I’ve been up all morning prepping for a big meeting that just got canceled, so with my new found free time I’m going to give you guys a little update on what I’ve been working on re: fixing the myriad of imbalances that have recently come to light since my knee surgery.
As i mentioned, about 2 months my left hip and hip flexor started hurting quite a bit (and actually continues to do so). Interestingly, it doesn’t hurt when I’m training, but mostly afterwards and when I’m sitting for long periods. At one point the pain got so bad that it was radiating down my thigh and up to my shoulder!
Luckily, Germanone recommended that I look into the Egoscue method for pain relief, and while thus far its kinda helped the pain go away (no more radiating and it doesn’t hurt as frequently when sitting) it has definitely highlighted A LOT of physical imbalances that need to be corrected if I want to stay in the training game and live a longer, healthier, painfree life 
The pic above is what Egoscue considers the natural design of the body which is symmetrical. Basically, all joints align under each other. This is what one should strive for in order to have healthy body mechanics.
Acting as an unlicensed detective, I read the book and was able to assess my imbalances in order to correct them and acquire this symmetry.
First thing I did was get a better sense of self-awareness and pinpoint my aches and pains.
These are:
- Left hip hurts
- Left hip flexor hurts
- Left shoulder is tight
- Feel a strain in right glute/ham tie in
- Posterior of right leg VERY tight
I also took a good look in the mirror and did some basic body mechanic movements and concluded these imbalances:
- Left hip is internally rotated
- Left shoulder is higher than right
- Left foot flares out < something I’ve noticed when squatting
And here is the story of how the hip pain was acquired according to the Egoscue method:
My hip flexors have always been short due to sitting/soccer playing. Over the years, this has caused minimal problems for me, aside from having a sway back and some minor lower back pain. However, after the ACL injury and subsequent surgery, my body mechanics were completely thrown off and any pains related to my hip flexors were exacerbated, despite the fact that they were a ticking time bomb anyways.
After the knee surgery (on my right leg), increased knee pressure on my right knee, as well as all the issues related to not having a proper functioning knee (pain!!) caused a tightening of muscles in the right leg as well as a wonky gait. Because I was not walking correctly, my left hip would compensate for all the problems that were occurring on my right leg by shooting the left hip upwards. This in turn made my left shoulder shoot upwards as well. At the same time, due to my wonky gait, left knee would compensate for all of this by externally rotating, thus causing my foot to compensate as well and flare out. The internal rotaion of my left hip is symptomatic of all of this.
And there you have it!
According to the book I have to do a bunch of exercises (about 10 different stretches/exercises) to correct these imbalances. I have to do them religiously if i want to get better, which is kind of annoying because who has the time?! Also, I’m a bit dubious that just doing stretches will help. But I’m going to trust the method and hope for the best. shrug Consistency is key.
Anyways, I just wanted to put this up here for anyone who might be concerned about some of their aches and pains, maybe think more holistically about training, and just to share my experience.
I really want the drama with the knee surgery to be over - but alas, issues persist like the lingering aftertaste of one too many Sambucas. Ah well…Hopefully all will be better soon!
I’ll keep y’alls posted! Happy winesday everyone!
