• Sung Joon Chung and Yunsoo Soh.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Apr 14; 102 (15): e33560e33560.

RationaleDeep tissue massage (DTM) is a form of therapeutic massage therapy for muscles and is often used to treat musculoskeletal pain. This was an uncommon case of acute cervical radiculopathy that occurred after DTM.Patient ConcernsA 47-year-old Asian woman with low weight visited our clinic due to complaints of sudden unilateral paralysis, radiating pain in the left shoulder, and wrist weakness after undergoing a 3-minute DTM of the anterior scalene muscle. Electrodiagnostic examination indicated acute injuries in the left cervical 5 and 6 (cervical 5 and cervical 6) nerve roots.DiagnosesAcute cervical radiculopathy associated with anterior scalene DTM.InterventionThe patient underwent ultrasound-guided cervical 5 and cervical 6 selective nerve root block twice through the injection of 0.25% lidocaine and 20 mg dexamethasone and regularly participated in a biweekly rehabilitation program and a home exercise program.OutcomeAfter a 6-month follow-up, the patient's shoulder and wrist strength had recovered, and the electrodiagnostic findings had improved.LessonsDTM of the anterior scalene muscle should be carefully performed to avoid cervical nerve root injury, particularly in underweight patients.Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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