The Problem
A new client came to me with a number of problems potentially stemming from a biking accident. Pain was the main issue in his right leg while cycling where the pain would increase in his hamstring and calf the longer he would pedal. My client here is an avid cyclist biking 40 miles a day, 4x a week. He also mentioned that he has been trying different professionals from DPT’s, massage therapist and chiros, but nothing seemed to work.
The Assessment
The most apparent thing on his initial lower body assessment were his hamstrings were very tight coming up less than 90 degrees and his right leg was laying shorter than his left leg. This is an immediate indication of a hip hike which correlates with the pain he was describing: tight lateral line, internal hip flexors, hamstring and calf.
The Solution
This was going to be a 2 session solution. The first priority was to alleviate the tightness in his lateral line, hamstring and internal hip flexors (TFL and sartorius) to even out his hips. This alone would solve movement pattern issues as well as address the pain he was experiencing in his hamstrings. Second session (1 week later), he informed me there was great improvement in the feeling of his hamstring while he biked. This was a win! As long as there is progress, we know his pain points will have a solution.
During the second session, we focused on the pain in his (what he described as) right calf. As I worked on his calf, I soon realized calf pain was the symptom, not the exact issue. The tightness I soon found along his tib anterior appeared to be the culprit. Understanding his pedal stroke was key here. My theory was he was exacerbating these muscles on the up stroke of his pedal stroke. I applied ART and dynamic cupping techniques to address this lateral part of his calf.
Conclusion
After a couple days of rest, my client here experienced significant improvement in his right leg. “It has been truly impressive. I think your diagnosis is spot on” he said in our follow up converstaion. I thought his case was a text book example of the source of the pain is not solution, it is the symptom. During our second session, he told me he never had anyone work on this area before because no one ever realized to consider what movement pattern was causing the issue. We just have to make sure we identify the “why” before we can find the solution. Re-lengthening the necessary muscles will in most cases reduce/eliminate the painful symptoms as long as you idtentify said muscle accurately.
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