Need a gentle exercise

[Tux]

I have several injuries throughout my body, most of which I am sure will heal with proper care, however there is one main injury that I'm having a very hard time healing: It's a "chronic" sprain to my ankle--lemme give you the lowdown. Sprained in june 07, never saw a doctor, sort of healed, resprained in june 08, backpacked in europe with immense pain from august to october 08, and ever since then I've been limping around trying mostly physical therapy and Feldenkrais. The healing has been incredibly slow and sometimes it seems like I've made very little progress.

 

Obviously I haven't been too kind to myself, I've been very self destructive. Luckily though, I've come to find out a bit about Taoism and the healing arts, and I've read quite a bit about Tai Chi lately. Tai chi is something I aspire to, but the Yang form, which seems to be all I can find around here, seems like it would be too much for my lower body, which is unbalanced and hurting right now.

 

So, are there any exercises--any kind of gentle yoga or qi gong routines or anything that anyone would recommend for someone with a real will to realign and heal their body? I need to be gentle.

 

I'm also open to herbal or diet suggestions, or anything really, that anyone thinks would help in the healing of connective tissues.

 

Also I live in Sonoma County, California, so if anyone happens to know of a very good healer or TCM doctor in the area, I'd appreciate it! I am planning on going to the AICM in Berkeley as soon as I can--has anyone been there and how is the community acupuncture clinic?

 

Oh yeah, all the doctors I've seen about this say that it's mostly a neurological thing that my right foot (the one which has been so abused), is cramped and unbalanced. "A little pronation too" I heard. I'm sure some meditation would do me a universe of good.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Tux

[Eric23]

Zhang zhuang is one possiblity. My concern with this standing form is that it puts a fair amount of pressure on the ankles. If done correctly, it strengthens and re-aligns very effectively. Because you simply (well not quite) stand still, it is a nice time to quite the mind too. You might also look for a "restorative" yoga class in your area, be sure to discuss your issues with the teacher.

[Aetherous]

So, are there any exercises--any kind of gentle yoga or qi gong routines or anything that anyone would recommend for someone with a real will to realign and heal their body? I need to be gentle.

 

Primordial Qigong! It is really great. The hardest thing it requires is briefly shifting your weight from one leg to another.

 

I would also work on strengthening and mobilizing your ankle. Get some rubber band material from physical therapy supply, and go through the different ranges of motion (plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, eversion). Then do some light stretching, to the point where you just begin to feel the stretch.

[Sloppy Zhang]

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong. The book is a little pricey, but the exercises are simple, low impact, and will allow you to feel your own energy in no time, which is crucial for any further work in Taoist energy work or self healing.

[freeform]

I highly recommend Intuflow [link].

 

Supplemented with X-Factor Butter Oil and good quality Cod Liver Oil (taken together).

 

Lots of green, leafy vegetables (kale!) along with above would be perfect.

 

And learn qi gong from a teacher.

 

[sasblamthanb]

I highly recommend Intuflow [link].

 

Supplemented with X-Factor Butter Oil and good quality Cod Liver Oil (taken together).

 

Lots of green, leafy vegetables (kale!) along with above would be perfect.

 

And learn qi gong from a teacher.

 

 

++1

 

Good post... especially re the Intu-Flow (or zHealth R-Phase) in the AM

Also, consider Sonnon's Presara type yoga for PM and post workouts

 

Whatever gentle exercise you end up doing for the ankle - remember to go gently to the pain and not throught the pain and gradually you will be able to go further and further and put more stress on the area again....

 

hth

 

freeform, is there a best time of year to order the X Factor 'butter'?

[Creation]

The first two levels of intflow (out of four) are free on Sonnon's youtube, if you want to try it out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/thermaxgym

Search for"intuflow joint mobility".

[Ryan T.]

I have several injuries throughout my body, most of which I am sure will heal with proper care, however there is one main injury that I'm having a very hard time healing: It's a "chronic" sprain to my ankle--lemme give you the lowdown. Sprained in june 07, never saw a doctor, sort of healed, resprained in june 08, backpacked in europe with immense pain from august to october 08, and ever since then I've been limping around trying mostly physical therapy and Feldenkrais. The healing has been incredibly slow and sometimes it seems like I've made very little progress.

 

Tai Chi for sure.

 

Plus, MBTs might help with your recovery process as well.

[freeform]

freeform, is there a best time of year to order the X Factor 'butter'?

 

It's a butter 'oil' - so all milk proteins are removed - basically its shelf-life is indefinite, so there's probably not a specific season that's best... If buying actual unpasteurised butter from grass fed cows late spring would probably be best.

 

The butter oil is expensive - but good in combination with cod liver oil - especially for ligament, bone, joint problems.

 

Yes to going to the pain rather than through - very important!

 

Also balancing the rest of the body is key - having a long-term injury creates lots of compensatory tensions all over the body - concentrating just on the ankle would be too specific.

