Rotational Mobilizations

[lehughes]

Hi Laurie,

Just watched training video 28 about rotational mobilisation of the spine following disc extrusion. I just wondered if it was just a general thoracic or lumbar rotation that you do or would you be more specific depending on the location of the disc protrusion?

Thanks!

S.M

[lehughes]

Hi Sadie,

This is a technique I love!

It is intended to be very generic for lumbar / thoracolumbar disc lesions. And it works quite well that way.
You could brace / stabilize a vertebra cranial to the site of a specific lesion and do the rotation. However, I’ve found that it’s more uncomfortable, which causes tensing or bracing, and as such is less useful.

Now, with just a general technique in order to think about specificity, one would not need to rotate as much for a caudal lumber disc lesion as compared to a thoracolumbar disc lesion. The more you lift the legs, the further up the spine you rotate. So your technique could be more specific that way.

However, my goal in doing this is comfort and relaxation - so a generic smooth and easy rotation is what I aim for.

I hope this helps!

Cheers,

Laurie

[lehughes]

Thanks Laurie, that’s really helpful! Is there a reason why you wouldn’t do this for cervical disc lesions?

Thanks
S

[lehughes]

You could move the forelimbs … I’ve tried that a bit, and it would seem safe to prescribe to an owner as well (if tested in clinic first).
It’s hard to say what kind of motion it creates in the C/S. It’s easy to palpate the spinous processes in the lumbar and thoracic spine to get an idea of the motion, but it’s hard to say what’s going on in the neck for sure.

Laurie