It's not all downhill

For nearly twenty years, I've been complaining about pain in my hips, thighs and other lower body parts. Sometimes everything hurt from the waist down (mostly one leg). It became hard to walk very far or do gardening or housework without pain in my hips. And then the knee started to go. I couldn’t bend it without pain. An MRI revealed a “shredded” meniscus (cartilage). To top if off, I developed sciatica!

Over the years, I’ve been going to a chiropractor, doing yoga, and having massages. I also had myo-fascial release treatments—a type of massage that focuses on connective tissue and fascia—as well as a session or two of “structural integration” (I forget what he did). I’ve done trigger-point therapy and been to a physical therapist. I’ve tried putting tape on the offending parts—the kind you see some Olympic athletes wearing. I also got a brace for my bad knee, which I wear for golf and Jazzercise.

I’ve also had cortisone shots: one in my left hip for bursitis and three (over the course of a year and a half) in my right knee. The orthopedic surgeon said he could clean up my meniscus (I declined) and hinted at knee replacement, which I also declined. I had about given up, assuming this is just how it is in old age.

My yoga teacher, who's also a chiropractor, had been nagging me for years about my ankles, which were not properly stacked up over my feet, as shown in the picture. This misalignment can lead to a chain of imbalances, including internal rotation of my knees as well as a tilt of my pelvis. I finally caved and got custom-made orthotics. At the same time, I've been careful to keep my ankles stacked upright over my feet--not letting them cave in. Of course, this requires being conscious of what my ankles are doing and correcting their alignment all the time. But it worked: my knees and hips quit hurting.

So the key to my problems is proper alignment, starting with my feet. It seems so simple. I wish I'd made these changes years ago. 

This post was meant to be inspirational: it's not all down hill! But, let's get real; it mostly is.

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