Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Cindy Flom-Meland

Keywords

Adolescent; Cumulative Trauma Disorders -- therapy; Case Reports

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Today, children are beginning to partake organized sports at a younger age. With this increased demand on their young bodies, the medical field is seeing an increase in acute and overuse injuries. Muscle imbalance and weakness have been linked to overuse injuries in athletes. The purpose of this case study is to examine the benefit and treatment effect of physical therapy guided exercise focusing on the individuals' muscle imbalances and correcting movement patterns to relieve stress on the iliac crest.

Case Description: Patient was a 16-year-old female who was seen at Physical Therapy for bilateral hip pain. She was an active high school student who participated in cross country, basketball and track, track being her main sport.

Intervention: The clinic implemented an eight-phase lower extremity protocol. The protocol focused on hip strengthening and movement correction and awareness.

Outcomes: The patient was able to demonstrated above normal strength in her hips and more importantly a balance in strength between her left and right hips. She also reported 0/10 pain with activity and sprinting. The running evaluation showed an improvement in knee valgus and improved running mechanics.

Discussion: Overall, the patient had great results due to her motivation and willingness to adhere to the protocol, home exercise program and restrictions. The patient showed substantial strength gains, a reduction in pain and improved running mechanics.

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