22.01.2020 – Examination & management of lower back pain & restricted ROM

Date: 22.01.2020

Duration: 1000-1100

Venue: Marjon Sports Therapy Clinic

Reflective Summary:

My client complained of low level pain and reduced range of movement of her lower back.  She had a previous injury of her lower back/sacrum area when she fell off of a horse 8 years ago.  Since then she has had lower back pain periodically usually after sleeping in an awkward position or moving awkwardly.

During the subjective and objective assessment it was clear that there was tension in the Quadratus Lumborum on the left side of her lower back and some tension in the glute muscles.  Strength was good but there was discomfort when coming out of lateral flexion, more on the left side than the right.  She had some limited ROM.  The hip joint and knee joints were cleared.  And special tests were carried out to rule out any issues with the sacroiliac joint and the piriformis. There were no issues with the vertebrae.

The clinical impression was that the muscles in the lumbar region were stiff because she experienced early morning stiffness but the condition was eased with movement during the day.  Movement eased the condition but lack of movement made it worse.  She was prescribed a programme of mobility exercises. Soft tissue massage was applied to ease the tension in the quadratus lumborum muscle.  K-tape was also applied to ease any discomfort and to provide support for the muscles in the lumbar region.

Areas for further improvement plus action plan

 

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