Presentation Strains are acute injuries to muscle-tendon units that result from overstretching or overexerting. Strains may occur in the trapezius or paravertebral muscles during a motor vehicle collision, with a whiplash-type injury to the neck. A strain can also occur…
Presentation The patient complains of painful, visible, palpable muscle contractions, often affecting the gastrocnemius muscle or small muscles of the foot or hand. Ordinary cramps occur chiefly at rest during the night or after trivial movement but also can occur…
Presentation The patient complains of one joint that has become acutely red, swollen, hot, painful, and stiff, with pain on minimal range of motion (ROM). Rapid onset with fever and local warmth suggests the possibility of septic arthritis. A prominent…
Presentation Suddenly or gradually, after lifting, sneezing, bending, or other movement, the patient develops a steady pain in one or both sides of the lower back. At times, this pain can be severe and incapacitating. It is usually better when…
Presentation The patient, usually with a history of a previous knee injury, and often with previous knee locking, suddenly develops a mechanical inability to extend the knee fully. The knee may flex but not extend and may be causing mild…
Presentation Ligament sprains occur when a joint is distorted beyond its normal anatomic limits (as when an ankle is inverted, or a shoulder is dislocated and reduced). The patient may complain of a snapping or popping noise at the time…
Presentation In lateral epicondylitis, the patient complains of pain in the lateral elbow that frequently radiates down the lateral aspect of the forearm. Because the lateral epicondyle is the bony origin of wrist extensors, patients are usually involved in an…
Presentation After twisting the knee during a fall or sports injury, the patient complains of knee pain, possible swelling, and variable ability to bear weight. There may be a joint effusion or spasm of the quadriceps, forcing the patient to…
Presentation A patient rapidly develops an intensely painful monoarticular arthritis, often in the middle of the night, but sometimes a few hours following a minor trauma. The first attack of acute gouty arthritis usually occurs between the ages of 40…
Presentation The patient is concerned about a rubbery, rounded swelling most commonly emerging from the dorsal or volar aspect of the wrist or the flexor tendon sheath of the hand. It may have appeared abruptly, been present for years, or…