Management of a Patient with Cavernous Malformation Surgical Repair at C7-T3: A Case Report

Background: Cavernous malformations (CM) are rare vascular lesions occurring within the brain or spinal cord, managed using surgical and/or non-surgical interventions.Limited studies exist outlining physical therapy (PT) intervention guidelines or functional outcomes for individuals with CMs.Objective: This case outlines PT interventions that were used for a 35-year old female 6 weeks status post-surgical management of a C7-T3 spinal cord CM, and their impacts on the Timed-Up and Go (TUG), Five-Time Sit to Stand (5xSTS), and Observational Gait Analysis (OGA) functional outcome measures.Case Description: The patient participated in 41 visits of outpatient PT over 18.5 weeks focusing on compound and closed kinetic chain (CKC) interventions to improve lower extremity functional strength and coordination, gait and balance, endurance, agility, and core stabilization.Outcomes: TUG and 5xSTS times met the patient's goals by visit 23, three weeks into treatment.OGA demonstrated improvements with steadier ambulation, a decreased base of support, increased arm swing and trunk rotation, coordination and timing, and endurance over the 18.5 weeks of treatment.Conclusion: These findings suggest that compound and CKC interventions and gait training may have potential to improve functional mobility, standing balance, and gait quality in this patient with a spinal cord CM.