Youth Soccer Player meets MAT
Last week I encountered a young man of sixteen years who had been playing soccer since that age of 5 who unfortunately had not played for 3 months. The pain in his legs primarily the one leg had brought him to the doctor. X-rays showed no issues and the diagnosis was growing pains. He did indicate that it was his right leg that hurt when he walked a distance or ran to me. Physical Therapy brought him no relief either.
When he came to me we talked and I video taped him walking for gait and movement patterns.
Next we put him on the massage table and using massage & movement checked alignment in back, hips & legs. When he moved freely and showed no pain I put him on a treadmill and gradually increased the speed until he had an area of pain.
Back to the massage table he went. Scar tissue can build up and the body does not always move freely after and injury. I worked more on the hamstring area even though he thought the area of pain was quads. We then moved back to the treadmill with him moving faster and farther with no pain.
From there he progressed to the larger room where I had him moving around the soccer ball in all different directions. As soon as there was a glimpse of pain we stopped and put him back on the massage table. Studying and verifying proper movement patterns for this young soccer player will prevent injuries that may have otherwise occurred.
He then kicked and passed the soccer ball with no pain at all for over 10 minutes. We discussed his stretches he was doing and talked about his resuming playing slightly with friends to see how he felt. I am happy to say that this young man after sitting on the sidelines for 3 months is doing 3 days of tryouts for soccer this week.
Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy for me has been a great blend of massage, movement and pain relief for my clients. I especially appreciate that my clients and I work together for quick, effective results. Call me for a 15min Free consultation to see what MAT can do for you or the ones you love.
As a side note I have grandchildren playing soccer and a husband that loves to watch it. I watch it for the movement and injury prevention of the great sport.