Interprofessional Management of Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (Dunbar Syndrome) Related to Lumbar Lordosis and Hip Dysplasia: A Patient's Perspective

Sclinda Lea Janssen; Thomas Scholbach; Susan Jeno; Holte Laurie; Mandy Meyer; Colin Combs

doi:10.12890/2020_001605

Interprofessional Management of Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (Dunbar Syndrome) Related to Lumbar Lordosis and Hip Dysplasia: A Patient's Perspective

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Apr 16;7(7):001605. doi: 10.12890/2020_001605. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Sclinda Lea Janssen¹, Thomas Scholbach², Susan Jeno³, Holte Laurie⁴, Mandy Meyer^{1

5}, Colin Combs⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
² Ultrasound Clinic, Leipzig, Germany.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
⁴ Achieve Therapy, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.

Abstract

We present a 53-year-old female patient with median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), also known as Dunbar syndrome or celiac artery compression syndrome, related to lumbar lordosis and hip dysplasia. She utilized interprofessional management strategies, which were beneficial in reducing lumbar lordosis and MALS-related symptoms. This finding is important because there are no other reports in the literature describing interprofessional strategies to manage symptoms for patients who are waiting for surgery or are not candidates for surgery.

Learning points: Excessive lumbar lordosis is related to the development of median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) due to the greater distance the median arcuate ligament stretches around the vertebral curves, causing compression of the celiac nerves and artery.It is important to consider the effects MALS has on multiple body systems when diagnosing and developing symptom management strategies.Referrals to interprofessional team members can help the patient manage the vast array of symptoms related to MALS.

Keywords: Median arcuate ligament syndrome; hip dysplasia; interprofessional; lumbar lordosis; symptom management strategies.