Five physical therapists, two chiropractors, and two massage therapists. All of these individuals are highly trained in treating injuries. All of these individuals have years of experience helping athletes get back to doing what they love to do.
Unfortunately, none of them could help me.
As I mentioned in previous posts months ago, I have been dealing with hip and neck pain during running for over five years. Some of the therapists that I have seen focused more on my upper back and told me that I needed to engage in strengthening exercises.
Some focused more on my hip and told me that the lack of strength in my glute muscles contributed to my hip and lower back pain. Nothing has been able to get me back to where I was as a college runner.
However, I am excited about a new opportunity: The Egoscue Method.
I first learned of The Egoscue Method while reading the LetsRun.com message board about a month ago. In one of the threads, an individual asked for any recommendations related to pain from one hip being higher than the other. One of the posters suggested looking into the Egoscue Method to help eliminate muscle imbalances.
After doing a bit of research, I learned that the founder of the Egoscue Method, Pete Egoscue, believes that people with postural dysfunctions generally fall into three different categories: Condition 1, Condition 2, and Condition 3.
Condition I Posture: This posture is generally caused by tight hip flexors. Common traits of this posture include:
- Forward pelvic tilt (increased arch in back);
- One or both feet pointed outward; and
- Head tilted forward and down.
Condition II Posture: This posture has the issues of Condition 1 plus a rotational dysfunction:
- Hip and/or shoulder rotation;
- One hip higher and/or more rotated than the other;
- Uneven position of hands, knees, or feet.
Condition III Posture: This posture is the most serious of the three. Commons traits are:
- Posterior pelvic tilt
- C-curve of spine
- Forward rounding shoulders and head that tilts forward.
With my forwardly rotated right shoulder left hip, I clearly fall into Condition 2. From my Google searching, I learned about a specific menu of exercises that are designed to address the muscle imbalances and movement dysfunctions for Condition 2. I performed these exercises religiously for two weeks.
In a short period of time, I achieved a level of pain relief in my hip and upper back that I had not had with all of the physical therapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists.
Excited about a new opportunity to get back to running pain-free, I contacted one of the top Egoscue therapists in the nation, Matt Whitehead of Oregon Exercise Therapy and signed up for eight therapy sessions. After reviewing pictures of my posture and my injury history, Matt provided me with a menu of exercises to target my imbalances.
In the coming weeks, I will share my experience with Egoscue and provide updates about whether it helps relieve the running injuries I’ve been dealing with for five years. Stayed tuned.
Visit Oregon Exercise Therapy for more information about the Egoscue Method.
Disclaimer: This post is part of a collaboration with Oregon Exercise Therapy. All opinions are my own.
