11.5 weeks

So it has been 11.5 weeks now since I began doing my Egoscue Esizes. I have done them every day, except for a 5 day period in March when my mother was sick and passed away. I would say I am walking about 80% better now than before I started my Esizes. From time to time, I will move the wrong way and my hip acts up, but most of the time it doesn't hurt and my limp is minimal. I am planning to send in another set of photos to Deb, my postural alignment specialist, for a reassessment and a new exercise menu.

I have been taking a CVS brand of glucosimine / condroitin which I bought at a 2 for 1 sale. Today I started taking a different brand, Osteo Bi-Flex. We will see if I see any marked difference. To my way of thinking the jury is still out on whether this supplement is helping my hip or not. My next step is to try some chicken cartilage and see if that works better.

Week 6

I have been doing my Egoscue exercises every day for the past 6 weeks. Although it is subjective, I feel I am walking 75% better now than when I began the exercises. Most days, my limp is minimal, where before my limp would often slow me to a snail's pace. I notice that if I lift and carry heavy objects or move my right leg in certain directions, it bothers my hip and I start limping again. Each day after I finish my exercises, I walk normally with little or no limp. I believe the Egoscue method has been a success for me so far.

Last week I went to my chiropractor. I did have a vertebrae out of place in my lower back, which he adjusted back where it belongs. I can now do the 'Cats and Dogs' exercise, which bothered my lower back previously. I am still very careful when I do the 'Kneeling counter stretch' because I think that is how I threw out my back to begin with.

I'm continuing with my core integrated walking as well. This method of walking takes some time to integrate into everyday walking. I have been doing floor exercises to ingrain the method into my muscle memory, but it takes awhile. In some ways it is like learning how to walk all over again. If I am walking slowly, I can do the core integrated walking most of the time. When I try to walk at a normal speed, I start to lose the rhythm. I know I'll get it eventually.

Core Integrated Walking

I had ordered Josef Dellgrotte's walking DVD last Sunday and it arrived yesterday. I watched the 80 minute video last night and started doing some of the practice exercises both standing and on the floor. The basic idea is that when you push off on one leg, your opposite hip, ribs and shoulder move upwards and to the rear. This motion stretches out your body and lifts your spine, helping to maintain good posture. The instructional video is filled with exercises to teach your body and brain to move in this way. It does require practice to walk this way. But even the little walking I have done using his technique, has almost eliminated my limp from my bad right hip. A short introduction to this walking style can be viewed here.

My experiment with ACV is going well. I drink my glass of ACV in water late morning and I have been looking forward to it each day. I rinse my mouth out with fresh water afterwards, to remove any acid from my teeth. I haven't seen any effects yet.

Early next week it will be 4 weeks that I have been doing my Egoscue exercises and that I have been taking glucosamine/condroiton. I understand it takes a minimum of 4 weeks before this supplement kicks in, so hopefully I'll see some positive results soon. I have noticed that when I stand now, my weight is equal on both feet, so I think Egoscue is helping in that area too.

ACV and core walking

I've been doing my e-cises at least once every day.

I read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar for treating arthritis, so I bought some yesterday and started using it. I put 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a 8 ounce glass of water and chug it down. I'll work my way up to 2 tablespoons. It's a bit tart but not too bad. I read that some people add the vinegar to a bottle of water and sip it throughout the day, but I have also heard this can be bad for your teeth because the acidic vinegar softens the enamel. So I'll stick to chugging it!

My friend told me about Dr Josef Dellagrotte and his core walking technique. It is a natural method of walking where you spirally elongate your upper body as you walk. I've been trying this walking technique around the house today, and I seem to have less hip pain and limping by walking this way.

End of week two

Yesterday was the end of my 2nd week on the Egoscue method. I have been doing the exercises religiously every morning and sometimes repeating them at night. I went a little too hard on the kneeling counter stretch and tweaked my lower back slightly. The key is to get into position and let gravity do the work. I tried to help gravity and that was not good. My back is feeling better now. I am up to about 90 seconds on the air bench exercise; I am building up to 2 minutes. My hip has not gotten any worse so that is a good thing.

End of my first week

As of today, I have been doing my Egoscue exercises for one week. Most days I have done them both in the morning and at night, although I only need to do them in the morning. My legs are a little sore from some of the exercises, especially the air bench, which I have only been able to do for about a minute; I am supposed to work up to 2 minutes. I have noticed a definite improvement in my walking. Although this is highly subjective, I think I am limping 50% less than before and when I do limp, it is a much smaller limp than before. I don't have the time to ride the exercise bike in the morning, but I have been riding it for 5 minutes at night to loosen up my hip.

So at the end of week 1, I give the Egoscue method a 2 thumbs up.

Other things I am doing

I have been doing Scott Sonnon's joint lubrication exercises for my hip for a couple of weeks now. They are very simple exercises and the intent is to flush the joint with synovial fluid for nourishment and to remove inflammation.

I have also just started riding the exercise bike for 5 minutes morning and night to keep the hip joint moving. I understand that lack of movement is the worse thing for arthritis.