My Back Story - literally!

[@flightydancer]

I hope you feel better soon. Health is most important. Thank you for your dedication and passion for ballet and sharing your knowledge with us.

[@arlovergrown]

super late commenting, but i relate to this a lot! i had the same ATFL permasprain issue and had an allograft repair surgery (they put someone’s gracilis tendon into my foot in place of my ATFL, PTFL, and peroneal) and could DEFINITELY not point my foot well normally for over a year afterwards, but because of the EDS it’s actually stretched back out (the funky collagen eventually replaces the donor tissue’s collagen) and now i’m dancing semi regularly for the first time since i was a teenager. during the recovery while i was non weight-bearing using crutches and a knee scooter, i developed a hip labral tear, sacroiliitis (arthritis in both SI joints), and later degenerative disc disease from L4/5 to S1 (sound familiar?). all this was between ages 21 and 22, i’m 25 now. i can’t really get a labral tear repair because it’ll tear again quickly from my hip dislocating (which is what caused it in the first place & happens countless times a day). it’s so bad i can’t balance on the left leg, for example a developpé à la seconde, without sinking into my hip very painfully and losing balance. i’d love to chat about your experiences with EDS and ballet as i’m trying to go back en pointe as an adult and have no idea if my PT will freak out or not! so happy to see your back is doing better recently!

[@KiraHelenRose]

There are chiropractors that use a small instrument called an activator. They do no twisting or high force movements. I’ve recently started seeing one to try and fix my tailbone subluxation and sacrum issues. I thought my sacrum area pain was the SI joint, but the area I’m having pain is actually where the glutes attach to the iliac crest. But we are trying to see how it responds to adjustments, and if it doesn’t eventually respond, then I have to look at the possibility that it’s a soft tissue injury that’s not affected by back alignment. Also wondering if it could be a hairline fracture to the iliac crest. Haven’t had any x-rays or scans yet. I also saw the same video as you where they recommended the belt and Ligaplex. The health food store I work at couldn’t order it because it’s practitioner only. Strangely enough, when I’ve had stiffness and soreness across my sacrum from the chiropractic adjustment (because we are trying to inch my coccyx back to where it’s supposed to be and it’s irritating the nerves), ballet improves the pain and stiffness. Drove 45 mins to my studio last week for my first class back after a month off to rest, could barely get out of the car. After I did my regular hip opener (huge grand plie in first with both hands on barre) and a couple port de bras to stretch and warm the body up, I felt like 70-80% better than I did when I walked in the door. Before that I couldn’t even do child’s pose without being in horrible pain and couldn’t fully bend forward at the waist. Still can’t grand battement devant though. Have to keep it super low. Another thing that definitely has helped has been hot baths with epsom salts, and heat patches. My boyfriend got me those Hot Toes patches for Christmas because I have such crap circulation, and I ended up using all of them on my back. Literally stuck them to my underwear. It’s what got me through work during the worst of the pain. The crazy part is that the injury never really bothered me too much or impeded my life until I got some form of the flu over New Years. The virus literally went straight for my back. Part of me thinks it was a variant of COVID that was evasive to the tests. My boss’ daughter had a variant that wasn’t picked up by the tests until the tenth day. Even her PCR was negative.

[@canwejustnot]

My right ankle has the same problem. The heel bone is out of place and can't get replaced. I'm hypermobile too). Dislocated it by walking a lot in bad shoes (doc. Martens. Don't get them. There are so many higher quality boots that are actually good for your feet and look better). I'm really happy to hear that you found the solution to your backpain and found a way to handle it!!

[@larissaswayze]

I have a weird right ankle/left hip thing too! My SI issue has been going on for almost 7 years (since right after having my second daughter). After having seen countless physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and so on STILL no one knows the exact cause and honestly I don’t really care anymore. I am now at a point where I can do pretty much everything in class. My left hip mobility isn’t as good as my right and sometimes my ankle flares up but at least it’s now manageable with visits to my osteopath, stretching, rolling out, icing and just listening to my body. Our bodies are amazing and mysterious and filled with wisdom. So glad to hear you’re feeling much better. Chronic pain is one of the most depressing things to deal with. Especially as a dancer. Take care 💚

[@belkyhernandez8281]

I like that background

[@jessieborrell1856]

Ooof. I can say I relate to what you’re going through. I know we’ve talked about it a bit on Instagram. I started having hip issues last year, which led me to discover that I have anteverted femurs. I always kind of figured that. I had always tried to get more movement in flexibility in my hips but felt like they got stuck and had little improvement. Turns out it’s because of my bones. I tried PT which started back pain as well in my SI joint because my pelvis is ALSO anteverted. So I saw another specialist who was very knowledgeable and gave me a very thorough diagnosis. Not only is there inward twisting, but my left leg hip joint is valgus shaped and I have a leg length problem from that. So I was supposed to get surgery but unfortunately, my surgeons office got shut down and I only just finally got new care because I kept being told the other surgeon would relocate. But it’s been a mess and so mentally taxing. Like you, some days are so bad I just want to cry and I can’t DO anything. If I walk too much, I hurt or sometimes I just wake up in pain. I’ve found massage to be a bit helpful too. It isn’t permanent by any means but at least it helps for a while. The person I see is really great at understanding my anatomical differences. I appreciate her so much

[@macsdaddy3383]

I hear ya. For me it was just about the same all of it esp. towards the end before surgery, but nothing that a 6 or 7" long piece of nice 5th Gen. Stryker Titanium could not cure! My right hip was totally shot, so having a total hip done at the ripe old adult dancing age of 48 did bring me a lot of relief! Glad I had it done and my surgeon took care of my right leg length discrepancy also! So many people will try to avoid an orthopedic surgery at all costs, but for some of us it will certainly improve the quality of our lives going forward. Do try to get your surgery done as soon as things work out and you will be forever thankful you did it! Best of luck with it all!