After sustaining a pretty serious hamstring injury around 3 years ago, I was still experiencing sharp pains in my left hip and knee from time to time. Sometimes the pain would persist for several weeks. I had heard of myofascial structural inegration, but had no idea whether it would be a suitable treatment for me. Whilst I continued to train, I was mindful of performing certain movements like heavy squats in an effort to avoid further injury.
Inflammation causes joint and muscle pain
Over the course of 3 years the pain was intermittent and varied in intensity, but at times it was debilitating. I visited three physiotherapists, all of whom acknowledged that there seemed to be some misalignment. They suggested building up the muscles around the joints for stability. An MRI scan revealed that I also had a severe case of Bursitis in my hip joint and that inflammation was a factor in my symptoms.
Chronic pain prevents training
In an effort to reduce the pain which at times was chronic, I was prescribed strong anti-inflammatory medication which I took for over 3 months. Extensive rehab exercises were prescribed, and I was offered guidance about which moves to avoid in training, all of which made the pain more manageable. From time to time I suffered intense bouts of chronic pain that prevented me from training altogether. If I wanted to carry on training, I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to live with the pain.
Myofascial release
During a consultation I mentioned this to Pavol and he suggested I try myofascial release. He explained that myofascial release is a type of physical therapy that is used to treat the symptoms I was experiencing, and focuses on reducing pain by easing tension and tightness in trigger points. Pavol explained that he had a number of clients that had experienced extraordinary results with this treatment. He knows what he is doing and was confident it would help.
