Osteopathic diagnosis of an acetabular injury

Physical findings demarking pathologic somatovisceral reflex activity and fascial strain patterns may lead the osteopathic physician to diagnoses that are masked within the initial presentation of a patient. The authors present a case report that demonstrates the use of osteopathic principles in the diagnosis of a chronic acetabular fracture and acetabular labral tear in a 19-year-old man. The injuries resulted from a posterior hip dislocation sustained during a basketball game more than 1 year before presentation. Osteopathic manipulative treatment and diagnostic techniques also relieved the patient's persistent thoracic pain, nausea, and vomiting. Subsequent orthopedic repair had the potential to avert or delay degenerative hip disease in the patient.