how to realign my body

[istherelifeafter40]

I am somewhat fit, getting back to exercise after childbirth (this was 2 years ago). I am doing HIITs, iceskating, bits and bobs. No extra weight. Slowly getting back there in terms of muscle tone and the condition of the abdomen muscles

The problem is poor posture habits + history of injuries mean I am totally misaligned. I feel my entire left side is out of balance with my right side. I have had a left hip injury (labral tear), my left knee is bad, my left shoulder hurts. The left side of my back and neck are odd. Which probably means I have muscle tension to compensate and multiple problems current and future might stem from this.

Now, what to do? I am reading books on posture and working on my shoulder, back, etc. But anything more systemic, Alexander technique, or Reformer Pilates are just so expensive; they often go up to £100 for one session. How many would I realistically need... Near where I am (South London) I can get access to Reformer pilates for £130 for 5 sessions, this is only to use equipment, without training.

I can pay £100 once, to, say, an osteopath or for one consultation, but I doubt it would fix me.
Do I really need to invest thousands to realign my body or can I do it myself?
My goal would be to be painfree and progress in my iceskating (currently left side so inhibited I can't do the same tricks I can do on my right side)

Thank you for all advice

An osteopath would be ideal..nothing like £100 where I am based but of course London might be more expensive.... or an assessment by a sports physio if more affordable.
I did Alexander technique for almost 2 years and found myself even more confused as to where my 'centre' was/is!!!

My daughter is 2 and I've had similar issues with feeling a bit lop-sided, especially in my hips. It all came to a head when my back just went one day and I was in agony! I went to a physio who really really helped. He did a lot of manipulation to help realign me there and then, and prescribed lots of stretches for afterwards.

Since then I did a short course of reformer Pilates classes - I know, extremely expensive! But I felt like I really needed to take the bull by the horns and it did make me feel much better. I'm now doing matwork Pilates classes which are much more affordable.

Whereabouts in S London are you? I'm SE6 and can highly recommend the physio and Pilates teachers I used. Happy to send details if helpful.

Thanks for the answers!

@drowsy Yes, it is all the holding the daughter up on my left side I am in SW2, could drive to SE6 and around. I'd be really grateful to pointers to physio and pilate. Where did you do reformer pilates?

physio and reformer pilates

Exactly the same as me - the physio called it "mum hip" and I was very wonky!

My Pilates classes were at Catford Pilates - you can do one-on-one reformer classes. And my physio was at Back on Track in Catford.

My local library offers beginners mat work Pilates classes at £10 a class. That type of thing could start you in the right direction. There are also lots of Pilates work outs on YT for free. Pilates is designed for exactly this, and there are lots of Pilates teachers well qualified in remedial work who run classes for older people that need precise alignment and to work slowly. Reformer classes are so expensive, I wouldn’t bother with that. Just begin, and take it slowly and gently. Pilates is a rehabilitative discipline.

Ps I’m not suggesting you are an older person. Just that the bracket of ‘over X age’ often in practice means ‘more body aware focused than cosmetic aware focused’!

What about online Pilates? I have been doing restore your core which has helped me to fix some imbalances. Iirc I paid about £140 for "lifetime access" which is basically a 12 week video course. Mutu I think is similar. Lots of the providers have freebie stuff on Insta and YouTube so you can see if you think the style will suit you.

Obviously I'm biased but highly recommend Pilates! Full equipment pilates (not just reformers) would be far better than just mat. Ideally do some classes first before doing any online or YouTube classes.
I can recommend a studio in North London but not south that I can think of.

Alexander Technique is perfect for this. It focuses on regaining body alignment and balance.

If your health - now and in the future - is important to you then you need to bite the billet and pay. I’d start with a good sports physio and go from there. In person classes - Pilates, yoga, AT - vastly superior to trying to fix things yourself using YouTube.

I think I'd see a physio or osteopath to deal with the initial problem (and be given targeted exercises and stretches), and then use Pilates/yoga as maintenance.

@EmmaStone

I think I'd see a physio or osteopath to deal with the initial problem (and be given targeted exercises and stretches), and then use Pilates/yoga as maintenance.

Came on to say this exact thing

I share your scepticism of osteopathy and chiropractics, both of which I've tried. Postural issues build up over years and there's many factors at play like muscle memory, inflammation etc.

For my postural issues I've had most improvement with self massage on trigger points. I tested my range of motion - active and passive - to figure out whether it's a tightness or strength issue. For example, I thought tightness was causing my frozen shoulder, however it does passively move without pain so it seems it's a defence response restricting it. So I'm working on strength instead of flexibility.

I'd say look into anatomy and try and pinpoint your issues. If you've got lateral issues maybe check your mobility of the thoracic spine. And check your obliques for strength.

Posture is a bitch to fix but definitely worth working on it even if it's only better rather than fixed. And one day after chipping away at it, it'll be pretty decent rather than a painful mess.

How often are you ice-skating and what level are you skating at? Are you doing it as lessons or skating sessions informally? If you skate regularly and are only skating forwards in rink direction then you could be exacerbating your issues as you will be mainly (maybe exclusively?) skating counterclockwise. Which means that you are mainly turning to the left and more consistently on a left outside/right inside edge. I live to skate but have to be very, very aware of how it's naturally incredibly one directional. And if you already have left side injuries, I can imagine that would make it worse.

More backwards skating could help, as you are switching edges and strengthening the left leg more for backwards crossovers. As much figure of eight skating as possible to keep your weak side strong. In terms of elements, a huge amounts of elements are one-sided in figure skating. Most skaters jump and spin exclusively counterclockwise. I forced myself to learn to spin in both directions but it's quite unusual and I'm clearly so much stronger CCW.

Pilates, yoga, trampolining, weight lifting are all going to help even out and help with your posture. I found that building a stronger upper body, especially my lats, romboids and delts with targeted weightlifting hugely helped my posture. I find hula-hooping very helpful for evening me out, as long as I'm consistent with working equally in both directions. It also helps with anterior pelvic tilt, which can be an issue for skaters. And lastly, not the best time of year for it, but if you live anywhere around long, reasonably straight, smooth paths, get yourself some good quality endurance inline skates. And go out and skate long distance. Do 20km a few times a week. 10km out 10km back. It will help massively with your ice-skating and will ensure you evenly work both sides of your body.