Today I’d like to discuss what can happen when fit and function collide.
One of the greatest benefits the Retul 3D Motion Capture System offers is the abilty to see in real time how key points on the body are moving in real time, both vertically and horizontally through the pedal stroke range of motion. Hip movement, knee tracking, and hip rotation/pelvic displacement are all there to be discovered, diagnosed and dealt with.
Take this latest example. I’d been seeing this particular client a few times a year for fit follow ups, all related to a complaint about saddle pain near the hamstring insertion on the left side. After some manual fits, and a few saddle changes, nothing had really changed.
I hooked him up to the Retul and instantly recognized some serious issues with his knee tracking. If you’ll note the far right image below, you’ll see that his left knee is tracking in a highly elliptical manner, indicating a functional issue in the left hip/glute area.
I called in Doc Tim for a consult and he confirmed. Left hip was locked up, and left hamstring was highly bound with a possible minor tear near the ischial tuberosity.
This, by the way, is exactly why I relocated to be working within a chiro/rehab clinic…immediate consult for functional abnormalities, and more importantly, immediate access to treatment and rehabilitation.
With this temporary functional issue in mind, I made adjustments to the fit to accommodate his current range of motion limitations to reduce the lateral and elliptical knee tracking as much as possible while those limitations were being addressed through treatment.
About eight weeks later Doc Tim checked in with me to say that the client in question is well on the way to full functionality and it was probably time to have another look at his fit. The Retul showed exactly what Doc had said. Without making any changes to his fit, knee tracking had improved from 26mm of lateral travel down to 21mm (middle image). After readjusting fit to match his full functionality and range of motion, knee travel was further reduced to 16mm (far left image) and more importantly the elliptical tracking was completely eliminated.
I’ve always believed that fit was a living, breathing entity. It’s evolutionary. That evolution is based on current functionality and range of motion. As those parameters change, so do the fit requirements. Having access to the right tools and diagnostics allows me to track that evolution and keep fit perfectly aligned with function as the body evolves. Having access to the right therapy and rehab allows me to keep the functionality of my clients in line when it starts to slip.
And that, in a nutshell is why my tagline is “We make you better”.
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