Overview:
-69-year-old semi-active female with many alignment issues
-written 10 sessions in
-ReaLine® devices used: Core, Balance Shoes (Knee), Leg press
I am a 69-year-old, reasonably fit and active woman. I have scoliosis on my right side, and my right foot turns outwards at an abnormal angle due to a leg and ankle fracture almost 50 years ago. The rest of my body has been compensating for these deformities for a long time. Some of the compensations created postural and movement problems throughout my adult life, including a bow-legged walk. When I would try to stand with my feet parallel and pointed straight ahead, my whole right side from leg to back felt pulled and strained as if I were forcing the leg into a very pigeon-toed position. By early middle age I started to experience intermittent knee and back problems, forcing me to give up tennis and other activities that required proper leg alignment. With the help of regular massage therapy, physio and heavy-duty orthotics I was able to keep active with walking, swimming, biking and hiking; however, I found that walking was becoming more and more uncomfortable with age. I knew that a lot of the problems stemmed from the bow-legged walk and poor standing posture, which exerted undue pressure on my knee joints; however, I thought nothing could be done about this due to the structural deformity of my foot turning outward, which made it seemingly impossible to align my knees over my feet.
When I started training with Naomi, I learned that by focusing my mind on alignment work I could correct my faulty alignment in spite of my deformities. This involved cultivating control and strength in certain muscles (hamstrings, glutes, core) and developing proper posture and movement habits. After the first session with the Realine “leg press” equipment, I was amazed to find that I could stand comfortably with my feet parallel and pointed straight ahead. My walk wasn’t bowlegged. I could even stay balanced standing on my right foot alone with the toes pointing straight ahead, which I hadn’t been able to do since the fracture. Of course these “miraculous” effects wore off after a few hours; but each time I trained, the effects lasted longer. After about 2 months of weekly sessions with Naomi and her special Realine equipment, I was able to walk and stand naturally all the time with correct alignment and both feet pointed straight ahead without discomfort. The angle of the foot itself hasn’t changed in the resting position; but when standing and walking, my mind and all the relevant muscles now work together naturally to keep everything properly and comfortably aligned over the foot. After almost 50 years of incorrect compensation I still have areas to work on, but I now feel much more confident about avoiding joint and mobility problems as I age.