Dermatologic presentations of orthopedic pathologies: a review of diagnosis and treatment

Dermatologic presentations of orthopedic diseases are commonly encountered in the dermatology clinic. These disorders often necessitate prompt recognition in order to properly refer for definitive treatment as well as to avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures. As such, the presentations of these diseases as well as the treatments available deserve special attention. This review aims to identify orthopedic diseases with dermatologic presentations and discuss the diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies. In conducting this review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted. Our inquiry was limited to conditions with a unitary orthopedic etiology. By excluding syndromic dysfunctions with both orthopedic and dermatologic manifestations, we were able to create a consistent approach to the review. At the same time, such exclusions created an omission of many important disease processes that require the cooperation of orthopedists and dermatologists. In all, 19 orthopedic disorders and disorder classes with dermatologic findings were identified and carefully examined. The orthopedic pathologies identified require varying diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. While some do not warrant further work-up or referral, the disease course of certain pathologies is drastically altered by timely recognition, cautious diagnostic interrogation, and prompt referral.