A patient with limited cervical mobility, headaches, and pain with cervical rotation and extension, plus numbness in the right hand and a wide-based gait, is most likely experiencing which condition?

• A. Cervical radiculopathy
• B. TIA
• C. Cervical myelopathy
• D. Brachial plexus injury

Answer: (C)

This presentation points to cervical myelopathy, which happens when the cervical spinal cord is compressed and the neural tracts running through it are affected. The neck findings—limited mobility with pain that worsens on rotation and extension—suggest mechanical narrowing of the spinal canal at the cervical level, where movement can aggravate cord compression. The numbness in the hand indicates involvement of sensory pathways in the cord, and the wide-based gait reflects disruption of proprioception and coordination from dorsal column or corticospinal tract dysfunction. Together, these signs show a spinal cord problem rather than a single nerve root issue or a vascular event.

Cervical radiculopathy would more likely produce sharp, dermatomal pain with numbness or weakness in a specific arm distribution, not a broad gait disturbance. A TIA would present with sudden, focal neurological deficits that resolve and are not tied to neck movement or chronic neck pain. A brachial plexus injury would produce arm-specific symptoms without the characteristic gait instability.