Neck pain in the elderly: a management review. Part II.
Rheumatoid arthritis and metastatic cancer occur commonly in the elderly, and may cause neck pain. Rheumatoid arthritis may produce cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy resulting from vertebral body subluxation, although radiological manifestations of subluxation are much more common than neurological dysfunction. Cervical spinal cord compression is a neurological emergency and may produce cervical radiculopathy as well as myelopathy. Careful neurological and radiological assessments are required to minimize pain and preserve neurological function in elderly patients suffering from neck pain complicating rheumatoid arthritis or cervical spinal metastasis.
D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D009333:Neck; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary