Nicole presented on 13th April 2012, one day after a Grade III medial head gastroc strain while playing squash.
On the following day (14th April), Nicole attached two QF20-5 Q Magnets with sports tape, one directly over the strain and another over the acupuncture point UB57.
Two days later on 16th April, we took the following photos showing a clear effect directly under where the magnets were placed.
On the 20th April, she added a QF28-3 device over the thickened painful area on the medial head.
On the 24th April (12 days after the original injury) Nicole was fully weight bearing, the skin was clear of bruising and there was no pain on palpation where the magnets had been placed. She was able to begin cycling, massage and gentle stretches.
OBSERVATIONS:
Nicole seemed to have recovered from this injury better than what you would normally expect. There was reduced pain and swelling during the recovery with a much earlier return to activity than expected.
What the photos show is that after a few days of wearing the Q Magnets, it’s obvious the haeamatoma does not fully form, the tissue doesn’t have the same thickening or swelling of the surrounding bruise and it’s not painful to palpate.
How could this treatment have been improved?
For best results, we think the devices should be applied immediately or as soon as possible after the injury, preferably in combination with RICE – Rest, Elevation, Compression and Elevation
In addition, ideally a Q Magnet with a larger surface area could have been used to capture more injured tissue. The QF28-3 or even OF50-3 since a therapeutic field only penetrates directly under the device, which can be seen from the photos and with palpation.
We recently introduced the Q Bonus Package for the Active Athlete. This pack provides a range of devices for the active athlete so they can immediately apply the most appropriate device for the injury as an adjunct to self-management to RICE. Since they have virtually no side effects and last for decades, Q Magnets are a great investment for any active athlete.
See more on Q Magnets for soft tissue injuries here.
