The Game's Afoot: a Patient-Centered Care Case Study on a Lower Extremity Bone Bruise without Trauma

This case report follows a right-handed 26-year-old female with a past medical history of schizoaffective disorder, patellofemoral syndrome, De Quervain's tendonitis, and remote foot surgery with acute onset debilitating foot pain from initial presentation at an urgent care facility to her eventual return to work. Special attention is drawn to physical exam findings, natural history, differential diagnosis, clinical pearls, and details on the legal responsibility of physicians. This case study hopes to provide a framework for how physicians and other providers can help patients as they navigate the harsh realities of the healthcare system and provide some key clinical pearls to ensure that the patient is kept front and center in the minds of those providing the necessary healthcare for the patient’s providing the necessary healthcare for the patient’s psychiatric, social, and physical needs. Keywords: Orthopaedics, Bruised Bone, Patient-Centered Care, Diagnostic Work Up, RICE