Discussion: Assessing Musculoskeletal Pain

In this Discussion, you will consider case studies that describe abnormal findings in patients seen in a clinical setting.

To prepare:

• Your Discussion post should be      in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format rather than the traditional      narrative style Discussion posting format. Refer to Chapter 2 of the      Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5      Learning Resources for guidance. Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP      notes have specific data included in every patient case.
• Review the following case      studies:

Case Study:

A 46-year-old female reports pain in both of her ankles, but she is more concerned about her right ankle. She was playing soccer over the weekend and heard a “pop.” She is able to bear weight, but it is uncomfortable. In determining the cause of the ankle pain, based on your knowledge of anatomy, what foot structures are likely involved? What other symptoms need to be explored? What are your differential diagnoses for ankle pain? What physical assessment will you perform? What special maneuvers will you perform? Should you apply the Ottawa ankle rules to determine if you need additional testing?

With regard to the case study, you were assigned:

• Review this      week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide about the      case study.
• Consider      what history would be necessary to collect from the patient in the case      study you were assigned.
• Consider      what physical assesments and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to      gather more information about the patient’s condition. How would the      results be used to make a diagnosis?
• Identify at least five possible      conditions that may be considered in a differential diagnosis for the      patient.

Assignment

Post an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in the Week 5 resources. Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case. List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis and justify why you selected each.