Melinda’s Journey - Foot and Back Pain
When the Pain Started
A year before going to Align, I was experiencing a lot of spasms in my back. If I moved or reached wrong, I'd have four or five days of excruciating back pain. I couldn't even lean over and reach for the toilet paper. It was terrible. I'd think to myself, “What is going on? I must be out of shape.” Then I would try to do yoga or Tai Chi and I would get really sore and have to stop. My back would just be in agony after 20 minutes of work and then it might last for days.
In the meantime, I was having a pain in my foot that was getting worse and worse. Both issues came to a crescendo around the same time my foot started becoming unstable. Suddenly if I tripped, I couldn't catch my fall. I probably fell three or four times before I realized that something was really wrong.
I've always considered myself to be a person that is active, in shape, and understands my body. I also have a huge yard and a big vegetable garden, so a lot of my activity revolves around that. I kayak, hike, do yoga, pilates, and walk for exercise. Plus, I love to ski, but I could hardly get my foot into the boot without excruciating pain.
For eight months things were not going well and I was overwhelmed. Between my left SI joint and my right foot, I was in a cycle of pain. I had never been someone who lacked balance; balance was my thing. Suddenly, that was gone. I kept falling, and I was only 67. I thought, “Wow, I can't fall apart this early.”
Coming to Align
A friend of mine who is a retired nurse suggested I go to physical therapy. So I tried going to a local PT office, but they said for insurance reasons it would be better if my doctor referred me. So I went to my doctor. I told him where the pain was and what was happening, and he said, “You know, I think you can just do a few exercises on your own. Come back and see me in four months.” At that point, I probably should have advocated more for myself or insisted on physical therapy, but I didn't because I was getting depressed about my condition. I was really discouraged.
That's when I called Align. I had started reading the client stories online, and I made an appointment because I had just had it. Something had to give. I couldn't heal myself. I couldn't get myself to a point where I wasn't in pain. So I went for the consultation with Jamie, and she said they could help me.
The Journey - Coach Jaylee’s perspective
When Melinda first started at Align in 2022 she really wanted to be able to work in her yard and she couldn’t do that without being in crippling back pain for days. She had a very unstable SI joint that would send too much load to her lower back—load that should have been absorbed by her glutes. Fixing Melinda’s back pain was straightforward. About three months after she started coming to Align, she walked into her session absolutely glowing. She said, “Jaylee you won’t believe it, I raked all of the leaves in my entire yard–and I have a big yard–with NO PAIN.” She was absolutely thrilled.
After we addressed her back, it was time to get to work on her foot. Melinda was diagnosed with sinus tarsi syndrome, which is inflammation of that joint on the outside of the foot. Stabilizing her hips and whole chain of muscles helped decrease pain, but only by a little. It was not progressing at the rate I would have projected based on her consistency and the amount of exercise she was doing for it.
She consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and got a steroid injection to help bring the inflammation down for a period of time. It allowed Melinda to do exercises she previously wasn't able to do without pain, and it helped us start strengthening and stabilizing her ankles more effectively. Then, we started seeing results! Melinda brought her foot pain down to a 1 out of 10.
Life Now - Melinda’s Perspective
It's been a miracle. Before, I couldn't get it into my ski boot without excruciating pain. That's gone. Now I can get my foot in and out of the boot easily. I can ski! I take 10 to 15 runs of pretty hard skiing before I even notice my foot. It’s so much better, it's unbelievable. Now if I trip or my toe catches, I don't fall anymore.
I worked out with Jaylee at Align in the gym from October of 2022 until the end of May of 2024. Last summer, I was considering leaving Align, just because I was so busy. Then Jaylee suggested Align’s online program which I could do remotely. I had already accumulated a lot of the equipment that I needed to work out at home. I also know now how important it is for my body to keep up with my workouts. I still need the accountability to stay on top of it.
I can't say enough about the online program! I love it! I get up, have my coffee, and then go do my workout. I have to do it before I start my day or I will find a million excuses not to. I also love the more personalized care I'm getting now, because it's just me and my coach. She's my person and she gears my workout to me, my foot, and whatever else I need.
Pass It On - What would you say to someone who is considering starting their Align journey?
I know I need Align because I want to be as strong as I can be. I have friends that are starting to struggle and fail physically, and I want to preach to them about Align. But I know that if they’re not ready, they’re not going to do it. I just tell them about my experience and how Align has changed everything for me. Then, I wait for people to ask questions about it.
I always explain that I've never had a day of pain from the exercises at Align. That's the thing that was fascinating to me from the beginning–I didn’t get super sore. When I started I thought, “How do I improve without getting sore?” There’s been mild soreness, but it’s not like a typical experience when you go to a workout class for the first time and you can't walk for three days.
Another thing really hit me hard this year. For the first time in my life, and I've skied all my adult life, I don't get sore after the first day of skiing–Not at all, and I used to be so sore after skiing. But now, the next day? Nothing. No pain. No soreness.
