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.

Pilates rock,getting a good instructor priceless.

Well, I finally gave in and decided to give Pilates another try. Ordered the Stotts DVds and did my first tape. Was a little scared of any movement that bends the back since reading Dr. Jolie's books. So I kept away from those. The second time I did it I put them back in and woke up the next day fine. But the following day felt tightness in the hips and back.
On Monday I went to see a Pilates instructor just to make sure I was doing the movements properly. What a class. I walked out of there feeling so good. I had an epiphany right when she told me that I should ease up on stretching and do more stabilizing exercises. She said that she used to be a yoga instructor and decided to move over to Pilates because she was constantly getting hurt. Stretching has always been a part of my routine. I am seeing her once a week. I wish I can see her twice a week but I cannot afford it. So I ask her to please show me movements that I can do first thing in the morning. I have to admit it is so much information that I am slightly confused and would just rather wait to see her again instead of trying to remember and hurting myself. But I did practice my foot routine on my reformer. So I am keeping the faith and am praying that Pilates is the link that has been missing in my routine and rehab of my back, knees and hip. Will keep you informed as I go.

Old symptoms popping up again

Well hear I go again. We have had a record year in Florida with the cold. Because of that I kind of just laid low and did not get to do my normal activities. Not an excuse but figured some time off from the gym would only be good. Not so. The left operated hip does not like that at all. It seemed to have reverse in recovery. I feel the deep ache I have been plaques with since surgery. And when sitting feels a slight impingement in the groin. And to make matters worse it certainly does not like been stretched without been warmed up. I though I was over that. My stretches are just gentle ones done in bed before getting out. Knee into chest, extensions and adduction. Now I am walking around with the sciatica nerve pain running down the back of my leg. It is quite disconcerting. I was hoping to still only deal with this frigging right. Now the right likes the rest. What is a sane person to do. Still have not got a massage and feels that it is not helping matters. So again I go back to the drawing board.
 Met with a Pilates instructor who seems to be well inform with my problems. We still have to work on imbalances in the body. Just hope I can do so with all my issues. Here they are again
1. Left hip issues still after labral tear surgery.
2. Left knee instability and alighnment issues
3. Left foot  arch problems
3. Right hip groin and leg pain
4. Right knee issues when right hip flares up
5. Right Ball of foot pain
6. Herniated S1/L5 and L5/L4

The Pain Body cycle

My husband bought up an interested point this morning. He wanted to know why when I have a drink that my pain issues subside. He thinks that my issues are in my head. What is the answer to that? He also thinks that I am depressed. I agree with that. No denying. I had to search for the right words. I told hm that drinking replaces medication. I told him that alcohol mask all pains. Physical as well as emotional. I choose to drink instead of taking meds primarily because of the side effects. I was prescribed Tramadol. I take it very infrequently and only for important events like traveling and or sleeping since it knocks you out. Now does that make it that I have no pain? He is concerned that I am not more active and that I spend a lot of time on the computer looking up hip and back cases. I am just one of those people that loves to read and learn more. I like to be informed so that when I visit a doctor I know what he is talking about. Plus it helps me to weed out the ones that just like to prescibe drugs when they do not know what to do with me.
My feeling is that I am caught up between a hip and back issue. I beleive some things that are beneficial to the hip is not for the back and vice versa. To make it even more complicated both hips do not agree with each other.
So what am I to do? Am I to accept this or should I keep trying to find answers? What would you do?
I read a great book that explains the pain body cycle and I have to agree that some of the examples are talking about me. But does the will to get better part of the pain body cycle or is it separate? I thought if I just let it be I would be giving up. 

Happy New Year, yada,yada,yada

Is it just me or is everyone just too happy and huggy in the New Year. All this niceness is too much. I am trying to figure out whats next in my agenda to pain free existence. Which can I handle better. Is it the back, hip or knee? My feelings change constantly but today I would love to do without the hip. Yes my left hip as well. Did South Beach for New Years Eve with a wedge shoe and maybe an inch of elevation and the left hip did not like it. The knee did not either but I could handle that. The left hip kind of surprised me though. It has been pretty good lately. I did take off a week or so from activities and I guess my left hip does not like it. My right on the other hand loves it. I wish they can get together and agree for once. I am pretty sure the couple songs I danced to at my sisters New Years party did not help either. The left knee lets me know right then and there," no Sloan do not do that," it said, but I guess it was too late. Oh well. Whats new.