Sports injuries
The most common sport related disorders in general practice are sprains, partial or total tears and tendonitis. When surgery is not indicated, when orthodox treatment is not sufficient, or when oral conventional drugs are not indicated, the topical infiltration with non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs (both conventional and biotherapeutic NSAIDs) can be an interesting option. Anti-inflammatories and cortisone shots may give surprisingly good results in the short run, but they also stop the body's cry for help. Pain should signify to the athlete that something is wrong. A vital structure needed for optimum athletic performance is weakened, stretched, and damaged. The pain is a signal (a red flag) to warn the patient and the doctor that something is ‘wrong' or that the body is trying to repair the area or trying to recover from an injury. By knocking out the inflammation with powerful drugs (suppression therapy), the pain subsides, but so does any chance of healing. Patients must realize that just because a structure no longer hurts, this lack of pain does not signify complete healing. This is why so many athletes re-injure the same structure year after year. They have taken anti-inflammatories or received cortisone shots to eliminate the pain, only to have it recur because the structures never regained full recovery. A better approach is to try healing the structure after the injury with physiotherapy (stretching, exercise, etc.) combined with biotherapeutic injections, ergonomic measures and manual techniques. Temporary use of anti-inflammatories and/or pain killers may be necessary in cases of major inflammations or unbearable pain.
Case:
A 35-year-old professional footballer came to me complaining of an acute hamstring strain after a match. Clinical examination revealed significant palpation tenderness to the biceps femoris. The muscle had good strength and there was no bruising. He received eight sessions of biopuncture. I started with a mixture of Spascupreel, Traumeel, Lymphomyosoot and lidocaine. After two sessions, he received two more treatments with a mixture of Spascupreel, Traumeel and lidocaine. The final two treatments were with Traumeel and lidocaine. He received these injections with two days between each treatment. The patient was able to play pain free after 1 week of treatment (Clinical case shared by Dr. R Rogers, Birmingham).
Case:
A 32-year-old female physiotherapist and semi-professional basketball player came to see me because of an injury to her right calf. She had strained it the day before while in training. She started to use Traumeel ointment immediately, but realized that this would not penetrate the deeper levels of the muscle.
On clinical examination there was significant palpation tenderness to the belly of the muscle. When performing deep palpation at about 3cm, a region of muscular spasm could be identified. I ‘visualized' several spots on the skin which corresponded to the region which was in spasm. (fig. 26). In order to reach the injured area: the localization (the point where the needle penetrates the skin), the correct angle of penetration and the right depth (in this case two to three centimeters) are very important.
I injected a mixture of Traumeel and lidocaine 0.5 %, at several spots. Four injections each of about one milliliter of the liquid were given. I also prescribed Traumeel (10 drops every hour) and told her to come back two days later; in most cases, the day after the injection is used to give the body time to begin the healing process. After the first session, she recovered about 75% (she was obviously a quick responder ). The next day, she received a similar series of injections with the same mixture, and she was fully recovered after three days. Later on, she came to see me because of muscle soreness after running. I told her that protease supplementation may attenuate muscle soreness after running. It facilitates muscle healing and allows for faster restoration of contractile function after intense exercise.
For illustration of the injection technique:
see “Biopuncture in General Practice”: Fig. 26 p. 75
Case:
A man (60) complained of serious muscle cramps in his left calf after running. I prescribed stretching, Magnesium and an oral antihomotoxic detox kit. Lately, the pain occurred even after running for no more than five minutes. A doctor in physiotherapy proposed NSAIDs for two weeks combined with ultrasound, ice friction and stretching exercises.
On clinical examination, I found a tender myogelose in the calf muscle. During the first session, I gave him local injections with a mixture of lidocaine 0.3%, Traumeel and Kalmia in the calf muscle. Then I gave him injections with lidocaine 0.3%, Lymphomyosot and Kalmia, and repeated this cocktail one week later. After the third session, the patient was experiencing the benefits of the biotherapeutic injections. Afterwards, I also treated him for the right calf with injections of lidocaine 0.3%, Spascupreel and Lymphomyosot. I also prescribed food supplements and enzymes. In the end he received seven biopuncture sessions and he was able to run seven kilometres without any trouble.
Case:
A 23-year-old footballer first went to his family physician complaining of meniscus-like symptoms in the left knee but he could not remember the exact circumstances of the injury though he said that the injury had occurred the day before. His knee was not swollen and X-rays and ultrasonography were normal. He was referred to an orthopedic surgeon who suggested an arthroscopy to view the left meniscus.
The father however wanted a second opinion, and asked me to have a look at his son's knee. I told the father that if it turned out to be a structural problem of the meniscus, my therapy would not be successful. But I added that the clinical meniscus testing is never 100% correct – even when the patient has been treated by an experienced orthopedic surgeon.
Clinical examination showed an extremely tender region on the medial aspect of the knee, at the level of the meniscus (fig. 27). I said that we could try to treat that pain, which was superficial and probably originated from the medial collateral band, and then see what would happen. I also requested a MRI (magnetic resonance scan). I started the symptomatic treatment right away, on the first visit. I gave six injections, twice a week, in the above named painful zone with a mixture of Traumeel and lidocaine 0.5%. During these three weeks of treatment, he was advised not to participate in any sporting activities. After three weeks of treatment the pain had completely disappeared and he started playing football again. He had no more problems with his knee, and this without any further treatment. The magnetic resonance scan was negative. One year later, he was still playing football, without any surgical intervention.
See “Biopuncture in General Practice: Fig. 27 p. 78
Copyright: inspiration publishing 2006