A soft tissue lesion of the neck is rated under which impairment descriptor?

• A. ROM
• B. GAF
• C. Visual Acuity
• D. Subjective Factors

Answer: (A)

When evaluating a soft tissue lesion in the neck, the impairment is quantified using the range of motion of the cervical spine. This means you measure how much the neck can flex, extend, tilt side to side, and rotate, compare those values to normal ranges, and translate the loss of motion into a percent impairment using the cervical spine ROM table from the AMA Guides. That ROM-based descriptor directly reflects the functional limitation from a neck soft tissue issue.

GAF relates to overall psychological functioning, not physical impairment of the neck. Visual acuity measures eye function, which is unrelated to neck injuries. Subjective factors might influence the interpretation in some contexts but do not serve as the primary impairment descriptor for a neck soft tissue condition. The ROM impairment descriptor is the appropriate, objective way to rate this condition.