Cervical Myelopathy in a Special Operations Soldier

Abstract

The patient was a 31-year-old man who was currently serving in a military special operations combat unit. He was evaluated by a physical therapist for a chief complaint of upper extremity weakness and decreased hand dexterity bilaterally. Due to strong suspicion of spinal cord involvement, the physical therapist ordered magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed advanced degenerative changes of the cervical spine and a large disc extrusion at C5-C6.