The Great Pain Masqueraders: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Piriformis Syndrome, and Occipital Neuralgia
“When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” While this is a popular medical proverb, it can unfortunately lead many health practitioners down the wrong path in assessing certain pain syndromes. We will be discussing three pain conditions that are often mistaken for other more common pain diagnoses: thoracic outlet syndrome, piriformis syndrome, and occipital neuralgia. These must be considered in the differential diagnoses of upper extremity, lower extremity, or headache pain disorders, respectively. Clinical presentations, pathophysiologies, and the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions will be presented.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the pathophysiology of thoracic outlet syndrome
- Explain how to diagnose piriformis syndrome
- Describe the treatment options for occipital neuralgia
Additional Information
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Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Clinical Operations and Medical Director for Pain Services
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Los Angeles, California
Available Credit
- 1.00 AAFP
- 1.00 AANP
- 1.00 ACCME (All Other)
- 1.00 ACCME (MD/DO Only)
- 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
- 1.00 ANCC
- 1.00 APA
Required Hardware/software
A computer with an internet connection
Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 7.x or higher, Firefox 4.x or higher, Safari 2.x or higher, or any other W3C standards compliant browser
Other additional software may be required such as PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat Reader.