Awesome 4 Week Postural Realignment Therapy Program: Online Videos and Instructions

These videos make up a 4 week/ 4 video postural realignment program that is found on Breaking Muscle and contributed by Maryann Berry. Maryann is someone who has fully recovered from the chronic hip pain in her twenties which put her in a wheelchair. She uses an exercise technique called Posture Alignment Therapy, These exercises remind me sometimes of Egoscue. I started this program on week one, but stopped doing it because my si joint was real sore. I got a Serola Sacroiliac Belt last week and it is feeling better, so I am ready to start the program again. There is a video for each week of the program and you can find more directions for each week's exercises here. I have been following the videos each week as Maryann makes them available online and it looks like a well-thought out program.

New Year Off to an "Unrestricted" Start

In only a couple of weeks I hit the 50 years old milestone! I am looking forward to a new age group.

Whatever I did to my sacrum after the Millennium Mile has been helping my balance and stride ever since. I never can figure out exactly what happens with how my body works. For now my legs and hips are running very smoothly and I can only guess it is because something adjusted back in the sacrum area. My legs swing free. I don't have the tight spot at the back of my left hip and my hip flexors and left leg don't feel like they need constant stretching or adjusting. I can balance on the left hip evenly and the left knee doesn't take pressure on the inside (and buckle in). The left ankle doesn't turn out so much. My left foot can balance on the ground pretty much fully. So this is how most people feel? Last week no amount of tugging, stretching, or pulling could relieve those symptoms.

It makes me consider a lot of things that point to what causes my running (and balance) problems. I am waiting for it to fall apart but am enjoying the feeling of strength instead of imbalance while it lasts. I am getting in good hour plus runs on the treadmill and feel very much even and balanced while doing that running. It is amazing how when the bones are in the right places how easy running, shoveling snow, and everyday movement can be! They best word I can give is "unrestricted".

Matt Metzgar sent me information on a book he has been reading called "The Ageless Spine". One sentence said basically that when the bones of the body are positioned in a natural relationship to each other then the muscles are simply relaxed and free of tension, and therefore inherently flexible. Yes, for the past few days that is how everything feels: "free of tension". Now "how do I keep it like this?" is the BIG question.



In thinking more of what I did after running the mile race to remedy the tightness and imbalances I had, I remembered I did only one other movement or stretch besides the sacrum movement. I saw it on Mike T. Nelson's blog. It is an advanced Z-Health psoas muscle stretch (not found on the DVDs that I have). I did this about an hour before I did the sacrum movement. One or the other or both really helped. Those are the only two stretches or movements I have done all week (while I feel great) except for some resistance stretching on my hamstrings. So far so good!



While checking out Mike Nelson's stretch, youtube referred me to some other interesting variations of stretches and movements that may be good to try some day. This is the Cook Hip Lift. It is a functional training movement (possibly form Gary Cook?) that uses a tennis ball to help you do the standard hip lift or bridge. Sebastian Gonzales has some other intesterting variations on stretches that I'll have to try someday later.

This is a standing Psoas stretch.



The Postural Syndrome Band exercises look really good for after you have been sitting a long time. I did try these and they feel real good for that tightness between the shoulder blades/



You can find the rest of his videos here.

Unusual Shoe Recommendation at Boston Marathon Expo

I made my yearly visit to the Boston Marathon Expo on Saturday. Walking around the various booths I encountered two different sales pitches for two somewhat similar and bizarre types of shoes. First I met a lady who seemed to have a lot of experience working as an athletic trainer. She even gave me a sheet with her biography. With my foot and hip balance problems I wanted to see what she had to say. She nailed a lot of the things wrong with my balance and posture and I wanted to hear her recommendations.


She had a worker use a plate to take pressure readings of the bottom of my foot. The little colored dots showed where I put the most pressure when standing still. It looked like a thought: two different balancing positions for either foot. She then wanted to get a functional picture of my foot in motion and after much fiddling her helpers realized the machine did not do this. She said it was OK and then gave me her recommendations: Use a shoe with a tight heel collar (I like them loose). She recommended the Brooks Adrenaline. Then she wanted me to get an orthotic that would help rebalance my foot (but only the orthotic sold through a store called "Foot Solutions"). Aha, this booth was sponsored by "Foot Solutions". She wanted me to make an appointment there right away. She wrote up a whole recommendation sheet for me to bring to the store.

Then she told me I needed to by a type of shoe called "Chung-Shi". It wouldn't be for running but for balancing my foot and posture with its strangely angled sole. Of course this shoe, which retails for between $200 and $300, is only sold at "Foot Solutions". Maybe it is a worthwhile shoe, sort of like a bolder version of the old Earth shoes. But I was left to wonder why the only solutions to my imbalance problems can be found at a "Foot Solutions" store?



The salesman then got heavily interested in selling me "Nordic Walking" equipment. I do think they missed out on the whole idea that I am a runner! While the lady may have had a lot of knowledge, unfortunately she was just trying to sell "Foot Solutions" stuff. Good or not I don't know. I looked on the internet for runners who had used and reviewed these orthotics and the reviews were unfavorable.

Next I found another booth with an even funkier shoe. It is called MBT shoe by SwissMasai. The shoe is supposed to leave your foot rocking and unstable like you are walking on sand or uneven ground.It has a massive sole that is rounded under the foot and made me feel like I was on a roller type balance ball. I rocked back and forth and side to side. It felt weird although I did notice that my left foot rolled out to the side and that tended to straighten my knee. It added about an inch to my height and definitely looked dorky! The sales girl said her femurs rotated in like my left one does and that after a year of wearing the shoe things were straightening out. These were also expensive shoes. I noticed that they are also sold at "Foot Solutions" and are the competition to the Chung-Shi shoes. I think these shoes are probably made for the Pilate's-yoga crowd rather than the runner crowd. Maybe they are helpful in correcting gait and posture but you would have to get over your pride to wear them in public.



Overall I spent no money at the Expo. I did get a free pair of socks for trying on the MBT shoes. My daughter did too, so she was happy. We drank lots of chemical drinks with vitamins and who knows what else and ate plenty of energy bar pieces. I picked up posters, and trinkets for my kids at school, and my daughter got enough "thundersticks" to send every kid in my class home with a pair so they could drive their parents nuts after school on Marathon Monday!