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Case Reports
. 2016 Jul 29:2016:bcr2016215745.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2016-215745.

Calcific tendinitis of biceps femoris: an unusual site and cause for lateral knee pain

Warwick Chan  1 , Helen Emily Chase  2 , John G Cahir  3 , Neil Patrick Walton  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Calcific tendinitis of biceps femoris: an unusual site and cause for lateral knee pain

Warwick Chan et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A 37-year-old man presented to the acute knee and sports medicine clinic with atraumatic lateral knee pain. He had point tenderness over the lateral aspect of his knee which had not settled with anti-inflammatory medications. Imaging revealed a large opaque lesion lateral to the knee and although there was no clear mechanism, injury to the posterolateral corner was considered. An MRI subsequently revealed a rare case of calcific tendinitis to the biceps femoris tendon insertion. This condition was self-limiting and did not require interventions such as steroid injections. This is the first reported case of calcific tendinitis of biceps femoris as a cause of acute knee pain.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plain radiographs of the left knee demonstrating a dense opacity in the lateral margin of the knee joint.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Coronal MRI, T1-weighted, at the posterior knee. The popliteal artery is midline. The insertion of biceps femoris on the fibula is visualised with evidence of calcification within the tendon.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Axial MRI scan, T2-weighted, demonstrating oedema and calcification in the distal biceps femoris tendon.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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