THE TREATMENT OF “TENNIS LEG” USING SPORT ACUPUNCTURE A MIXED METHODS APPROACH

Christopher Chapleau

Abstract


Tennis Leg is a common repetitive stress injury of the calf. It is often seen with athletes, particularly with tennis players, endurance runners, and cyclists. It is also common with active people over the age of 40, who partake in strenuous exercise, have weak core muscles, do not warm-up prior to play, and/or who have short, tight, inflexible muscles of the posterior lower leg (Nsitem, 2013; Stinson, 2018). If not treated properly this condition can often reoccur, leading to compensatory issues and arthrokinematic dysfunction above and/or below the lesion. This is a case of a professional tennis player with reoccurring calf pain, who was originally diagnosed with a grade 2 soleus strain five months prior. An effective way of treating these types of muscle strains is by using a mixed methods approach to treatment. Using both a conventional Western treatment model and integrating Chinese medicine has been a particularly successful approach for treating this reoccurring condition.   

Keywords


Acupuncture, Athlete, Tennis-leg, Calf, Sprain

Full Text:

PDF

References


Callison (2000) Motor Point Manual. Raymert Press, Inc, California, USA.

Cannie, B., Dewitte, V., Barbe, T., Timmermans, F., Delrue, N., & Meeus, M. (2013).

Physiologic effects of dry needling. Current Pain and Headache Reports,8(348).

doi:10.1007/s11916-013-0348-5

Dixon, J. B. (2009). Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: How to differentiate and deal with

calf muscle injuries. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine,2(2), 74-77. doi:

1007/s12178-009-9045-8

Dommerholt, J., & Fernández-De-Las-Peñas, C. (2013). Proposed mechanisms and

effects of trigger point dry needling. Trigger Point Dry Needling,21-27.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-4601-8.00002-5

Ferraresi, C., Hamblin, M. R., & Parizotto, N. A. (2012). Low-level laser (light) therapy

(LLLT) on muscle tissue: Performance, fatigue and repair benefited by the power of

light. Photonics & Lasers in Medicine,1(4). doi:10.1515/plm-2012-0032

Grefte, S., Kuijpers-Jagtman, A. M., Torensma, R., & Hoff, J. W. (2010). Model for

Muscle Regeneration around Fibrotic Lesions in Recurrent Strain Injuries. Medicine &

Science in Sports & Exercise,42(4), 813-819. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3181beeb52

Gullota, L. (2010). Muscle Injuries: An Overview. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from

a. https://www.hss.edu/conditions_muscle-injuries-overview.asp

Harwin, J. R., & Richardson, M. L. (2017). “Tennis leg”: Gastrocnemius injury is a far

more common cause than plantaris rupture. Radiology Case Reports,12(1), 120-123.

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2016.10.012

Hendrickson, T. (2003). Massage for orthopedic conditions. Philadelphia, Penns.:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Izzo, A. A., Capasso, R., Aviello, G., Borrelli, F., Romano, B., Piscitelli, F., . . . Marzo, V.

D. (2012). Inhibitory effect of cannabichromene, a major non-psychotropic cannabinoid

extracted from Cannabis sativa, on inflammation-induced hypermotility in mice. British

Journal of Pharmacology,166(4), 1444-1460. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01879.x

Nsitem, V. (2013). Diagnosis and rehabilitation of gastrocnemius muscle tear: A case

report. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association,57(4), 327-333. Retrieved

February 4, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24302780.

Our knowledge of orthopaedics. Your best health. (2015, July). Retrieved from

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprains-strains-and-other-softtissue-

injuries

Perry, L. (2015, February 19). Blog. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from

http://www.triggerpointtherapist.com/blog/soleus-pain/soleus-trigger-points-heelpain/

Russo, E. (2008). Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain.

T h e r a p e u t i c s a n d = C l i n i c a l R i s k M a n a g e m e n t , Vo l u m e 4 , 2 4 5 - 2 5 9 .

doi:10.2147/tcrm.s1928

Schroeder, A., & Best, T. (2015). Is Self Myofascial Release an Effective Preexercise

and Recovery Strategy? A Literature Review. Current Sports Medicine Reports,14(5),

doi:10.1249/jsr.0000000000000182

Stilhano RS, Samoto VY, Silva LM, Pereira GJ, Erustes AG, Smaili SS, et al. (2017)

Reduction in skeletal muscle fibrosis of spontaneously hypertensive rats after laceration

by microRNA targeting angiotensin II receptor. PLoS ONE 12(10): e0186719.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186719

Stinson, A. (2018, August). Soleus strain: Calf strains and other injuries. Retrieved

February 4, 2019, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322809.php

Warfel, J. H. (1993). The extremities: Muscles and motor points. Philadelphia: Lea &

Febiger.

Watson, T. (2019). Soft Tissue Repair and Healing Review. Retrieved February 13,

, from http://www.electrotherapy.org/modality/soft-tissue-repair-and-healingreview


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.