Endometriosis as a Differential Diagnosis in a 17‐Year‐Old Patient with Low Back and Radicular Pain: A Case Report

Mercedes Vergara, Miryam Vergara, Daniele Ceron, Gloria Giglioni, Gabriella Di Crescenzo, Elisa Burani
2025 · doi:10.20944/preprints202505.0639.v1 · W4410279313
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This case report describes a 17-year-old female with low back and radicular pain whose symptoms were eventually attributed to endometriosis confirmed on investigation.

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Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a benign and often underdiagnosed condition that affects women of reproductive age. It can cause infertility and pain, including radicular pain and low back pain (LBP). The aim of this case report is to emphasize the importance of making a differential diagnosis when in presence of LBP and radicular symptoms. Case Presentation: A 17-year-old female patient, R.A., presented with a significant LBP (NPRS 8/10) radiating from her lumbar spine to her right buttock and occasionally to both legs, accompanied by weakness. She revealed exacerbation of pain during menstruation, despite being on oral contraceptives. After three physiotherapy sessions that included education, manual therapy, and exercise, the patient’s pain persisted, so her physiotherapist recommended evaluation in the emergency department, where standard radiography did not reveal any significant findings. Physiotherapy continued until the fifth session, when the patient agreed to undergo evaluation at a specialized endometriosis centre. Further investigations revealed endometriotic tissue on the uterosacral ligament, leading to hormonal therapy adjustment, which led to a gradual decrease of pain to a manageable level (NPRS 2/10). Conclusion: This case report highlights the importance of differential diagnosis in patients with LBP, even in younger subjects, and the need for physiotherapists to consider gynaecological factors in some cases of LBP.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (36)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK