Presentation
A health professional with a strong background in exercise and rehabilitation presented with a five-year history of persistent low back pain. He knew his rehabilitation exercises well and had been doing them every day, but he said the pain hadn’t changed much.
Assessment
Hands-on assessment found an area of restricted tissue movement around old scar tissue, which seemed to be limiting how freely that region moved.
Approach
One session focused on that area of restricted tissue movement.
What the client reported
When he returned a month later, he reported that the pain in his lower back had settled, and that discomfort he’d also been feeling around his hip and knee had eased.
Reflection
Consistent effort with a good exercise program is valuable, and it was part of this client’s picture. This case is a reminder that a hands-on assessment can sometimes add information that exercise alone doesn’t, such as how tissue around old scars is moving. The two can work together. One case can’t show what caused the change, and his ongoing exercise may well have played a part.
Back pain with numbness or weakness in the legs, unexplained weight loss, fever, or changes in bladder or bowel control needs prompt medical assessment.
