Case study – Chronic back pain
This client complained of long standing (15-year history) central, low back pain and stiffness after being hit in the back by the fist of another player during a football match. He reported pain with prolonged sitting, felt stiff in the morning and lost the ability to touch his toes when standing with knees straight. He had pain after exercise and especially after playing football. The pain level was 3-4/10 at times.
During assessment, it was observed that the client had a very flat lumbar curve and short hamstring length. With forward bending, he could only reach to his knees. The soft tissues around the lower lumbar spine L3,4,5, S1 were tender to touch and fibrous in texture due to scar tissue from the impact. Treatment consisted of deep tissue massage to these tight tissues, manual therapy to the stiff vertebral joints between L3 to S1, back extension and hamstring stretches. After the first treatment, he was much closer to reaching his ankles in a forward bend. After two sessions, he had minimal to no pain sitting or after exercise and had a home exercise program to maintain mobility and manage future recurrences.
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