Don Doran and Grace Claxton
I met Grace in St. Kitts in December 2018 on the track of Kim Collins Stadium.
I was there working with Junior Track and Field athletes.
Grace walked over to where I was working and sat down on the ground to watch my work. We said hello and she said that one of the Coaches said that I might be able to help her.
Grace explained that she had an injured right knee and that 6 months of therapy in Houston, Texas at a sports rehabilitation clinic had not solved the problem. She said they told her it was her “Pop” muscle (popliteus).
I asked Grace how she got the injury. She said that she was a Hurdler and that she had fallen in one of her competitions. The knee had never been right since that time. The injury was holding her back from qualifying for her second Olympic Team Membership. She competed for Puerto Rico in the 2016 Olympics and she was striving to make the 2020 team.
I got her on the massage table and checked her flexibility with some Active Isolated Stretching techniques. Grace had excellent flexibility for the Quadriceps and Straight Leg hamstring stretches. However, the Bent Leg Hamstring stretch got her attention. I told Grace to add that stretch to her daily fitness routine.
Next, I palpated her popliteus muscle. It was painful to her. I told her that I needed to perform deep massage on this area and that it might be sore the next day. She said that she had a competition the next day, but to please go ahead and perform the work as she wanted to put this problem behind her.
I did the work and when I was finished I put a Microlief on the area. I explained to Grace how the Microlief would help reduce any soreness associated with the deep tissue work.
I saw Grace a few days later and she said that it was a miracle! The back of her knee was pain free AND she won her competition.
Microlief was the perfect complement to the stretching and deep tissue massage.
Grace and I have become friends. I taught her some self care electro-acupressure techniques that she can use to help keep her quads and hamstrings at their best for her competitions.
I am looking forward to watching Grace compete in the Toyko 2020 Olympics!
I will make sure that she has plenty of Microliefs on board for her trip.
