Sports injuries occur when an area is subjected to a stress/trauma in excess of the strength of the muscles, ligaments and capsules. It can be a high velocity impact, or a low intensity repetitive action. The result is pain and damage to the tissues in the area. Most sport injuries involve a number of different tissues. For example, a simple ankle sprain will involve the muscles, ligaments, capsules and the mechanics of the joint.

Acute injuries respond quickly to our therapeutic intervention. When there is a chronic condition, ie., over three month duration, then other factors such as fibrous or scarring of the tissue need also to be assessed. The fibrous /scar tissue will affect the return to optimal function of the injured area. This is the reason for a comprehensive examination.

Sports Injury - Laser To the Rescue
Dr. Don Fitz-Ritson, DC., FCCRS(C)

Injuries occur when you push past the boundary of what are the limits of our muscles, tendons, ligaments, capsules and joints.
A is a 42 year old female who had been running marathons for over 12 years. She was referred to our Centre because over the previous 3-6 months, she had begun developing pain in her right buttock and into her posterior thigh.
A was a fit female and a mother of two. She was very anxious regarding her condition as she stated that jogging was meditative for her, managed her stress, kept her fit and maintained her weight at an ideal level. She did not want to stop jogging. I suggested that she might have to stop jogging for a period as he healed her injury. She was very adamant about continuing to jog.
On examination, I discovered that her main condition was a moderate torsion or twisting in her pelvic region, which caused a shorting of her right leg and repetitive strain of the ligaments of her hamstring muscle, where it inserted into pelvic bone.
Hamstring muscle injuries are among the most difficult to heal, especially if the patient continues to participate in their activity. Every stride they take involves the hamstring muscle acting as a braking mechanism for the thigh; that is, it controls the rate at which the thigh moves forward.
I do not know which came first, the torsion in the pelvic area affecting the hamstring muscle via its' effect of shortening the leg, or the hamstring muscle mechanism causing the development of the torsion in the pelvic area. However, I do know that to the patients hamstring pain, I would have to address both areas.
My advice to A was to limit both her distance and the length of her stride. This would allow her to continue jogging, but allow the hamstring to work more within the boundaries of its' present limitations. As I began to correct A's pelvic torsion, it proved more difficult than anticipated, which indicated that it had been present for a long time and possibly was the initiator of her hamstring strain.
Using the laser on the painful area and advising A to ICE before and after jogging effectively decreased the pain and inflammation she was experiencing.
As I continued with the laser therapy, I noticed that the hamstring muscle on the right, returning to its' normal length, along with continued pain reduction. The combination of therapies - laser and rehab - and the improvement, caused A to become very optimistic, because she did not have to stop jogging.
The correction of the pelvic torsion and the healing of the strained hamstring took a little longer than expected, because of her continued jogging. However, the improvements were significant and A persisted.
As A continued to improve, I modified her exercises for strengthening the hamstring, and to balance the pelvic area. This had the effect of keeping her leg length normal. Without the laser and rehab, I could not have had the success that A experienced while still maintaining her jogging. The laser heals tissue very effectively. PS. Two months after A was discharged, she won a 10K race.

TOP>>