27/02/2025
An insight into physiotherapy… for a recent assignment we were asked to do a full initial assessment as well as produce a rehabilitation plan for the case in hand.
Some of the main findings:
- Shoulder muscle asymmetry (moderate hypertrophy to deltoideus and triceps brachii long head)
- Crepitus in left carpus (possibly due to the direction greyhound race causing additional force to be applied to that limb)
- Latero-medial circumduction of forelimbs (plaiting)
- Trigger points between thoracic vertebrae 8-10 in longissimus dorsi
- Fibrotic tissue (scar tissue) in gracilis due to a muscle tear.
- Hip flexion and extension restricted bilaterally (both sides).
The rehabilitation plan with manual therapy and RRE suited for this case:
- Massage: reduces soreness, increase range of motion (ROM), increases blood and lymphatic flow, reduces pain and improves mood.
- Stretching: improves ROM and extensibility of tissues.
- Weight shifting: increase muscle mass, enhance proprioception, improve limb function and strengthen core musculature.
- Slow lead walking: increase muscle mass by individual limb loading and increases muscle activity.
- Polework: improves ROM, increases stride length and improves proprioception.
- Lateral work: improve strength, power, balance, co-ordination and flexibility.
