Hi Gary!
My body is ravaged with imbalances.
The main problems show at the hip, abductors one the left side and adductors on the right, both with tightness.
The adductor tightness seems to be linked to tightness in the tibialis posterior on the same side.
I have attached 2 pictures to show problems including bowed legs and pronation.
I have tried alot of workouts and seemingly everything apart from custom orthotics.
My theory is that "toe sitting" could have caused my pronation, ie sitting in chairs with only the toes on the floor instead of the whole foot.
Do you agree?
I first found it almost impossible to sit with the feet flat on the floor while trying to fix this, and think I have stretched out my arches?
If you agree, do you think stopping it would fix things?
Many thanks in advance!
Brian
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Gary Moller comments:
Brian,
Your legs look remarkably like some I have seen recently with similar problems with chronic iliotibial band pain and have had good success with.
First of all, if you are having treatment by a health professional, please discuss my comments with that person and take heed of their advice. What I am about to say is making a number of assumptions based on other cases and how relevant this is for you is uncertain, given the limited information I have to go by. I am about to make some big assumptions and am doing so in the hope that at least one or two will be relevant and helpful for you and others.
I am sure that examination of your muscles will indicate chronic hypertonic muscles (Tense and sore that do like being pressed). While this problem may be most obvious in the muscles on the outsides of the legs and buttocks, you will find this is general, including the calves, feet, neck, shoulders and arms. If one was to press on the most affected areas, there would be intense pain and the muscles would appear hard and unforgiving. As in the photos, there may be lack of muscle definition and some muscles may appear to have wasted causing muscle imbalances such as you describe. In your case, you are indicating loss of muscle that opposes the outer thighs and abductors, causing the appearance of being bow-legged. There may also be early signs of knee joint arthritis.
If we were to test your blood pressure, it may be higher than 120/80. This is because of the many hard muscles making the heart work hard to circulate blood, plus the associated stressful lifestyle that seems to go hand in hand with this.
If we were to measure your body PH it may be acidic, due to the toxic buildup of lactate and other metabolic by-products in the muscles due to poor oxygenation. These leak into the general circulation causing an overall frop in body PH.
You may be leading a stressful lifestyle that causes and exacerbates muscle tension, poor circulation and the buildup of metabolic toxins. You may be an athlete who has pushed himself too hard in training and racing with not enough rest. Ultra-marathons and Iron Man races are good at producing the kind of sporting casualty I am describing.
You may feel dead tired during the day, craving mid afternoon naps. You may rely on sugar, chocolate, sports drinks and coffee to get through the day and during training and competition. Your sex life may not be quite as hot as it used to be.
The appearance in the photos you supplied is of legs that are ravaged with muscle tension and very tight fascia sheaths that constrict the muscle bellies and tendons.
So what's the solution:
Massage to soften the muscles and fascia and to release any myofascia adhesions.
Each session takes about an hour, is painful and should be repeated every 4-5 days. This can be very painful; but should be more bearable with successive sessions as the muscles become healthy and toxins are eliminated. You may even feel a little ill after the first few sessions as huge volumes of metabolic toxins are released from the muscles into the blood stream where the liver and kidneys must work hard to eliminate them. By about the 4th session, you should notice that the muscles are getting softer and less painful to press. Painful trigger points will be less obvious.
If you were living in Wellington I would be able to assist with the massage. You will need to shop around carefully to find a suitable therapist in your locality.
Take several key supplements
The most important to take are vitamin C (2,000 mg/day) and natural vitamin E (1,000 mg/day) and a quality natural B complex. These assist tissue healing following the massage, and helps settle the nerves. The B and C vitamins support the liver with its extra loading while eliminating metabolic toxins.
If your body is acidic, then a calcium and magnesium supplement may assist as would one that contains potassium. These form alkaline hydroxides in the body that help neutralise acids. There are several to choose from, including the Floradix range of elixirs, Red Seal Crampbuster, Active Elements 3.1 and Bioceutical Ultra Muscleze. You can learn more about these by going here. Avoid acidic foods and excessive protein. Soft drinks, sports and energy drinks can be among the most acidic drinks you will find anywhere.
If there is any joint pain, such as affecting the knees, take a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement for three months and review progress.
I am not suggesting that you become reliant upon supplements. The idea is to follow these recommendations with discipline for about three months without fail and then to review what progress has been made and to try to identify what has worked and what has not. You then decide what to continue and what to drop and what else might be worth trying.
Are you burning body and mind from both ends?
Take a close look at your lifestyle, including work, family and sport. Are you overdoing things? When do you have real "chill-out" time? When was the last time you took a really healthy and relaxing holiday? Do you really like your job? Are you married to your work? Are you a stress addict? Are you happy at home? Do you worry about debts? Is sport an escape from harsh realities? Look at ways to progressively de-stress your life.
To stretch or not to stretch
If you have hard, painful knots in your muscles then you should not over stretch. Do only gentle stretching. Excessive stretching will not lengthen the hard bits; it will overstretch and damage the margins where healthy soft tissue merges with hard unhealthy gristle. Over time, stretching will extend the gristle the length of the muscle.
So, stretch gently and give time for the massage, the vitamin C and E to soften the hard muscles and gristle. You will find that flexibility improves as the muscles relax and soften.
Moderate your exercise
Take it easy for the next three months by doing only regular exercise that does not strain or exhaust the body. Give your body time to respond to the massage and supplements. As blood flow improves, toxins are eliminated and your body restores health and vitality your exercise capacity will be restored and you will quickly and effortlessly achieve new levels of performance.
