Sartorius muscle tear presenting as acute meralgia paresthetica

We present an unusual case of sartorius muscle tear presenting as acute meralgia paresthetica. A healthy 67-year old male was referred to our department with a one-week history of pain, numbness and bruising over his hip and anterolateral thigh. Extended ultrasound assessment revealed an intramuscular tear of sartorius, with acute hematoma surrounding the adjacent lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Meralgia paresthetica from acute trauma is rare, with only three published cases relating to fractures of the anterior superior iliac spine. To our knowledge, this is the first case caused by muscular tear in the literature. The presence of features attributable to neuropraxia of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve allowed for proper localization and diagnosis of the patient's injury.