WEEK 8 ASSNGT

Chief Compliant: Mrs. Lin Zhang is a 52-year-old Chinese-American woman who presents with chronic lower back pain, bilateral knee stiffness, and intermittent radicular symptoms in her right leg.

History of Present Illness: She reports that her back pain has progressively worsened over the past three years and is aggravated by prolonged standing and walking. The pain radiates down to her calf after long hours on her feet and is described as a dull, aching pressure with sharp flare pain after activity, with radiculopathy traveling down to her toes (see dermatome map). She also has difficulty bending, squatting, and getting up from chairs.

(Review her areas of concern below and follow the dermatome for better understanding of her symptoms and the pathway of pain, numbness and weakness.)