An Obscure Cause of Hip Pain

Background: We describe the case of a 53-year-old woman with hip pain secondary to an obturator hernia. Obturator hernia is uncommon, and the most lethal of all abdominal hernias. The high mortality rate of this disease requires an acute clinical awareness to facilitate rapid diagnosis and surgical intervention for improved prognosis. Objectives: This case highlights a vitally important diagnosis that is rarely discussed in the emergency medicine literature. Case Report: Our patient presented without symptoms typical of a bowel obstruction, although a computed tomography scan of her pelvis revealed an incarcerated obturator hernia and a small bowel obstruction. Conclusions: Early diagnosis and expeditious surgical management resulted in a good outcome.