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Pain and Spine Medicine

Small but Mighty: A Case Report on Glomus Tumors

Saturday, October 25, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 4

    Poster Presenter(s)

  • Andrew Hua, MD, PhD

    Resident
    Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals PM&R Program
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • AG

    Allyson Gorman, MD

    PGY1
    Medical College of Wisconsin HUB
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    • Co-Author(s)

  • PC

    Peter Connelly, MD

    Associate Professor
    Medical College of Wisconsin
    Elm Grove, Wisconsin

Disclosure(s):
Andrew Hua, MD, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose
Case Diagnosis: Glomus tumors can cause exquisite pinpoint tenderness with shooting pain mimicking radicular pain.

Case Description or Program Description: A 47-year-old male with chronic low back pain presented to clinic for electrodiagnostic evaluation of 14 years of progressive pain over his left shoulder without any inciting event. Pain was described as sharp and stabbing with occasional shooting pain down his left arm. The patient noted a small area of discoloration over the area of maximal tenderness. Pain was triggered with cold and touch. He denied numbness, tingling, or weakness of his left arm. He denied pruritus or history of other lesions. He tried multiple treatment modalities including hot/cold therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic care, injections, and various medications without benefit. Throughout this, he remained physically active.

Setting: Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic

Assessment/Results: On examination, the patient had a 3mm pink-red very tender papule over his suprascapular area, also the area of maximal tenderness. The remainder of his exam was normal. There was no evidence of a cervical radiculopathy, left suprascapular neuropathy, or a left brachial plexopathy on electromyography. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine was ordered to rule out neurogenic etiology of pain which showed mild degenerative changes without abnormal appearance. He was referred to dermatology given abnormal skin appearance. Shave biopsy was suggestive of a glomus tumor. He was referred to general surgery for definitive removal; however, surgery was deferred as he had significant improvement in pain after shave biopsy.

Discussion (relevance): A glomus tumor is a rare neoplasm that can be found anywhere in the body though almost always in the skin and typically in distal extremities and subungual regions. Patients typically present with longstanding focal hyperesthesia to light touch and cold sensitivity.

Conclusions: Glomus tumors should be considered in cases of pinpoint tenderness with skin changes and can be diagnosed with a shave biopsy.