Korean J Anesthesiol.  2009 Jan;56(1):120-123. 10.4097/kjae.2009.56.1.120.

Incidental diagnosis of multiple myeloma during the treatment of low back pain: A case report

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital, Busan, Korea. nonpain@paran.com

Abstract

A 49-year-old male patient presented at our clinic with back pain due to an insignificant injury that had occurred approximately 7 months earlier. Although the patient had been treated at primary clinics, the pain had gradually become aggravated and characterized by resting and night pain. We initially diagnosed the patient with myofascial pain syndrome and began treatment comprised of trigger point injection (TPI) on the back muscles to control the pain. His symptoms improved after the first treatment (TPI), but he complained of back pain again several days later. At that time he also reported that he had lost 10 kg over the 4 months preceding his initial visit. Plain radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine revealed L1-L5 compression fractures and generalized osteopenia. The patient was then diagnosed with multiple myeloma based on the results of a bone marrow biopsy. This case demonstrates the importance of using comprehensive diagnostic approaches when the patient manifests symptoms that are unresponsive to conventional treatment.

Keyword

Low back pain; Multiple myeloma; Myofascial pain

MeSH Terms

Back Pain
Biopsy
Bone Diseases, Metabolic
Bone Marrow
Fractures, Compression
Humans
Low Back Pain
Male
Middle Aged
Multiple Myeloma
Muscles
Myofascial Pain Syndromes
Spine
Trigger Points
Full Text Links
  • KJAE
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr