Muscle Pain & Imbalances

Muscle Pain and Injury

When you are experiencing pain, it is often important to first determine if that pain is coming from a bony joint or from a muscle. Pain in your back could be from arthritis of your spine or (more commonly) muscle strains. A musculoskeletal specialist can examine you to help make this determination.

Common muscle problems include:

• Strains from acute injury (e.g. hamstring strains, hip flexor/iliopsoas strains)
• Overuse problems (e.g. shin splints, tennis elbow)
• Imbalances (e.g. IT band syndrome, piriformis syndrome)
• Chronic strains from poor posture (e.g. low back pain, neck pain)

It is often possible to relieve muscle pain during your visit using osteopathic musculoskeletal treatment (OMT). However, for all but acute injuries, there is usually a bigger picture that needs to be addressed. Imbalances in strength and tension, overuse from work or other daily activities, and chronic strains from postural problems all contribute to long-term muscle pain. Even if this pain is relieved at your visit, you will likely require an at-home program to help correct the root cause of your muscle pain. These programs include balance training, stretching, and exercises to retrain muscles.

Muscle Imbalances and Athletic Performance

Dr. Hennenhoefer has experience working with a variety of athletes at all levels from amateur to professional. He specializes in evaluating athletes for muscle imbalances that may increase their risk of injury or decrease their performance. Athletes are often incredibly strong and mobile; however, it is the relative strength and stiffness of muscles that can get them into trouble on and off the field. For example, an athlete can have very strong glutes, but if his or her hamstrings are stiffer and/or stronger, the result is decreased performance and an increased risk of hamstring strains.

We can work with you to determine if the right muscles are firing at the right time when performing various tasks. If not, we will work with you (and your coaches) to develop a routine of balance training, stretching, and muscle retraining to increase performance and decrease your risk of injury.

Schedule today with a musculoskeletal specialist to see how we can help relieve your muscle pain and muscle imbalances.