“When you get injured, it kind of goes away, especially when you’re 22 years old, I would imagine,” says Toronto student Benedek Szabo.
But that wasn’t the case for Benedek, an Aerospace Engineering student and former professional épée fencer.
About two years ago, the normally active athlete injured himself while working out.
“It’s the classic story—I thought I could handle more weight than I could. I started feeling pain around my sternum, but as an athlete, I kind of just ignored it. It got bad enough that I stopped working out,” shares Benedek.
Gradually, Benedek began working out again but couldn’t push himself because the pain would return. He realized he had to take action after doing chin-ups at a park and feeling a crack in his chest.
Benedek’s father, a medical practitioner himself, suggested Benedek visit Eterna Health. He felt the traditional healthcare system wouldn’t be able to effectively help his son.
“Ben was experiencing costochondritis, which is an inflammation of the chest wall. During my assessment, I identified a couple of joints where his inflammation was particularly bothersome. We treated it with platelet-rich plasma injections,” explains Dr. Prab Bassi, Eterna Health’s Interventional Orthobiologic and Genetic Therapy Specialist.
Dr. Bassi adds, “Costochondritis is often considered a long-standing inflammatory condition that takes a long time to heal on its own. At Eterna, we have an innovative way of treating it so that the patient doesn’t have to live in pain.”
“The staff at Eterna were great. They just knew what they were doing. I was really impressed,” shares Benedek.
A couple of weeks after the procedure, Benedek began his rehabilitation program with Eterna’s Chiropractor and Neuro Functional Sports Practitioner, Dr. Sunny Gandhi.
“We focused on improving the thoracic spine and how the ribs connect through the back. As we enhanced motion in that area and improved the way the joints moved, it ultimately affected the ribs in the front,” explains Dr. Gandhi.
“In the last month, I’ve seen the biggest light at the end of the tunnel,” Benedek shares, adding that he feels 60% healed. “I’d be happy to fence with my little brother again.”
Dr. Gandhi adds, “What we’re going to do next is train the connective tissue of the pectoral muscle as it ties into those joints that Dr. Bassi treated. We should be able to get him from 60% to 100% better.”
At Eterna Health, our dedicated team of skilled medical practitioners are here to support you every step of the way on your health journey. With personalized care and ongoing rehabilitation, we’re committed to helping Benedek return to peak performance and get back into fencing shape!
