Case report of a deep vein thrombosis in the femoral vein, an atypical presentation

Abstract

Approximately 80% of deep vein thromboses (DVTs) are clinically asymptomatic, 20% of those that actually demonstrate signs and symptoms can be easily confused with symptoms of other commonly presenting musculoskeletal disorders. This case describes a 70-year-old female who presented to a chiropractor with right upper lateral thigh pain. Her medical history included a previous calf DVT and phlebitis. She was treated for the musculoskeletal signs and symptoms and, although success was gained with manual care, further medical investigations then discovered a DVT in the femoral vein. This article describes the difficulty in diagnosis of such cases and highlights the importance of including DVT in a musculoskeletal differential diagnosis.