confused? yes always.

Well have not checked in for a while. Just a quick update. First I am confused again. I have a reappearing of left hip locking going on. Started a few months ago since uping my exercises routine. I have added six miles walk and three hour bike rides. But on day three after if I do not continue to exercise the left operated hip locks up. I am so confused at first I used to hurt in that hip when exercising now I hurt if I don't.
Overall I am happy that I can do more but a little confused with this new symptom.
To add to the confusion my massage therapist dumped me. His excuse is that he is having problems at home. What does that have to do with me? I am still trying to figure out. Maybe the return of tightness is because I have not got a massage in over two months???? Don't know. Only time will tell.
As for my new shoulder/neck issue, Its come and goes.

Fila sculpt and tone and their claims.

Alright I am a sucker. I finally gave in and purchased a pair of instability shoes. And the verdict is still a little sketchy. Notice the difference right away. The heel to toe roll technology brought out the inconsistency of my gait pattern. I decided to walk a mile and a half the first day I put them on. About three minutes into my walk I got my old buddy pain back that comes and go when adding new movements and challenges to my hips. It last for a few seconds and then it disappeared. At first I was a little wobbly and looked weird but finally got a knack for it. I love the stretch I received in my left calves and hamstrings. I was a little unsure about how my right ankle and feet would reacted but no problem.
The second time I wore them I went and walked my normal garage walk with Peter. I took it easy especially on the downhill walk. I thought I would get the original pain from the first time but to my surprise none. Later on I had to take them off because my big toe and the joint itself was a little painful. I realized that maybe I was not evenly distributing my body weight on all five toes. My right hip did developed a odd kind of sharp pain on the outside hip attachment  which also went away the following day.
The third time I wore them Peter encouraged me to walk faster which was challenging and did get my hip going. I also did some low squats, curtsy lunges and maybe that is why they hurt. We shall see.
I though my first P ilates class on Saturday and was so happy with the outcome. Although I was a little disappointed when none of my friends were able to make it. Later on I began feeling the same hip pain. I noticed that it is coming more from the outside hips. Feel like a combination of glutes, psoas and TFLs Hopefully it will go away. Will be seeing Peter hopefully on Monday or Friday.
So far the jury is still out on these shoes but when reading all the comments on certain web pages they are great for my issues. Will keep you updates. Happy Turkey for all those who celebrate Thanksgiving!

Shoulders and ankle pain...

Starting in May while getting my certification for Mat Pilates I began having shoulder and neck pain. At first it was only in the shoulder blades but it eventually reached my neck and top of traps. After visiting my massage guy it kind of died down a little. I noticed as well that my chest, deltoids and sides were super tight and sore to the touch. I try to stretch my chest in the door way twice a day to help alleviate the pain. I also lye horizontal on my big ball and that helps as well. And forget spending too much time on the computer.
Today I began doing some upper body resistance to see if that would help. I will let you know.
The ankle is still a mystery to me. It hurts right on the Talus bone and the pain comes and go. I can only attribute it to my reformer work and using the foot straps. The straps are really hard and I have to always be adjusting them. That's my guess. In the mean time I have cut out my garage walking and am wearing a ankle brace. I have been riding my bike but have to really pay attention to my neck and shoulder when doing so.
Ice, heat, ice , heat. Lets hope this is just a phase........

Rotators, rotators, rotators. Urghhhhhhh...

Hi all.
Happy end of summer for those of you that have kids. It seemed that this summer flew. Maybe its because I was super active this year. Have been doing my P ilates, running, swimming, biking and some resistance training. Love it when I have to peel my clothing off of me after my activities.
Symptoms and issues that I have been getting my attention since surgery are my hip rotators. Noticed that they have been really tight lately. Found an article on the web that was quite interesting. It states that the rotators are the most common problems in athletes and patients with hip problems like lab rum tears and hip replacement. Downloaded some videos from You tube that has some exercises to strengthen and stretches to release them. I have noticed a difference since. So needless to say am really excited about that.
My running did become more efficient since  as well. I hope this trend keeps going on. My right hip is still fighting to lead and it is a constant battle to keep aware of it. It wants to externally rotate all the time. My swimming has extended as well and the only problem with that is that my left shoulder tends to get tight. I also have to make sure that my neck is position properly at night otherwise my shoulder blades hurt the next  day.
Finishing I want to add that I am also looking in to Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Will give update next time I post.

New Beginnings.

So sorry have not posted in such a long time. The good news is that I am doing so much better in terms of my hip and back issues.
In my last post I talked about Pilates and that I was going to give it my last try. It rocked. I loved it so much that I decided to become an instructor. I took the Power PIlates Mat course and am now certified in Pilates from Power Pilates.
Presently my symptoms have died down a lot. Since putting pilates into my daily routine I have noticed a significant difference in my body. It truly pointed out my muscle weaknesses and flexibility issues. My core is so strong now and I move so much better. I am also back to running, biking and my swimming has become even more efficient. All from Pilates...Hooray...

Rude awakening

Well once in a while during all this hip issues I feel fortunate. Today is one of thoses days. Just came back from visiting my sweet neighbor who is battling cancer. It started out in her uterus and then spread to her brain. It does not look good. We were very happy about a month ago with the outcome of her Chemo treatments. But alas on her previous checkup they found it had return to her Uterus and they decided to do the radiation. After her first treatment she began having a lot of complication including, weakness, pain and loss of appetite. It was the most saddest thing I have witnessed in my life. To see this beautiful woman looking like she did was so sad. The saddest is to watch her husband who so adores her. In the past she was the caregiver helping him through so many problems and now he is taking care of her. I can see the love in his eyes when he looks at her. I called him this morning and found out that she is deteriorating and is still not eating or even able to stay awake.
So today I am humbled and am praying for a miracle for Sarah. She still need more time on earth to spend time with her grandkids. So I am fortunate to still be able to walk and make decisions for myself. I have a wonderful family and am truly blessed. I prayer .

Update on symptoms since doing Pilates

Well I had my second session of Pilates and felt a little less confused and overwhelm. So much to comprehend and I can  get so immerse in the technique. My instructor said not to worry too much about that and concentrate on the flow. I will admit I am a little anxious preparing because I am still guarding but feel more confident after. I think it is because her way techniques and queuing is different than most of the DVD that I have been doing.  Still have some tightness on my right side back and my ball of foot is slightly nervy but apart from that I am O.K. I have been doing my three basic movement in the morning and followed by footwork on the reformer. I even went for a bike ride for an hour with my daughter today. It felt so nice to feel the wind on my face and see the happiness on my daughters face. She loves riding with me and it is one activity besides swimming that we do together. I am praying that this will help with  balancing my body. I have always loved Pilates and was bombed when I would hurt after. As a matter of fact I was planning to move away from traditional resistance workouts in the gym to Pilates before I got hurt. I think it will be an added asset to my personal training business. No more boot camps and high impact for me. Biking, swimming, light running  and walking will be the way to go in my future.