Yesterday, I had a physical therapy appointment to try to deal with the tennis elbow that's been dogging me since before Christmas. It turns out my elbow is related to a problem with my shoulder, which is related to a problem with my back, which is related to a problem with my hip. I have tightness and constriction through my whole right side.
He started with few tests, like laying on my back and tilting my toes toward each other. My right foot only went half the distance of my left. He showed me that my right leg is about a half inch shorter than my left due to the constriction of muscles. It has also effected my posture, and he thinks I'm carrying myself an inch an a half shorter than I should. That explains why the doctor's office has measured me at 5'8" instead of 5'10" for the past couple of years. This also explains the wrist pain I had a while back, and all those little pains in my hips, back, shoulders and neck that I thought was just part of being over 40.
He asked if I skied. I hardly call my efforts to get from of the top of the mountain to the bottom skiing, but I said I did a little. He told me that if I was a serious skier, I would probably notice turning more difficult in one direction than the other because I wouldn't be able to get an edge. I didn't ski at all last year. I went once this year, and the third trip down, I did have trouble turning one way without feeling like I was going to fall. I thought I was just out of shape. When I was out snowshoeing this year, my hips would ache after a few minutes. I blamed it again on being out of shape, but it was probably more due to my "unbalanced load".
He did some trigger point therapy and craniosacral therapy on me, went over proper posture for sitting and standing , and gave me some home exercises. I'm also supposed to check and adjust my posture a couple of times an hour. He thinks I'll be fixed in four to five more weekly visits. It's probably just the placebo effect, but I think I feel a little better already.
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5 comments:
Ouch. Being out of whack is no fun.
You really should try yoga. It's great for getting you all lined up the way you should be.
hi betts, hang in there girl. i think we all have one leg a little longer than the other, don't we? just found out my dtr does too! i agree with kitt, try yoga! :)
Yeouch!! It is nice to know I'm not the only one who is "uneven" but sorry to hear its causing you such pain! That's not fun. If the home exercises work, send me the how to's! I'm interested!!
Molly
That's awesome that you are actually feeling better. I swear one of my legs is longer than the other (though I only notice it on the treadmill... so maybe I'm just making excuses!). Let us know how it goes.
My nephew is a massage therapist and was explaining all this to me on his last visit here. It's amazing what someone who knows what he's talking about can see in us that we can't see ourselves even though we walk around in these bodies every day. I'm glad you're getting yourself realigned!
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