Abstract
Case Description: A 21-year-old healthy female presented with severe left lateral hip pain beginning suddenly two weeks prior. Physical examination revealed zero degrees of left hip external rotation passive range of motion with a firm end feel and pain severity and irritability out of proportion to an expected musculoskeletal presentation. She was referred to her physician with a recommendation for imaging to determine the source of pain and appropriateness of physical therapy. Outcome: Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a foreign mass in her left gluteus medius muscle which biopsy revealed to be a desmoid fibromatosis. Conclusion: This case demonstrates a thorough differential diagnostic process leading to medical imaging referral in a patient with a non-musculoskeletal source of pain. Physical therapists must be diligent in their differential diagnostic process to ensure appropriateness of their treatments or the need for referral.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 219-226 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Physiotherapy Theory and Practice |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2023 |
Funding
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article. We would like to thank the University of Montana Athletic Department and Curry Health Center in their interdisciplinary collaboration and commitment to providing the patient with the care she needed.
Keywords
- desmoid fibromatosis
- differential diagnosis
- hip pain
- Physical therapy
- Humans
- Arthralgia
- Young Adult
- Fibromatosis, Aggressive/diagnosis
- Outpatients
- Pain
- Physical Therapy Modalities
- Female
- Adult