She walks! Back in action again..
My foot seemed to turn a corner toward increased function and lowered pain levels a few days ago, thankfully. All improved further after my friend and Gyrokinesis/Gyrotonic instructor, Lindsey, came to my office yesterday. Lindsey guided me through a seated series of Gyrokinesis exercises, all emphasizing whole self awareness, connection to the ground, and thinking into activity.
After our Gyrokinesis exploration, Lindsey and I walked to my home together. Just a few days ago, I could barely walk a few blocks without severe pain. Yesterday, I walked the uphill mile home at a decent pace with relative ease.
Given the whole elastic system of tonal response that we each maintain through use, habit, activity, belief and structure, no specific area of discomfort can be isolated in cause or resolution, unless a specific trauma (patella fracture, for instance) has occurred, and even then an overall response of choice and tone is necessary for renewed function. I knew, both intuitively and as an Alexander teacher, that my foot pain was due to overall structural and elastic rebalancing after the knee hardware was removed. Since the motions of Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis so improved the comfort of my foot, and without directly addressing my foot, and since my foot rarely hurts when I teach (when my use is at its hopeful best), it seems obvious that a larger solution of improved elastic response would benefit my foot. My incredibly gifted PT Heidi agreed with my assessment. She observed many shifts and fixing of pelvic and back support that would potentially impact foot response, and helped me to unravel a bit, with subtle and skilled manual guidance, and without directly forcing any shape or postural mode.
The result? I walked a mile to friends’ home in lovely Summery weather and back again with only minor pain. I remained more aware of the ground as support for my upward response but forced nothing (dynamic non-interference). I delighted in walking, which was more than enough.