Sample Case 1: Hip Pain
A 47 year-old female presents to an outpatient clinic for evaluation of right hip pain. She relates a story of slipping on ice while removing snow from her car five weeks ago. Initially, she had significant soreness and bruising over the right posterior hip and buttock which has resolved with ice and ibuprophen. She now reports a localized, achy, pain deep in the posterior right buttock and right sacroiliac area which occasionally radiates into her low back. Sitting for prolonged periods makes it worse. On exam she is tender with palpation of the right sacroilliac joint and right piriformis. You also note that she carries her right illiac crest higher than her left.
This patient has sacroiliac and sacral somatic dysfunction and will benefit from manipulation of her sacrum and pelvis. Given such a recent acute event, she should improve within 1 to 3 visits.