Cervical Spine - Level II Upper Limb Neura! Tension - Stretch

Purpose: to increase length of soft tissues along neural tract.

Instructions:

1. Patient in standing with staggered stance with side to wall.

2. Place palm of involved hand flat against wall with fingers pointed behind body and thumb lo ceiling.

3. Slowly extend elbow and slightly rotate body away from wall until a light stretch is felt equally from the wrist through the forearm, elbow and the chest on that side. (Stretch should be subjectively rated a 3-4 on stretching scale.)

4. Instruct patient to take 3 slow deep breaths while holding position.

5. Repeat on other side if necessary.

Precautions: loss of sensation in involved arm or numbness/tingling in arm or hand. Readjust position of trunk and/or arm, and/or head to minimize symptoms.

Variations: add head rotation to the opposite side away from hand.

Repetilions/Duralion/Frequency: repeat above 2-3 times on each side.