Publication Cover
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice
An International Journal of Physical Therapy
Volume 38, 2022 - Issue 8
267
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Case Report

Applying a clinical decision-making model to a patient with severe shoulder pain ultimately diagnosed as neuralgic amyotrophy

, DPT & , DPT
Pages 1078-1089 | Received 11 Jun 2019, Accepted 25 Jul 2020, Published online: 07 Sep 2020
 

ABSTRACT

Objective and Purpose Shoulder symptoms are often encountered in physical therapy and a myriad of etiologies can cause these symptoms, either locally or remotely. The purpose of this case report is to describe the physical therapist’s differential diagnostic process for a patient with acute and severe onset of shoulder pain. Case Description: The patient was a 37-year-old female with sudden onset of right shoulder pain that awakened her at night. Pain was associated with decreased range of motion and shoulder weakness. Faced with an uncertain diagnosis, the physical therapist followed a systematic approach to clinical decision-making. Outcomes: Neuralgic amyotrophy was the primary diagnostic hypothesis but other causes of shoulder pain could not be ruled out. Conclusion: The clinical decision-making process helped the physical therapist narrow down the differential diagnosis list and make a decision to send the patient for further testing. Magnetic resonance imaging and electromyogram confirmed the diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 325.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.