SI joint dysfunction, ligament laxity, TMS

Interesting thread here. I haven't gone through pregnancy (likely because I'm a guy ), but I do have a situation where my right hip is about 9mm lower than my left hip. This has, I think, resulted in a functionally shorter right leg and apparently (according to PTs and chiropractors) is a cause of my butt/back/hip/foot/neck pain.

ng88 - when you said that your pain has improved, is that in situations where one of your hips is still lower than the other, but you just don't have pain because you've done the SEP? Or you actually feel the hips to be aligned because of working on the SEP when you're not in pain?

 

Hello,

Yeah my hip re-aligns itself without any adjustments and my pain goes away. I followed SEP, and continue to journal if I have a flare up. This is my first flare up ... it's been a week and I'm improving. I think I should be back pain free in another week fingers crossed. It's so important to continue proper mental health/stress management practices even if you're improving. My hip gets so out of position that i can stand on one leg and my other leg isn't touching the floor and it resolves itself. Crazy.

 

I posted on this thread before - check it out. I did have a mis-alignment in my hip, with my legs diligently measured by the chiropractors and up to 1 inch difference in length documented on many occasions. I now still feel the misalignment, on occasion, and small pains here and there, but never that overwhelming debilitating pain that I had for years. And, mind you, I now do crazy things that I would be scared to do before, such as Zumba, which really tests your ability to shake your butt to the hip-hop beat.

 

Thanks. So basically a combination of pushing yourself to do things you didn't normally think you'd be capable of doing (like backpacking in your case) and meditation helped get you to a point where your pain was better? I'd also love to do Zumba, but am a ways from it right now.

 

It actually happened in the reverse order. I tried to push myself first and meditate as a secondary measure, but I wasn't getting anywhere. I had to pull back many times and scale down my exercise. For a while, I had flare ups, but as i was working on healing my nervous system, I tried a little bit again and again. You have to learn to respect your body and listen to your mind. Only when I stopped setting timeline on recovery, it started happening. Be patient.

 

Great points about respecting the body and realizing when it's saying 'no'. I often have the same problem of settings goals, like, "I want to be able to sit cross-legged in 3 weeks from now w/o pain" (I have pain in my hip/butt when I extend my hips out beyond a certain point). I realized though that setting goals/timelines was putting too much pressure on my body. As part of one of my journaling exercises, I wrote a letter to my physical body, asking 'it' how it felt about me setting goals and timelines. The response I got was to listen to it. It would tell me when it felt ready and when it didn't and how much it felt ready for. I still find it a bit hard to draw the line between not having any timelines and having at-least some measurable ways of convincing myself that I'm getting better.

But I suppose that's not how the body works. I think it works on its terms and I need to respect it, which might involve, like you said, listening to my body and adjusting the exercises to suit how it feels at that time.

I'm happy that you're living mostly pain free. It's incredible that you're managing to do that with all that you've mentioned about your hip mis-alignment. Thanks for coming here and helping us with your story!

 

While I haven't been diagnosed with anything. My pt said a very similar thing in that my back muscles are tight twisting my pelvis out of alignment which made my left leg longer.

This caused a improper gait which caused my foot pain initially and 3 or 4 months later caused lower back hip pelvic pain symptoms?

Interesting enough after I saw the urologist after waiting for 6 months. Everything checked out okay pshyically (ultrasound and cystoscopy were good ) he just said that my urethera ha alittle marrow but I haven't had much issue to that really. But my back pain has been worse recently hmmm.


I haven't quite started the tms work yet but I want to as even my gp and therapist both think its anxiety and a mind body issue.

 

I think that makes sense. I've had situations where I hurt my back and that pain radiates into my glutes, hip and feet, likely because my back muscles are tight and guarded and sometimes small things can throw it off. Knowing that I can calm my muscles using TMS techniques is helpful in times like these.

 

My therapist was telling me about mindbody connection with pain.

She was like it sounds crazy and I said no it's not at all it makes sense.

So I'm trying some mindfulness meditation to help re train my brain to think positively.

 

@TG957 and @ng88 - did you use any kind of orthotics during your healing process and if so, how was it? I got custom orthotics made recently and the PT I'm working with is strongly suggesting I wear them to help the hip re-align. I'm hesitant about it, partially because I don't think I need those to help the hip align itself and that the hip muscles can, over time with help from the SEP program, heal themselves. However, I wonder if using the orthotics might speed up the healing process by giving the hip extra support...so not sure what to do. Curious how it worked for you, if you tried it. thanks.

 

I can’t speak to the healing process but do your feet pronate? I don’t need orthotics for chronic pain, but I do pronate badly and roll my ankles without them...

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, my feet do pronate and I've used orthotics in the past (last year, before I started the TMS program) and they helped a bit with foot pain, but now I got new orthotics that apparently are supposed to be better. I think they're helping me when I go for hikes but not sure about other times. I think I might wear them for hiking but maybe not otherwise...

 

I'm also wondering if orthdics are needed for plantar fasciitis as I've read that most shoes nowadays are actually have more then enough support for your arches and heels etc. But these doctors are all saying how all the new nikes Adidas etc have awful support and you need to buy their certain shoes they sell...

Any thoughts on that ?

 

I had mixed results with orthotics. I use orthopedic insoles for hiking, simply to put less strain on my joints. Each time I used specialized orthotics for bunions or for Morton's neuroma - it was a waste of money and my time. I also learned that worn out shoes are not good for my knees and feet. I used to do aerobics a lot. At some point I started having severe pain in my legs. Instructor looked at my shoes and told me to take them to the dumpster. I never had that pain again.

 

A bit late to this thread, but I just joined. I have/had all the issues you mentioned...but I'm a guy so obviously have not gone through pregnancy. But I heard all those phrases...ligament laxity, twisted pelvis, si joint dysfunction, leg length discrepancy, plus I have herniated discs. Like you I felt my body was off and crooked. I couldn't walk well. I was going crazy researching the SI joint on the internet, and made more crazy by the fact that depending on the Dr. I saw, I heard a different diagnosis. Sometimes it was my disc causing it, sometimes my SI Joint, sometimes my tight psoas, sometimes my weak glutes. It wasn't until I saw a SOTO chiropractor who said, with authority, its not your SI Joint, but couldn't tell what was causing pain. Only then did I decide enough is enough. I went the Sarno route. I had been down this route before, but only half way. This time I went all in. Symptoms have gone away in 3 weeks. I can feel them wanting to come back, but now I have tools. My body feels aligned, loose, and strong. I fired the chiropractor today (although I thank her for her honest assessment).