Review Question - QID 211531

A 43-year-old man presents with left arm pain and numbness involving the wrist and thumb that began when moving furniture 5 weeks ago. He denies any gait abnormalities. On physical examination, neck extension, rotation and bending towards the left shoulder reproduces his symptoms. Abducting his left shoulder for more than several minutes improves his symptoms. He has weakness to wrist extension on the left. He has 3+ bilateral patellar reflexes. His MRI is depicted in Figures A and B. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding his condition?