What happened?
A 78-year-old woman sought physiotherapy for persistent symptoms three decades after a severe electrical injury. Her presentation included lumbopelvic pain, bilateral leg tingling, impaired balance and gait, recurrent drop attacks, and reduced participation in her preferred exercise activity.
Clinical findings
- Limited lumbopelvic and hip mobility with bilateral hip weakness.
- Berg Balance Scale findings indicated impaired balance and fall risk; gait with a cane was slow and unsteady.
- Central nervous system and cardiopulmonary causes had been screened before the rehabilitation plan was developed.
Rehabilitation described in the report
- Twelve physiotherapy sessions over three months, guided by the ICF framework.
- A staged programme combined manual therapy and nerve mobilisation, progressive hip strengthening, balance and gait exercises, graded activity, and pain-science counselling.
Reported outcomes
- Radiating symptoms resolved and measured impairments improved after three months.
- Balance and gait reached age-matched normal levels; the patient returned to Zumba without limitation and reported no further drop attacks at 12-month follow-up.
Clinical lessons to consider
- Long-term electrical injury may involve persistent neurological, musculoskeletal and participation restrictions.
- Screen for serious neurological and cardiac causes of falls before attributing them to a chronic injury.
- Progress from impairment-focused care toward meaningful activity and participation goals.
Limitations — what this case cannot tell us
- Single case report; improvement cannot be attributed to any one intervention or combination of interventions.
- The unusual injury history and individual clinical context limit generalisability.
Original source
Christopher K. Wong, Alyssa L. Wong. “Physiotherapy Care for the Long-Term Sequelae of Electrical Thermal Injury With 12-Month Follow-Up: A Case Report.” Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2026. DOI: 10.1186/s13256-026-05876-5
View the original publicationThis page is an independently written educational summary, not a reproduction of the full paper. Check the original article for complete methods, outcome tables, references and licensing.