List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis, and justify why you selected each. 

Assessing neurological symptoms | NURS 6512 – Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning | Walden University

1. Joint/muscle strain: Muscle or joint strain can occur due to overexertion, repetitive movement, or lack of flexibility and is characterized by pain in the affected area. In this case, the patient’s symptoms point to potential overuse of a certain muscle group leading to soreness and stiffness in the shoulder and neck area.

2. Pulmonary Embolism: This condition can present with chest pain along with other signs such as shortness of breath, increased heart rate, coughing up blood and anxiety that may be seen in this patient’s case based on their subjective reporting of symptoms.

3. Cervical Spondylosis: This condition occurs when discs between vertebrae wear down causing neck pain, stiffness and loss of mobility which could explain why the patient has difficulty turning their head without experiencing discomfort/pain in that region.

4. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): CFS is a disorder marked by extreme fatigue for at least six months accompanied by other physical symptoms including headache, joint pain and difficulty concentrating which could potentially explain this patient’s presenting complaints if those symptoms have been present for some time now rather than just developing recently following activity or exercise session(s).

5. Stress-related illness: Unrelenting stress often manifests through physical signs such as headaches, stomach pains, insomnia etc., all of which could potentially explain why this patient has experienced sudden onset chest tightness along with other areas being bothersome like shoulders and neck before even engaging in any strenuous activities/exercises that day