 

The first two levels of intflow (out of four) are free on Sonnon's youtube,

 

Cool!! I didn't know that. It's a deceptively powerful program - if done with some awareness and in combination with qi gong, it does a lot more than oil the joints.

Edited February 22, 2010 by freeform

[balance.]

Have you considered seeing someone qualified in myofascial release/trigger point therapy/or reflexology? Especially with something as your describing, the pain could be coming from certain muscle groups being far too tight and just needing releasing (relaxing)...

 

If you run your hands over different muscle groups on your body, you'll be able to feel the difference (between loose and tight muscles) yourself and see if perhaps this may be something that you could benefit from... Tight muscles, besides feeling hard to the touch, will feel as if they are rough or covered with small grains of rice... If you rub these out (pardon the parlance) you'll feel the muscle begin to smooth and relax. Relaxed/Healthy muscle will feel soft and pliable... In this way, you can begin to work your way deeper into your body from the surface down, slowly releasing the tension in the muscles and allowing your body to perform at its best.

 

Be wary of using too much pressure... while it may feel good at times, it is not beneficial, and can actually make things worse. Often, with your mind properly focused on the muscle and the tension, the lightest sustained pressure is all you need to begin to release these muscles.

 

In terms of trigger-points, you may find in your exploration that you come to a particular point that feels particularly painful/sensitive and radiates pain to another point in your body... These are areas where great amounts of tension have been built up... Using *very* gentle pressure, and for no more than 8 seconds, you can press on these points to begin to open up areas in your body. If you feel the point hurting more, back off and return to it later. If you release these points properly and are in tune with your body, you can feel these blockages being swept away, circulation returning to these areas... You'll also notice that these areas feel lighter than before...

 

This is nothing but the briefest of overviews, but I think it's enough for you to do some testing (should you choose to) on your own to see if you can finesse some harmony back into your ankle. Books are also enormously helpful in this regard, though nothing beats seeing a trained professional.

 

good luck.

[balance.]

Oh, and in terms of supplements that the active individual may benefit from... Here are a few that I swear by... Pertinent information is easily located on most of these.

 

 

MSM --- Methylsulfonylmethane.... joints/connectivity/muscle

Fish Oil --- Hopefully you're taking this already

Shou Wu Formulation --- Look up Dragon Herbs/Ron Teeguarden... Best IMO.

 

Duanwood Reishi -- Also Dragon Herbs... This one doesn't target the active individual necessarily... Just overall well-being.

[Tactile]

Well I'm mostly gonna add to what others have already been suggesting. Intuflow would be just great for you I believe (you might want to check demonoid or youtube if you're feeling poor ..)

 

Also, for trigger point massage, which is also invaluable for problems like this, you can find an inexpensive self-help book on amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266879084&sr=8-1

 

For diet I the best thing (as always) would be to eliminate the major crap that drives inflammation ie. grains (especially wheat), sugar and vegetable oils exept for EV olive oil and EV coconut oil and maybe a little some other cold pressed seed oils. Also make sure that your animal products (if you eat them) come from clean sources.

 

Good luck with helping yourself.

[Tux]

Thanks for all the information! Intuflow looks pretty interesting. I got somewhat in depth with Feldenkrais, which is the first thing I've done in years that really got me back in touch with my body, and once I got a taste, like it or not, i needed more. Now I've learned to like it and it's not so bad...such is the nature of truly good things sometimes. I mention Feldenkrais because of what Balance pointed out about releasing pressure/tense areas. There's definitely some over and under working muscles in my body--couple my cripple-ness with the fact that I ride my bike daily without any real exercise to counter the muscle buildup in the inner thighs/knees, and ta da! Recipe for somethin not-too-great.

 

I have another question that's been bugging me since I started researching joint rehabilitation: It seems like there's a whole array of opinions on wether or not articular cartilage can be grown back. Does it not grow back at all? That one I have a hard time believing, in spite of the prevailing view that it's the case. Does it grow back very slowly as long as one engages in low-impact exercises and has the proper diet? Recently a team of scientists designed some kind of nano-treatment that stimulates the stem cells in bones to actually grow new, natural cartilage. Not the scar tissue-type stuff, either. The real, collagen thing. This leads me to believe that focusing ones' intent on the repair of cartilage could possibly produce the same effects.

 

What do you all say about that? I mean, what do you think cartilage can do? I've seen some lofty advertising claims for things like MSM, glucosamine and chrondoitin. I've read about regrowing knee cartilage with some modified Edgar Cayce-type castor oil pack treatment. Knee cartilage almost seems to be an accepted exception to the non-growing cartilage rule that dominates information on the subject. Does nutrition even really matter so much when emotions seem to play the biggest role? That's more of a broad question I guess. Insights? Comments? Complaints?

[Tux]

Cool avatar by the way, Balance. I love Sun Ra. Ever heard the album Nuclear War?

