When diagnosing the presence of a medical condition, doctors look for certain signs, such as pain, swelling or redness. Sometimes a problem can result in pain when the body is in a particular position, and Psoas sign is one such example. If a patient feels pain when he or she tries to move the right hip up against pressure applied by a doctor to the right knee, then appendicitis or an abscess may be present.
Many different organs are inside the abdomen, from the stomach to the large intestine. When a person experiences pain in the abdomen, many different conditions can be the cause. Through history and experience, doctors use the presence of a certain type of pain, in a certain location, under specific conditions, to narrow down the cause of the pain. Psoas sign is one of these diagnostic tools.
Commonly, the first step for a doctor when assessing abdominal pain is to gently touch and press on the affected area. After this step, he or she can then move onto more specific tests. In the case of Psoas sign, the doctor puts pressure on the right leg above the knee. The patient then tries to move the right hip against this pressure. If the abdominal pain gets worse when the patient attempts this, then a positive Psoas sign exists.
Appendicitis is one possible diagnosis after a positive Psoas sign. This condition is an inflammation of the appendix, which is a small, empty pouch attached to the digestive system which does not perform essential function, but rather seems to be leftover from prehistoric ancestors of humans. An abscess, which is an inflamed part of the body that contains pus, can also result in a positive Psoas sign.
This sign does not tell a doctor that the patient definitely has appendicitis or an abscess, but makes the diagnosis of one of these conditions more likely than before. Along with Psoas sign, he or she can take into account where the patient feels pain in the abdomen and the type of that pain. Other specific movements, and the results of those movements, can also help diagnose the problem, such as an Obdurator sign, which results in pain when the patient's knee is bent and the right hip is turned inward. As well as diagnostic signs specific to the abdomen, a doctor will also check for the presence of other symptoms, such as temperature, swelling and reduced breathing ability.