Working on Walking

I saw my Osteopath yesterday (change from physio) because I was getting some sciatic symptoms on the left leg. I imagined this was a partial result of the new hip exercises and work given to me by my physio, but it was going to be much easier and quicker for me to see the osteo, who is lovely, like my physio.

The osteo noticed similar things about my hips to the physio and said that periformis was massively overworking and that my glut max and other gluteals were doing very little. He watched me performing some developes and other movements and then worked on my gluteals and some of the discs in my spine which had become irritated and in some pain - notably L2/3.

After this I was given two new exercises which complement and take further the exercises I was recently given by my physio. One involves pointing my foot around the face of the clock so for right leg pointing at 1pm, 3pm 5pm etc and left leg at 11, 9, 8 etc. I have to do the left leg twice over because it is not as good as the right one. The second exercise involves forward lunges ensuring I rotate my trunk and use my hips and that my knees are pointing medially with my head straight forward. Again I have to do more reps with the left leg in extension as it is not tracking as naturally or correctly as the right leg.

Following doing all my physio and osteo exercises I went on a walk and was really focusing on keeping my left leg tracking medially, rotating in my trunk and swinging my arms and then using my hips and toeing off. It was a lot to think about - it is amazing just how complex walking is as a movement pattern. By the end of the walk (about an hour) my TFL and adductors had really had enough, but I could feel my trunk working properly and some hip hitching and rotation movement. I then did some adductor stretches and then was really annoyed at how tight my hamstrings felt!

I am now quite fatigued, but that was a lot of new movement patterning. Think my spine, adductors and hips will be rather sore - just more training pain!

It is interesting seeing two different therapists of two different disciplines, but even though they don't know each other they seem to complement each other very well. I would love some Bowen too at some point!