Your patient is a 17-year-old female who fell from a horse. She is complaining of being unable to move. During your assessment, you have placed her arms at her sides, but her arms keeping returning to a "stick-up" or "hold-up" position. Based on this, which of the following is MOST likely?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The "stick-up" or "hold-up" position is indicative of a spinal cord injury in the midcervical region. It suggests that the patient has sustained damage to the spinal cord at this level, which is responsible for controlling the muscles that keep the arms by the sides. As a result, the muscles are unable to maintain their normal position, causing the arms to remain in a raised or held-up position. Brown-Séquard syndrome is characterized by damage to one side of the spinal cord, resulting in weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and loss of sensation on the opposite side. Feigning an injury is a possibility, but it should only be considered after all other causes have been ruled out. Thus, option D is the correct answer.

Your Patient Is a 17-Year-Old Female Who Fell from a Horse