IADMS New York 2002   [back to the Category]

Sacroiliac Mobilizations to Treat a Chronic Hamstring Strain in a Jazz Dancer   [read the french version]

Author :   Jennifer M. Gamboa, MPT, OCS & Al.

Sacroiliac Mobilizations to Treat a
Chronic Hamstring Strain in a Jazz Dancer

Jennifer M. Gamboa, MPT, OCS; Leigh Anne Roberts, MPT
Body Dynamics, Inc.
Arlington, Virginia, USA


Peter E. Lavine, MD
Orthopaedic Private Practice
Washington, D.C., USA


Hamstring strains in dancers can be particularly difficult to heal. While such injuries may respond to traditional modalities, functional demands make the insertion of the hamstring vulnerable to re-injury. Furthermore, an accurate biomechanical differential diagnosis is essential to rule out contributing factors from hip joint dysfunctions or pelvic obliquities.

Here we report on a unique clinical presentation of and intervention for a jazz dancer with a chronic hamstring strain. In this case, all initial clinical tests and measures indicated an isolated soft-tissue lesion with no hip joint pathology. Kinetic testing of sacroiliac joint function was also normal. When the dancer failed to respond to traditional modalities, appropriate therapeutic exercise, and technique re-education, additional tests and measures were performed. Upon closer investigation, the excursion of posterior innominate rotation was unremarkable, but the associated end-feel was abnormally hard. Furthermore, posterior translation of the innominate on the sacrum was significantly restricted. Once treatment was directed at posterior innominate translation and rotation, the dancer’s hamstring strain resolved immediately and remained symptom-free at 2-, 4-, and 8-week follow-ups.

The purpose of this presentation is to (1) share one practitioner’s experience with a unique presentation of a chronic hamstring strain, (2) question the applicability of traditional kinetic testing to sacroiliac joint function in dancers, and (3) emphasize the importance of detailed accessory motion testing at the S-I joint in cases of chronic hamstring strains.