Science based therapist, Dr. Alexander Jimenez looks at the anatomy and biomechanics of this quadriceps muscle and how to evaluate and treat injuries.

Strains of these proximal quadriceps happen in sprinting (particularly the acceleration stage), jumping and kicking a ball. With four muscles containing the quadriceps group, the rectus femoris is the more common muscle to pressure as the muscle moves over two joints and consequently is intimately affected by both hip and knee posture, whereas another vastus muscles are just influenced by knee motion and knee posture.

Strains into the rectus femoris seem to affect sports like football (soccer), Gaelic football and Australian Rules foot- chunk (AFL) due to the repetitive sprint efforts involved, the repetitive kicking involved, leaping and shooting during the match and the length of period of a common match (90+ minutes) highlighting exhaustion as being a prevailing element.

Rectus femoris muscle injuries have a tendency to take longer t…

Several lumbar spine (lower back) disorders can cause sciatica. Sciatica is often described as moderate to intense pain at the left or right leg. Sciatica is caused by compression of at least one of the 5 places of nerve roots in the lower spine. Sometimes physicians call a radiculopathy sciatica. Radiculopathy is a term used to refer to pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs brought on by a nerve root issue. If the nerve problem is in the neck, then it is called a cervical radiculopathy. However, because the low back is affected by sciatica, it is called a lumbar radiculopathy.

Pathways to Reduce Nerve Pain
Five sets of nerve roots at the lumbar spine combine to produce the sciatic nerve. Beginning at the back of the pelvis (sacrum), the sciatic nerve runs from the trunk, beneath the buttocks, and downward through the hip place into every leg. Nerve roots aren't "solitary" structures but are a part of the body's entire nervous system capable of …

How frequently have patients said something like, "I've been resting my leg since the injury so it doesn't get worse"? Injury expert, Dr. Alexander Jimenez looks at the use of 'rest' in acute injury management.
Introduction RICE has long been recognized through the acronym of rest, ice, compression and elevation, with the ‘p’ in PRICE referring to protection. The usage of the term 'rest' has been widely criticized with a key emphasis now on the degree of loading or motion to facilitate the recovery process (1). The purpose of the review is to highlight the advantages of movement of loading during the early stages of rehabilitation and the suitable degree. To explain that we refer to the word mechanotherapy and how loading and movement can optimize soft tissue repair by suitably loading the body's own systems (two). The term 'rest' can be misinterpreted by the practicing athlete or gym user and in when they ought to return to loading and w…

Injury scientist, Dr. Alexander Jimenez looks at shin guard use in soccer. Just how successful are guards in preventing lower limb injury and which provide the most protection?

Soccer is the most popular team sport in the world, so it is hardly surprising there- fore that there's much interest and effort into managing and reducing the injury risks associated with 'the beautiful game'. The most frequent injuries in football players are muscle strains and tears, ligament damage and contusions caused by impacts(1). Although these types of injuries are highly undesirable, fractures are even more serious; a fracture always contributes to a prolonged lay-off and can sometimes even be career- threatening. The data shows that fracture accidents represent between 2-11% of all soccer injuries among players, and that lower extremity fractures account for 30-33% of all fractures sustained(2). Given the risk, as a result, the use of shin guards in football to prevent lower leg injury …

Pain that travels from the back down the leg and into the foot is known as sciatica, which is an overall expression for pain that is excruciating. The term does not clarify why, or what tissue is injured. In reality accidents can cause gastrointestinal pain, together with piriformis syndrome, lumbar spinal disc herniations, and sprains being the three most frequent types of injuries and conditions affecting health and wellness.

Piriformis syndrome is commonly misdiagnosed as a spinal disc herniation, because the pattern of radiating pain, in the back to the lower elevation, is similar in both cases. With both injuries, individuals experience pain with the same type of motions, particularly rising from a seated position, standing for prolonged period of time, or sleeping. At the same time, the pain related to both injuries feels better once you curl up in the fetal position on your side.

A spinal disc herniation occurs when the jelly-like substance from inside the lumbar disc compress…

El Paso, TX. Scientific chiropractor Dr. Alexander Jimenez discusses an unusual injury incurred by a skilled powerlifter...
The Patient A 29-year-old powerlifter presented to the clinic. The pain was a continuous annoyance with sharp pain episodes during weight training. It had started insidiously as a vague ache that was intermittent. As he had previously been able to train through the pain, he'd noticed it penalizing over a couple of week she was unable to strongly grip during sessions. He maintained that as this seemed to exacerbate the issue, he had been forced to rest the wrist from movements that were heavy and that medications did help. No wrist trauma had been suffered by him, but he'd suffered a strain on the side.
On the radius, he had a somewhat inflamed lateral wrist upon demonstration. The and the pain place appeared to be concentrated around abductor pollicis longus and the extensor pollicis brevis. All his movements of radial extension and ulnar deviation and w…

In the second part on the managing of syndesmosis injuries, El Paso, chiropractor Dr. Alexander Jimenez summarizes the management principles and therapy choices.
Management Of Syndesmosis Injuries The aim of syndesmosis injury management that is successful, whether conservative or operative, would be to revive and maintain the normal relationship between tibia and the fibula and also to allow healing of the soft tissue structures of the syndesmosis.
Conservative Cryotherapy
Immediate control of a suspected syndesmosis is to ice the arm each hour for 20 minutes. The best method that range of motion is not lost, to do this would be to sit down the athlete and set the foot in an ice bath. At the sitting position attempt to maintain the foot directly beneath a vertical shin (ankle is in neutral dorsiflexion). This allows the ankle to keep range without the damaging dorsiflexion position that is full. This may be hard in more injuries; therefore, instruct the athlete to find a position wi…