Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome

Abstract

A 37-year-old military service-member was referred to physical therapy with a greater-than-6-month history of low back pain with intermittent and worsening left posterolateral lower-leg pain and paresthesia with activity. He was diagnosed by his primary care physician with exertional compartment syndrome and referred to orthopaedic services. Following examination, the physical therapist ordered a duplex ultrasound, which demonstrated an anomaly at the popliteal artery, resulting in a diagnosis of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, confirmed by computed tomography angiography and magnetic resonance imaging. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2020;50(9):531. doi:10.2519/jospt.2020.9568.

Keywords: computed tomography; low back pain; lower extremity; magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasound.