Lab 9: Spine, Abdomen, and Thorax

Lab 9: Spine, Abdomen, and Thorax Complete the following activities during your lab class under the guidance of your instructor. Objectives of Lab: • Identify common injuries and overuse conditions that occur to the spine, abdomen, and thorax. • Demonstrate the application of tapes, wraps, braces, and pads to the spine, abdomen, and thorax for the purpose of preventing, treating, and rehabilitating injuries. Lab Activity 1: Anatomy and Common Conditions 1. Look at the model and show your partner the following bones. a. Lumbar vertebrae b. Thoracic vertebrae c. Cervical vertebrae 2. Identify and palpate the following muscles on your partner. a. Iliocostalis b. Longissimus c. Trapezius d. Rectus abdominus e. External oblique f. Intercostal muscles g. Latissimus dorsi h. Multifidus (facet gutter region) i. Spinalis j. Internal oblique Lab Activity 2: Prevention of Common Conditions 1. Identify three effective prevention strategies and the associated common spine, abdomen, and thorax conditions. a. Facet Joint Pain (Decompression belt) b. Coccygeal Conditions (Donut pillow) c. SI Joint Sprain (Trochanteric belt) Lab Activity 3: Application of Taping, Wrapping, Bracing, and Padding Practice and demonstrate your ability to appropriately apply these techniques with a partner as demonstrated and instructed in class. List one common condition that each of these techniques would be useful with during treatment and rehabilitation. 1. Bracing a. Rib belts: Rib contusion b. Lumbar sacral brace/neoprene sleeve: Strain to lumbar muscles c. Sacroiliac (SI) belt/neoprene sleeve: Treats sprains 2. Wrapping a. Compression wrap: Spine contusions b. Circular wrap: Costochondral injury 3. Skill Techniques a. Practice proper sitting posture, as instructed/demonstrated in class. b. Practice transitions from lying to sitting to standing, as instructed/demonstrated in class. c. Practice proper lifting and carrying of objects, as instructed/demonstrated in class. 4. Stretching a. Low back stretching: Child's pose b. Thoracic stretching: i. 90/90 trunk rotation ii. Thoracic extension c. Kneeling hip flexor stretching d. Supine Hamstring stretching 5. Strengthening: Match the correct strengthening technique with the muscle to which it is associated. E_____ 1. Curl up A. Transversus abdominus C_____ 2. Side bridge B. Rectus abdominus A_____ 3. Bird dog C. Obliques/Quadratus lumborum B_____ 4. Plank D. Gluteus maximus D_____ 5. Gluteal bridge E. Erector spinae 2 Lab Activity 4: Case Scenario 1. Theresa is a 17-year-old female volleyball player who came to the athletic training room with complaints of localized right low back stiffness and discomfort persisting for 5 days. She has no memory of an acute mechanism, nor complaints of pain into the extremities. After examination, she was diagnosed with a right erector spinae strain. a. Describe the proper initial management of this injury. Heat pack and ESTEM b. Which brace, as demonstrated in class, could be used to provide compression and support while restricting range of motion to the lumbar region and why? Lumbar Sacral brace because it reduces ROM and treats sprains c. Two days after initiating treatment, the muscle pain and stiffness have subsided significantly. The athletic trainer would like to initiate strengthening for the gluteus maximus, multifidus, and erector spinae. Which exercise selection would accomplish this goal and why? Bird dog, Curl up, gluteal bridge d. As an important component to this rehabilitation process, an astute clinician should educate the patient regarding effective injury prevention strategies. What strategy is an effective prevention strategy for eliminating lumbar injuries and why? Proper lifting and sitting techniques References Prentice, W. E. (2017). Principles of athletic training: a guide to evidence-based clinical practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. 3