An Alternative Diagnosis of Shoulder Pain Visualized on Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Deltoid Insertional Tendinopathy

An Alternative Diagnosis of Shoulder Pain Visualized on Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Deltoid Insertional Tendinopathy

Complaints of shoulder pain are frequently diagnosed as referred pain from rotator cuff pathologies. Examiners may overlook other diagnoses, such as deltoid insertion pathology, and assume the rotator cuff is the cause of shoulder pain. There is limited literature describing deltoid insertion pathology as a cause of shoulder pain, and no literature could be found referencing deltoid insertional tendinitis. Shoulder pain is a common complaint. Although there may be several etiologies, deltoid insertional tendinopathy should be considered if a patient presents complaining of shoulder pain that localizes to the deltoid insertion and ultrasound findings are consistent with those presented in this case series. Our study proposes an alternative diagnosis for lateral shoulder pain that has not previously been described in the literature.