 64-year-old left-hand-dominant male presents with gradual left-hand weakness, numbness, and tingling starting from his elbow. Over the last days, he has dropped items due to this weakness. He mentions a crushing injury to his left thumb 4 years ago and a prior fall where he struck his head but didn’t seek treatment. A CT scan of the head and all lab tests are normal except for a slightly elevated non-fasting blood sugar of 135, with no diabetes history. An x-ray of the neck shows mild-to-moderate degenerative disc disease at C6-C7, neuroforaminal narrowing, and slight nerve root impingement.
Neurological Pathophysiologic Processes
First, paying attention to the symptoms the patient complains about is essential. Factors such as weakness, numbness, and tingling in the left hand can result from different circumstances. In particular, among the critical factors to highlight are its denial of severe injuries and the lack of a history of diabetes. However, facts such as a crushing injury to the left thumb, some injuries regarding his head when he stroked it on the fender of a car, and the results of an x-ray of the neck revealed degenerative disc disease at C6-C7 are crucial.
Considering neurological pathophysiologic processes, it is essential to note that neck injuries can significantly affect the whole body’s functioning. In particular, it can negatively affect a person’s spinal cord and, therefore, the work of his hands (Abdullahi et al., 2020). The patient may experience indisposition, weakness in the right hand, and inability to hold objects due to a disturbed nervous system. Injuries to the finger and head described by the patient may have had similar effects (Taylor, 2021). Consequently, neurological pathophysiologic processes may have been caused by several damage factors to those organs that either respond directly or are associated with the nervous system.
Musculoskeletal Pathophysiologic Processes
The x-ray results are vital to the patient’s musculoskeletal pathophysiologic processes. In particular, the degenerative disc of disease at C6-C7 may be a severe cause of nervous system dysfunction, expressed in the narrowing of the neural foramina (Taylor, 2021). The neural foramina are openings through which spinal cord neurons interact with other neurons (Taylor, 2021). When their function is impaired, it can cause weakness and numbness in those parts of the body for which specific neurons are responsible (Kronenfeld, 2020). This factor likely affects the patient’s musculoskeletal processes regarding his weakened right hand.
Racial and Ethnic Variables Impacting Physiological Functioning
According to numerous studies, various diseases are more or less likely to occur depending on the race or ethnic group of the patient. In particular, in the book Cardiovascular Disease in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations by Taylor (2021), the author states, “population studies have shown differences in Serum Lp(a) and CVD Risk among different ethnicities” (p. 25). The influence on physiological functioning is also significant in the context of ethnicity and race.
In addition to CVD, the effect may extend to diseases such as type 2 diabetes and different types of cancer (Varangot-Reille et al., 2022). For example, type 2 diabetes is more likely to get people African American or Native American (Varangot-Reille et al., 2022). Consequently, as variables of various races and ethnic groups directly impact physiological functioning, it is essential to highlight the environmental and lifestyle factors that these people use and live in (Abdullahi et al., 2020). These factors have formed over a long period and have influenced specific indicators of the body’s immune system.
The Interaction of Processes
Considering the interaction between the neurological and musculoskeletal processes, it is essential to remember the factors influencing the patient’s right hand. In particular, his head and neck injuries may have affected his cervical spine, and the injury to his finger, a physical injury, may have directly impaired his ability to function (Taylor, 2021). In other words, his work as a mechanic and this injury could have negatively affected the nerve function in the hand itself. Consequently, these nerves are connected with the central brain in the head and the cervical spine and interact to provide the body’s entire neurosystem (Kronenfeld, 2020). In the patient’s case, the different influences of the organs mentioned above resulted in weakness in the patient’s right hand.
References
Abdullahi, A., Candan, S. A., Abba, M. A., Bello, A. H., Alshehri, M. A., Victor, E. A., Umar, N. A., & Kundakci, B. (2020). Neurological and musculoskeletal features of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Neurol., 11. Web.
Varangot-Reille, C., et al. (2022). Effectiveness of neural mobilization techniques in the management of musculoskeletal neck disorders with nerve-related symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis with a mapping report. Pain Medicine, 23(4), 707–732. Web.
Kronenfeld, J. J. (2020). Race, ethnicity, gender and other social characteristics as factors in health and health care disparities. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Taylor, H. A. (2021). Cardiovascular disease in racial and ethnic minority populations. Springer International Publishing.