The pain at the injured area has settled. Even so, the athlete does not move as before. Tightness or difficulty moving remains around the injury or somewhere else.
In Zeroka Seitai, as well as the injured area, we check the condition of the surrounding muscles that were taking over its work, and of the muscles responsible for the opposite movement. Looking only at the area that currently feels uncomfortable may not fully reveal why load is falling on it.
Taking a hamstring strain as an example
In our hands-on work so far, we have found stiffness remaining not only at the site of the strain but also in the surrounding hamstring. Along with stiffness on the hamstring side, we sometimes also find stiffness in the muscles on the same side that bend the hip (the hip flexors), such as the iliopsoas.
We understand this condition in terms of the following two relationships.
Two relationships we check after a hamstring strain
An interpretation based on Zeroka Seitai’s practice
① The area around the injury takes over its work
- The injured part of the hamstring cannot yet work fully
- The surrounding hamstring takes over its work
- Load concentrates there, and stiffness or muscle lock may remain
Check the injured area and the muscles around it
② Load on the antagonist muscles of the same leg
- The hamstring is stiff and does not lengthen easily
- As the same leg is lifted and moved forward, the hip flexors such as the iliopsoas need more force
- As this load continues, stiffness may also develop on the hip-flexor side
Muscles producing the opposite movement in the same leg — not the opposite leg
Check the hamstring and the hip flexors of the same leg
This is not a measurement of the actual extent of injury or of the load. It does not mean that the same relationships arise in every athlete.
① The area around the injury takes over its work
In Zeroka Seitai, we consider that when the injured area remains unable to work fully, the surrounding muscles may take over its work and load may concentrate there. After a hamstring strain, we check whether stiffness or muscle lock also remains in the hamstring around the injured area.
② Load also falls on the antagonist muscles of the same leg
By antagonist muscles we mean muscles that act in the opposite direction for a given movement. In this example, the term refers to the relationship between the hamstring and the muscles that bend the hip, such as the iliopsoas — that is, the muscles producing the opposite movement in the same leg. It does not refer to the opposite leg.
We consider that when the hamstring is stiff and does not lengthen easily, the iliopsoas and other muscles on the same side need more force to move the leg forward. Our interpretation is that as this load continues, stiffness also develops on the side that bends the hip.
① is a relationship in which the surrounding area takes over the work of the injured area. ② is a relationship in which the muscles responsible for the opposite movement use more force because the hamstring does not lengthen easily. Rather than treating both simply as “compensating for the injury”, we check separately what is creating the load.
Comparing the areas now under load with the source of that load
Even if we respond to stiffness in the surrounding muscles or the antagonists, we consider that, if the original area is still hard to move, the reason for load to fall on them again has not gone away. For this reason, Zeroka Seitai checks both the area that currently feels uncomfortable and the problem creating the load on it.
Scroll sideways to read the full table.
| What we check | What we look for | Why it matters for planning the response |
|---|---|---|
| The injured area | Whether stiffness, or an inability to move it fully, remains | To consider whether a problem remains that is creating load on the surrounding or related muscles |
| The surrounding muscles | The quality and spread of stiffness, and the response as the muscle is engaged and relaxed | To consider whether the area that has been taking over the work also needs a response |
| The antagonist muscles of the same leg | Whether the muscles responsible for the opposite movement are also stiff or hard to move | To consider how this relates to the original muscle not lengthening easily |
| The movement the athlete finds difficult | Where the difficulty lies in movements such as moving the leg forward, stepping in, running or kicking | To compare the condition of each area with the actual movement |
What we check depends on how the injury has progressed and on the movement that is difficult. Rather than applying this example to every athlete, we test our interpretation against the athlete’s condition and the changes after we respond.
Planning the order of our response from the problem creating the load
Check muscle condition and movement → Interpret the problem creating the load → Decide the area, method and sequence of the response → Recheck muscle condition and movement
Rather than simply releasing the stiffest areas one after another, we place importance on the relationship between what is getting in the way of movement and where it is creating load.
This does not mean that we always begin hands-on work at the injured area. If we interpret that a problem in another area is part of the reason a muscle cannot soften, we may check and work on that area first.
From practice | Checking the muscles and movement after our response
In supporting athletes so far, we have checked not only the injured area but also the surrounding and related muscles, and responded while watching the quality of stiffness and changes in movement. We check not only whether the feel of the muscle has changed but also whether the movement the athlete found difficult has changed.
If difficulty with the movement remains, we review which areas we check and the sequence of our response. If stiffness or difficulty moving returns in later training, we review the reasons from the perspective described in B-1 and connect this to the ongoing support described in B-2.