Orthotics

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone, practice going well since starting in Jan.....

 

Today, during a visit to see my massage therapist to ease a dull

upper-hamstring ache I was confronted with a shocking analysis of my pelvis:

"your righ pelvis is way higher than your left." In fact he was extremely

keen to check my back and pelvis alignment even before I hit the bench

(despite my adamant attitude to concentrate on the hams).

 

I say "shocking".....well, I wasn't completely thrown by what he said. This

is because I have almost finished a full 6 month chiropractic programme to

try and rectify a twisted pelvis. My chiropractor has managed to get rid of

the pelvis pain completely but after a new check with my massage therapist I

saw for myself that, yes indeed, I am WAY WAY out of alignment. "This," he

says "is also causing your frequent lower back pain and will be interfering

with your sciatic nerve which runs extremely close to your painful

hamstring."

 

All the surrounding mucles (lower back, hamstrings) are working overtime to

compensate and, as a result, are straining and......pain. All pretty basic

stuff that we've heard before. It seems that my chiropracter has managed to

eliminate the pelvis pain (and, to some degree, brought my pelvis somewhat

closer to proper alignment) but he hasn't brought perfect alignment by any

'stretch' (heh).

 

NOW - He was almost evangelical about the success rate in the use of

ORTHOTICS to rectify pelvis mis-alignments, and suggested a highly respected

podiatrist in my area. Slipping an orthotic in-sole under my left foot would

supposedly bring my 'high' right pelvis lower down and correct the

alignment, thus allowing the over-working muscles to go about their normal

business and heal. He mentioned that it would initially be very painful

(first 2-3 months) but would eventually sort my missalignment out.

 

This kinda has some sort of parrallel with ashtanga in that, to some extent,

we are working on re-aligning the body and rectifying muscular and

structural imbalance. Practioners often go on about 'working through' the

pain in ashtanga (NOT working through injury though!) as something is

moving, something is re-connecting, something is moving back into its proper

position.

 

My question is: Orthotics or NOT-thotics? I'm guessing that a programme of

orthotics combined with a strong ashtange practice may well be the best way.

My reasons are obvious:

 

1. I don't want to quit my practice and completely rely on orthotics.

2. I also don't want to keep up my practice without some other kind of

external bodywork/mechanical adjustment alongside it.

 

With respect to my second point, I feel my mis-alignment too great to rely

soley on ashtanga to rectify - it may well be too painful and I may do more

harm and injury to those afore-mentioned points of soreness/pain. We're

talking about a general right-to-left misalignment which is concentrated at

a vital body-area, and not some minor misalignment which ashtanga would

normally rectify. Sure, ashtanga may well cure my mis-alignment but it may

take 10 years of pain and endurance. Don't get me wrong, I'm in this for the

long haul (ashtanga is definately no quick-fix routine) and understand some

kind of discomfort is part and parcel of the routine. But maybe I need some

kind help here?

 

I dug up some info from yoga texts on this and found an inspring comment

from BB Birch when discussing the application of orthotics and long-term

solutions to postural imbalance and mis-alignment:

 

"Ideally, astanga yoga would be prescribed along with every set of

orthotics, slowly taking over the process of long-term restructuring begun

by the orthotics."

 

Any thoughts, experiences with orthotics?

 

Sorry for long post,

prima

[Guest guest]

My view is that in many cases orthotics is another example

of "treating the symptom". Treating the symptom only masks the

problem, it will eventually resurface in another form.

 

I'd recommend reading Pete Egoscue's book "Pain free".

It has certainly changed my outlook on pain and posture.

 

www.egoscue.com

 

Terry Slade (yoga fame...) has some links:

http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/health.htm

 

Namaste.

 

 

ashtanga yoga, primafacie <primafacie@b...>

wrote:

> Hi everyone, practice going well since starting in Jan.....

>

> Today, during a visit to see my massage therapist to ease a dull

> upper-hamstring ache I was confronted with a shocking analysis of

my pelvis:

> "your righ pelvis is way higher than your left." In fact he was

extremely

> keen to check my back and pelvis alignment even before I hit the

bench

> (despite my adamant attitude to concentrate on the hams).

>

> I say "shocking".....well, I wasn't completely thrown by what he

said. This

> is because I have almost finished a full 6 month chiropractic

programme to

> try and rectify a twisted pelvis. My chiropractor has managed to

get rid of

> the pelvis pain completely but after a new check with my massage

therapist I

> saw for myself that, yes indeed, I am WAY WAY out of

alignment. "This," he

> says "is also causing your frequent lower back pain and will be

interfering

> with your sciatic nerve which runs extremely close to your painful

> hamstring."

>

> All the surrounding mucles (lower back, hamstrings) are working

overtime to

> compensate and, as a result, are straining and......pain. All

pretty basic

> stuff that we've heard before. It seems that my chiropracter has

managed to

> eliminate the pelvis pain (and, to some degree, brought my pelvis

somewhat

> closer to proper alignment) but he hasn't brought perfect alignment

by any

> 'stretch' (heh).

>

> NOW - He was almost evangelical about the success rate in the use of

> ORTHOTICS to rectify pelvis mis-alignments, and suggested a highly

respected

> podiatrist in my area. Slipping an orthotic in-sole under my left

foot would

> supposedly bring my 'high' right pelvis lower down and correct the

> alignment, thus allowing the over-working muscles to go about their

normal

> business and heal. He mentioned that it would initially be very

painful

> (first 2-3 months) but would eventually sort my missalignment out.

>

> This kinda has some sort of parrallel with ashtanga in that, to

some extent,

> we are working on re-aligning the body and rectifying muscular and

> structural imbalance. Practioners often go on about 'working

through' the

> pain in ashtanga (NOT working through injury though!) as something

is

> moving, something is re-connecting, something is moving back into

its proper

> position.

>

> My question is: Orthotics or NOT-thotics? I'm guessing that a

programme of

> orthotics combined with a strong ashtange practice may well be the

best way.

> My reasons are obvious:

>

> 1. I don't want to quit my practice and completely rely on

orthotics.

> 2. I also don't want to keep up my practice without some other kind

of

> external bodywork/mechanical adjustment alongside it.

>

> With respect to my second point, I feel my mis-alignment too great

to rely

> soley on ashtanga to rectify - it may well be too painful and I may

do more

> harm and injury to those afore-mentioned points of soreness/pain.

We're

> talking about a general right-to-left misalignment which is

concentrated at

> a vital body-area, and not some minor misalignment which ashtanga

would

> normally rectify. Sure, ashtanga may well cure my mis-alignment but

it may

> take 10 years of pain and endurance. Don't get me wrong, I'm in

this for the

> long haul (ashtanga is definately no quick-fix routine) and

understand some

> kind of discomfort is part and parcel of the routine. But maybe I

need some

> kind help here?

>

> I dug up some info from yoga texts on this and found an inspring

comment

> from BB Birch when discussing the application of orthotics and long-

term

> solutions to postural imbalance and mis-alignment:

>

> "Ideally, astanga yoga would be prescribed along with every set of

> orthotics, slowly taking over the process of long-term

restructuring begun

> by the orthotics."

>

> Any thoughts, experiences with orthotics?

>

> Sorry for long post,

> prima