Mason came in to see us at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City complaining of stiffness, pain, and spasms on the right side of his abdominal muscles. These symptoms were bothering Mason and interfering with his ability to turn in and get out of bed, which led him to seek out treatment. He also pointed out that he had a limited ability to rotate his torso and reach overhead and across his body, which was affecting his upper body workouts, rowing, and playing golf.
After hearing Mason explain these symptoms, his physical therapist performed a complete evaluation of his abdominal muscles, shoulders, and mid and lower back. This evaluation revealed that Mason had severely limited range of motion when rotating the mid back and moving the shoulder in a number of directions. He also had increased sensitivity, pain, and stiffness in the mid-back, shoulder, and right abdominal muscles, and significant muscular restrictions throughout a number of other abdominal muscles. Additional findings included a reduced ability to dissociate mid and lower back rotation movements, inefficient breathing—with lots of breath holding—during rotational maneuvers, and poor strength in some key muscles of the spine and core.
Before beginning treatment, Mason stated that his goals were to reduce his pain levels, improve his posture, and regain flexibility throughout his upper body and torso. He also wanted to improve his golf swing and flexibility habits for the long term.
Mason’s treatment program from Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City
Mason’s treatment program began with manual therapy that was applied by the hands of the physical therapist and followed an impairment-based approach. Treatment sessions would start with manual therapy and then rapidly progress to include a home program that was to be performed as a pre-exercise/golf routine in the long term. These sessions would include any or a combination of the following techniques:
- Bed mobility techniques to protect the site of injury
- Joint manipulation and mobilization of the thoracic spine and diaphragm/rib cage
- Soft tissue massage
- Taping to improve posture
- Heated ultrasound
- Cupping and the Graston technique
- Assessment and training in golf swing components and ergonomics through a Titleist Performance Institute golf screen
- Postural restoration and integration techniques
- Stretching and strengthening exercises of the hips, shoulder, upper back, and diaphragm
- Exercises for flexibility and stabilization of the core muscles throughout spine
After just four physical therapy treatment sessions, Mason began to notice a reduction in his abdominal oblique pain. He reported feeling more mobile and stronger when turning in and getting out of bed, and was also able to resume his upper body workouts, rowing and playing nine holes of golf without any injury recurrence or setbacks.
Mason had this to say about his treatment experience with us: “I am so glad I came to Dynamic after I got injured. It was amazing that I started to feel noticeably better after a couple of visits! Now I can get back to working out, playing golf, and being with my three kids this summer without losing a beat.”
We couldn’t be happier that Mason experienced this type of outcome after such a short period of treatment, and wish him continued success in the future. If you’re dealing with any painful issues of your own, we invite you to give physical therapy a try and see what kinds of results you can experience. Contact Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City today at 212-317-8303 to schedule an appointment, or click here to read our last blog on oblique abdominal strains.
