Rehabilitation after a grade III latissimus dorsi tear of a soccer player: A case report.
BACKGROUND
Latissimus dorsi, grade III tendon tears are an uncommon injury. There are very few cases reported in the literature, but most importantly, no cases could be found that relate to soccer.


OBJECTIVE
To present a successful, non-operative rehabilitation program for a professional athlete, after a grade III latissimus dorsi tear.


METHODS
A 37 year old healthy, elite professional soccer goalkeeper was injured during a championship game. The athlete fell on his left side with an outstretched and externally rotated upper extremity in order to catch a ball that was going very close to the left pole of his goal-post. After on-field and off-field clinical examinations, the diagnosis was a left latissimus dorsi tendon tear which was later confirmed by MRI as a grade III tear.


METHODS
During the first two weeks, intervention consisted of anti-inflammatory treatment and light therapeutic exercises. As the pain was subsiding and the strength was returning, the treatment shifted to purely strengthening and functional training.


RESULTS
Four weeks after the injury, the athlete presented with pain 0/10 in all functional activities and full ROM in both active and passive movements. Before discharge, the athlete underwent a sport specific training program, without any complains, that cleared him to participate in normal training with the rest of the team. Three months after the injury the strength of the player's left shoulder was 5/5 in all movements.


CONCLUSIONS
The protocol used yielded an accelerated return to sport (soccer) and function compared with other published research after a grade III latissimus dorsi tendon tear. One year later, the goalkeeper was still playing in the same competitive level without any re-injuries or complains, which means that this treatment protocol withstood the test of time.
Christodoulos
C
Fysentzou
D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*; D064171:Superficial Back Muscles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*
Grade III latissimus dorsi tear; latissimus dorsi tear in football; latissimus dorsi tear in soccer; latissimus dorsi tear rehabilitation; physical therapy after latissimus dorsi tear