This was a real fun one. This young girl was diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome (which the option is surgery). This is a lower leg problem where there is pain upon exertion (in her case soccer practices and games).
But, like my entire practice and the people that come to me, these diagnoses ARE NOT sufficient for me.
WHY is this happening?
WHY is there swelling in the lower legs?
Those are the questions we must ask ourselves, instead of merely going on Google, matching up a bunch of symptoms somebody may have, then slapping a diagnosis on them.
We can do better than that. Myself included. I’m always striving to get better at what I do. I don’t have all the answers (and never will), but I’m always trying to ask the deeper questions.
So, in this case I did my NeuroCentric Analysis and discovered that she had no strength in her legs. From her hips down, she had lost neurological control.
If you don’t know how to test this…. you won’t be able to find it.
And the fix of this weakness and lack of control? A dental retainer. She removed this, and in an instant ALL her strength and muscle control came back to full power.
Pretty darn cool if you ask me.
No need for a highly invasive surgery (called a fasciotomy). She just needs to take her retainer out when she works her body hard.
I am grateful for all the patients that have consented to make videos such as this one. This family found me by watching some of my videos (YouTube). Without video, the odds of this young lady having an unnecessary surgery would have gone way up.
Stay tuned because I have a feeling we are just getting started with these videos….
UPDATE: Here is a second video almost 1 year later. She is still doing fantastic. Never comes off the soccer field (90 minute games). No pain, no surgery. Simply removing the orthodontic retainer when she plays completely resolved her problem.
And check out the difference in those plants in one year! They love that office.
Note: I never tell patients to get their permanent wire dental retainers removed. I show them what is happening to their neuromuscular system before and after stimulation to the retainer. They make their own decisions. And if they do choose to get them removed, I always tell them to wear the plastic retainers at night to preserve their orthodontic investment. All three of my children had braces as well!