Biomechanical Assessment

Sean prides himself on carrying out a thorough biomechanical assessment on all of his patients.

Diagnose Injured Tissue

After hearing your injury history, Sean will develop a working diagnosis. This will then be comfirmed by physical examination and treatment success.

Through his expertise as a musculoskeletal therapist, Sean can test and eliminate/disgnose the following tissue injuries:

  • Muscle Tissue injury (sprain/tear)
  • Ligament injury (sprain/tear)
  • Tendon injury (inflammation/tear)
  • Joint injury (capsule tear/cartilage tear/restriction)
  • Bony injury (arthritis/stress fracture)
  • Disc injury (prolapse/hernia)
  • Nerve injury (neuropathy/sciatica)

Determine Underlying Cause

Now that we know what tissue is injured, we need to know what caused it. Whether there was a mechanism of injury (i.e. impact, twist, overuse) or not, there are almost always biomechanical reasons that prediaposed you to your injury.

Determining these predispositions is where many other healthcare professionals fall down. Sean will assess you the following ways to ascertain your underlying muculoskeletal restrictions.

Posture and Gait Assessment

Sean will examine you briefly in sitting and then in standing. He will also assess you walking if appropriate. He will look at the following:

  • Head position (forward/netral)
  • Neck curvature
  • Shoulder position (forward/neutral)
  • Scapula Stability (winging/stable)
  • Upper & Lower Back curvatutes
  • Pelvic tilt angle (forward/backwards)
  • Pelvic levels (level/lopsided)
  • Knee Levels (level/lopsided)
  • Ankle Levels and Angles (turned in/out)
  • Arch height

Muscle Length Assessment

Muscle tightness is a temporary chemical change in muscle make-up, general due to fatigue. Muscle shortening is an actual change in the length of muscles caused by poor postute and prolonged sitting. If impliated in your injury, these muscles will need to be lengthened again to resolve and prevent your issue from reoccuring. Sean will assess the following muscle groups:

  • Deep Neck Flexors
  • Pectorals
  • Gluteals
  • Hamstrings
  • Quadriceps
  • Gasteosoleus

Myofascial Assessment

A myofascial assessment is an examination of the mobility of different regions of the body to ascertain if particular regions are restricted or mobile. Any areas deemed restricted are mobilised alongside one another to determine dominance (to determine which one is pulling, and which one is being pulled). This is a subtle, delicate assessment which can lead to extraordinary longterm results. Regions assessed include:

  • Front & Back of Foreleg
  • Front & Back of Thigh
  • Buttocks
  • Kidneys
  • Sacrum
  • Ribcage
  • Scapulae
  • Clavicle
  • Sacro-Iliac Joint

Treatment Plan

All of the information gained in this assessment will allow Sean to formulate a list of issues that need to be treated. This list will be prioritised to form a treatment plan which will be explained to you. Sean can then advise you as to how many sessions he recommends. Treatment plans are always subject to change as your body changes and the injury recover.

Clinical Massage is the central part of Sean’s aproach to treatment. He also utilises targetted home exercises and biomechanical reassessment.

Continue reading about Clinical Massage.