Recalibration of oculomotor and cerebellar activity to reduce low back pain in a professional tennis player

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Recalibration of oculomotor and cerebellar activity to reduce low back pain in a professional tennis player Frederick R. Carrick1, 2*, Benjamin R. Behrendt1, 3 and Susan Esposito4 1 Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, United States 2 Senior Research Fellow of Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (BCMHR-CU), United Kingdom 3 NeuroWorks Healthcare LLC, United States 4 Life University, Department of Chiropractic Sciences, United States Background: On-going moderate low back pain (LBP) in a sixteen-year-old world class professional tennis player received neurological care at our clinic. Methods: MRI, CT, and X-RAY findings of his low back were inconclusive except for mild posterior disc bulging at L3/4, L4/5 and L5/S1. Neurological examination revealed abnormal cerebellar output and oculomotor breakdown. Notably, there was right hyperopia, which was reduced with vestibular-ocular head movements (VOR); left coractasia; left accommodation spasm; slower rightward saccades and hypermetric leftward saccades with irregular phase profile and normal re-fixation; initial gaze-shifting downward produced retrocolic activity during normal viewing and during tennis. Cerebellar findings included slower alternating hand movements on the left; sluggish myotatic stretch response (MSR) in his left brachioradialis and left achilles; a right patellar MSR which was pendular. He was treated with multi-axial rotation to affect the vestibular apparatus, brainstem and cortical connections, oculomotor therapy, laser therapy and manual manipulation of joint mechano-receptors. Results: After fourteen days in a multi-day treatment program aberrant eye movements improved: He was able to maintain gaze holding; pursuits at 0.01 Hz were within more normal range; optokinetic responses during saccades improved; his accommodation spasm was absent; spontaneous facial movement was abated; retrocolic neck reactions diminished; V:A ratios improved; low back pain was relieved. Conclusion: Intensive multi-day therapy which incorporates therapies (vestibular, occult-motor, mechanoreceptor stimulation) to improve the reflexogenic systems may help alleviate impairments in athletes. This tennis player’s symptoms were improved and he was able to return to play. The authors recommend further investigation into the utilization of a multi-modal vestibular, ocular and motoric programs to correct performance among athletes. Keywords: Tennis, Low Back Pain, vestibular therapy, Off Vertical Axis Rotation (OVAR), reflexogenic, oculomotor, Eye therapy Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation Citation: Carrick FR, Behrendt BR and Esposito S (2015). Recalibration of oculomotor and cerebellar activity to reduce low back pain in a professional tennis player. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00045 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Oct 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Prof. Frederick R Carrick, Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, Cape Canaveral, FL, 32920, United States, drfrcarrick@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Frederick R Carrick Benjamin R Behrendt Susan Esposito Google Frederick R Carrick Benjamin R Behrendt Susan Esposito Google Scholar Frederick R Carrick Benjamin R Behrendt Susan Esposito PubMed Frederick R Carrick Benjamin R Behrendt Susan Esposito Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.