An understanding of the neurological and musculoskeletal systems is a critically important component of disease and disorder diagnosis and treatment. This importance is magnified by the impact that that these two systems can have on each other. A variety of factors and circumstances affecting the emergence and severity of issues in one system can also have a role in the performance of the other.
Effective analysis often requires an understanding that goes beyond these systems and their mutual impact. For example, patient characteristics such as, racial and ethnic variables can play a role
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An understanding of the symptoms of alterations in neurological and musculoskeletal systems is a critical step in diagnosis and treatment. For APRNs this understanding can also help educate patients and guide them through their treatment plans.
In this Assignment, you examine a case study and analyze the symptoms presented. You identify the elements that may be factors in the diagnosis, and you explain the implications to patient health.
To prepare:
By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned to a specific case study scenario for this Case Study Assignment. Please see the “Course Announcements” section of the classroom for your assignment from your Instructor.
Assignment (1- to 2-page case study analysis)
In your Case Study Analysis related to the scenario provided, explain the following:
• Both the neurological and musculoskeletal pathophysiologic processes that would account for the patient presenting these symptoms.
• Any racial/ethnic variables that may impact physiological functioning.
• How these processes interact to affect the patient.
Scenario 1: 74-year-old male with a history of hypertension and smoking, is having dinner with his wife when he develops sudden onset of difficulty speaking, with drooling from the left side of his mouth, and weakness in his left hand. His wife asks him if he is all right and the patient denies any difficulty. His symptoms progress over the next 10 minutes until he cannot lift his arm and has trouble standing. The patient continues to deny any problems. The wife sits the man in a chair and calls 911. The EMS squad arrives within 5 minutes. Upon arrival in the ED, patient‘s blood pressure was 178/94, pulse 78 and regular, PaO2 97% on room air. Neuro exam – Cranial nerves- Mild left facial droop. Motor- Right arm and leg extremity with 5/5 strength. Left arm cannot resist gravity, left leg with mild drift. Sensation intact. Neglect- Mild neglect to left side of body. Language- Expressive and receptive language intact.
Mild to moderate dysarthria. Able to protect airway
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Module 5 Assignment Case Study
Musculoskeletal pathophysiologic disorders affect the movement of the body or musculoskeletal systems like nerves and blood vessels. The musculoskeletal disorders occur because of individual factors like poor health habits like smoking, like in the case of the patient in this study. In neurological pathophysiologic processes, the neurons detect, analyze, and facilitate information transfer to the brain’s sensory systems (Silava et al., 2017). The brain facilitates signal transfer to autonomic and motor pathways, which control movement, endocrine, and physical function.
The process interacts with the patient as both the musculoskeletal and neurological factors relate to the patients’ symptoms. The patient’s difficulty in speaking and diagnosis of mild to moderate dysarthria is a neurological problem where the brain delays in transferring information to the sensory systems. Similarly, the man is drooling on the left side, which is also a neurological disorder. Musculoskeletal pathophysiology in the patient is evident because the patient is unable to move his right arm. The possible diagnosis for the patient is hypoglycemia because it mimics stroke in symptoms like the inability to move the left arm, as seen in the case study (Walker, 2020). Additionally, the patient is alert and denies being sick, which is another sign of the disease because patients with the conditions exhibit alertness and minimum confusion. The standards of the distorted mental protocol are essential in confirming that the patient’s symptoms are because of hypoglycemia and rule out a stroke.
Racial /ethnical variables impact physiological functioning that affects individuals by increasing agitation and discomfort, which alters the brain physiology. For instance, increased threat in society raises the stress levels and reactions of African Americans who live in a divided society (Huynh et al., 2017) The people of color and other ethnical groups experiencing discrimination have a high chance of getting chronic diseases related to stress, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
References
Huynh, V. W., Huynh, Q. L., & Stein, M. P. (2017). Not just sticks and stones: Indirect ethnic discrimination leads to greater physiological reactivity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(3), 425.
Silva, N. E., Luna, S. P., Joaquim, J. G., Coutinho, H. D., & Possebon, F. S. (2017). Effect of acupuncture on pain and quality of life in canine neurological and musculoskeletal diseases. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 58(9), 941.
Walker, R. (2020). Identifying Diseases that Mimic Strokes – JEMS. JEMS. Retrieved 11 April 2020, from https://www.jems.com/2011/02/28/identifying-diseases-mimic-str/.
