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Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint in sprinters, and it can present itself in many ways. One study published in 2019 surveyed 2539 runners; 22.6% of them reported LBP of some kind at least once within that year.5 LBP can occur in sprinters for many reasons. One study noted that muscle weakness, imbalance, and improper recruitment of hip and/or core musculature are a few sources of LBP in athletes.4 The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a core stabilization program on athletes suffering from lumbar facet hypermobility. Differential Diagnosis: Conditions that are typically prevalent in sprinters include but are not limited to: hypomobility, hypermobility, disc herniations, and spondylosis. Treatment: Lumbar hypermobility was the final diagnosis based on the patient’s presentation and characteristics. For the plan of care, stabilization exercises while incorporating sport-specific activities, manual therapy and patient education were initiated. Evidence suggests that this program along with proper manual therapy techniques should begin to improve the patient’s symptoms over time.2 The manual therapy techniques included and were L3 segment gapping maneuver, paraspinal stripping, and a psoas release. Manual therapy was to continue as needed throughout the patients’ rehab. Uniqueness: Patient is a 17-year-old male, 200-meter sprinter who showed up in the athletic training room with complaints of LBP that began after doing squats in the weight room at 165 lbs the previous day. Patient complained of unilateral pain (7/10) left lower back that had gotten worse after sitting in class all day and reported being unable to participate in sprinting/jumping activities. Patient demonstrated reproduction of symptoms with end range extension, left posterior quadrant test, palpation of L4 segment, and with prolonged static postures. He also showed hinge point at L4 with back extension and positive aberrant motion which leads to a high probability of having lumbar hypermobility. Conclusion: Following 5 treatment sessions over 10 days, the patient returned to his usual sport-like activities. Upon discharge, the patient was pain-free with daily activities as well as with range of motion. This patient was instructed to continue with his home exercise program and was actively monitored for the following 2 weeks to ensure no relapses or setbacks to occur after treatment sessions concluded. This case demonstrated the positive effects of a core stabilization program, coupled with a manual therapy approach on sprinters who are suffering from a hypermobility issue of the lumbar spine. The patient was issued a personalized rehabilitation protocol that was followed carefully for two weeks, this program allowed us to see major improvements. The patient was able to recognize symptoms early enough for us to start making quick progress, and consistency allowed us to maintain progression over time.

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