[Mal]

Luckily though, I've come to find out a bit about Taoism and the healing arts, and I've read quite a bit about Tai Chi lately. Tai chi is something I aspire to, but the Yang form, which seems to be all I can find around here, seems like it would be too much for my lower body, which is unbalanced and hurting right now.

 

Tai Chi can be surprisingly taxing for many people, especially in the beginning.

 

My Dad basically can't walk for more than 10 min now and Tai Chi is too much for his knees. But he didn't practice it enough to be able to get to the benefits IMHO. However he has tried a few times over the past few years, but it just never "clicked" for him. It's hard to be in a class where 80yo ladies can move better than you.

 

But I've helped out at the local hospitals chronic pain clinic and gotten some clients who could barely walk or move their arms into Tai Chi. It can be very difficult and they need a teacher who can help them to do what they can and not feel pressured to do the moves "correctly" It takes a long time but those who have just tried their best over the years have improved and found greater freedom of movement and reduced pain.

 

So don't think you can't do it if you want to

[balance.]

How nice to run into another Sun Ra appreciator... His brand of truth certainly isn't for everyone haha... And thank you (for the compliment), I enjoy it as well.

 

As far as "Nuclear War", I am indeed familiar with it.. Though I must say I prefer Ra's early sixties to mid seventies work the best.... Through perhaps "Space is the Place" .... That's not to say 'Nuclear' doesn't hold a place in my heart... It receives playtime when I'm looking to unhinge, but still maintain some grip on the real... To me, "Nuclear.." feels more tangible (Granted, this is still Sun Ra) than his earlier work... a little more solid form... But don't interpret those as negative evaluations, it is the 80's after all.. and to look at what Ra is doing in the face of Flock of Seagulls and all the rest is still remarkable.. That guy truly marched to the beat of his own drum... Anyway, I feel if you enjoy Ra, you can dig all of his work on some level... But we all have our favorites. The world wouldn't be a very interesting place without some variety.. Or without Sun Ra for that matter.

 

Anyway, best of luck on the recovery, and keep those interstellar vibrations going.

Edited February 23, 2010 by balance.

[sasblamthanb]

Balance,

re Have you considered seeing someone qualified in myofascial release/trigger point therapy/or reflexology? Especially with something as your describing, the pain could be coming from certain muscle groups being far too tight and just needing releasing (relaxing)...

Myofascial release therapy may be a great catalyst to move him further along from where he is now, and thus be a net positive on the path ( provided hes lucky enough to find one of the small percentage of therapists who is actually good). Definitely not saying its bad advice - it may be precisely what is needed right now. But in my experience the releasing (relaxing) is only temporary. Practicing all three wings of Sonnons CST will accomplish the same and take one to much deeper and more lasting results with myofascial tensegrity and also build in pre-hab for the future challenges.

All the best

Edited February 24, 2010 by sasblamthanb

[forestofclarity]

I broke down and tried Intu-Flow yesterday. I had a hard PT day with a lot of aches.

Because you can try it for

, I couldn't resist trying it. I liked it so much I ordered the DVD. We'll see what happens.

[balance.]

[Ya Mu]

I have several injuries throughout my body, most of which I am sure will heal with proper care, however there is one main injury that I'm having a very hard time healing: It's a "chronic" sprain to my ankle--lemme give you the lowdown. Sprained in june 07, never saw a doctor, sort of healed, resprained in june 08, backpacked in europe with immense pain from august to october 08, and ever since then I've been limping around trying mostly physical therapy and Feldenkrais. The healing has been incredibly slow and sometimes it seems like I've made very little progress.

 

Obviously I haven't been too kind to myself, I've been very self destructive. Luckily though, I've come to find out a bit about Taoism and the healing arts, and I've read quite a bit about Tai Chi lately. Tai chi is something I aspire to, but the Yang form, which seems to be all I can find around here, seems like it would be too much for my lower body, which is unbalanced and hurting right now.

 

So, are there any exercises--any kind of gentle yoga or qi gong routines or anything that anyone would recommend for someone with a real will to realign and heal their body? I need to be gentle.

 

I'm also open to herbal or diet suggestions, or anything really, that anyone thinks would help in the healing of connective tissues.

 

Also I live in Sonoma County, California, so if anyone happens to know of a very good healer or TCM doctor in the area, I'd appreciate it! I am planning on going to the AICM in Berkeley as soon as I can--has anyone been there and how is the community acupuncture clinic?

 

Oh yeah, all the doctors I've seen about this say that it's mostly a neurological thing that my right foot (the one which has been so abused), is cramped and unbalanced. "A little pronation too" I heard. I'm sure some meditation would do me a universe of good.

 

You need some Chinese manual therapy. Don't know where you are but if you could make it by my clinic in Missouri I can and will help you with this. I offer guaranteed pain relief or no fee. Most types of exercise are only going to aggravate this type of injury. Some specific ones may help but without palpation I wouldn't recommend any particular thing.