NU609 Advanced Health Assessment

Unit 5 Discussion – Thoracic Conditions

Consider factors (such as disease process, musculoskeletal changes, or environmental risks) that can influence the evaluation of the lungs and thorax and,

Discuss how you will adjust the H&P around these factors.

Your response should include evidence of review of the course material, websites, and literature through proper citations using APA format.

 

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Thoracic Conditions

Introduction

Back pain can lead to other health conditions in adolescents. If you have back pain, it’s important to know what might be causing it so you can seek treatment.

Pain and numbness in the arms and hands

Pain and numbness in the arms and hands is usually a sign of a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve can be caused by many things, including arthritis, muscle spasms, or injury. If you have pain and numbness in your arms and hands that lasts for more than 24 hours, see your doctor to find out what’s causing it.

You may be able to treat this condition with physical therapy or medication (such as corticosteroids).

Pain and numbness in the legs

Sciatica is a condition that affects the back and legs. It can occur when a nerve in your spine becomes compressed, or herniated, causing pain along the sciatic nerve. Sciatica may be caused by spinal stenosis or a herniated disc.

Symptoms of sciatica include:

• Pain or numbness in one leg only (sciatica)

• Pain or numbness down one leg and into both buttocks (radiculopathy)

• Muscle weakness in one limb

Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of your spinal canal, the space between your vertebrae. It can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the lower back and legs.

Symptoms include:

• Pain that radiates from the hips to your knees; it may feel like a stab or burning sensation.

• Tenderness around your waistline.

• Weakness in one or both legs that prevents you from walking long distances without stopping to rest for a few minutes at a time (called gait disturbance).

If you have been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, you should see an orthopedic specialist who specializes in treating this condition. Treatment options include medications such as opioids (like morphine), surgery (called decompression) or physical therapy that helps rehabilitate muscles around joints so they don’t lose mobility as much as they would if there was no blockage present in first place

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine curves to one side. The curve may be mild, moderate or severe. It’s usually diagnosed based on X-rays and MRIs of your spine.

The symptoms of scoliosis vary from person to person, but they can include:

• A noticeable curve in your back or chest area (especially if you’re taller than average). This could mean that you bend over more often than others do or hold objects at different angles than other people do when trying to reach something high up on the shelf at home!

• Pain in the area where there is a curve (usually near one shoulder blade) especially when lying down flat on your back; this pain may get worse over time if left untreated by doctors who specialize in treating curvature issues like scoliosis.”

Conditions specific to adolescentsnTakeaway: It’s important to know what might be causing back pain.

Back pain is a common complaint among adolescents. Younger people are more likely to have back pain than older people, and it can be caused by sports injuries, muscle strains or poor posture. While the cause of your back pain may seem obvious at first glance—you were playing basketball last night and now you’re in a lot of pain!—it’s important not to jump on that diagnosis too quickly.

The fact is that there are many conditions that can cause your back pain:

• Stress fractures—stress fractures occur when bone breaks down because someone has poor posture or heavy lifting without proper warm-up time (ex: texting while driving). They’re usually treated with rest and physical therapy (PT), but sometimes surgery is needed too depending on how bad they get.

• Muscular strains/sprains—these include tendinitis/tendinosis which causes inflammation around muscles and ligaments; bursitis where fluid build up in one area of your joint causing swelling; arthritis which causes inflammation throughout your whole body including bones so you can’t move well anymore even though everything else looks okay physically speaking

Conclusion

Back pain can be a serious problem for adolescents. It can cause them to miss school and make it harder for them to do their homework. They may also have trouble sleeping at night because of the pain, which makes them more tired during the day. If you suspect that your teenager has back pain, don’t wait until it gets worse before setting up an appointment with a doctor!