Changing directions
 

With intu-flow once you get good at doing circles with all your body parts, then you advance to figure eights. This gets your body used to changing directions. I can really tell a difference in my mobility. When I first started, I was so tight I had to turn my whole body together. I was about as flexible as Frankenstein.

Now I'm starting to get a little bit more flow in my movement. I still have tons of work to do on problem areas but I'm starting to feel some results. My entire body is starting to loosen up and move together much better. It's really neat to see my movement gradually getting better and better.

The great thing about this program is the movement is three dimensional. It's the way you move in real life. Things I've done in the past, have been more one dimensional, just moving in straight lines. I realize now that just wasn't enough to get everything moving and working together.

Another cool thing is since everything is done standing it's easy to do it throughout the day. You can do bits and pieces of it on your problem areas all day long. I'm constantly doing little hula hoop type circles with my lower back during the day and it's starting to feel pretty good. I do a lot of arm circles and figure eights too. It helps to keep things loose.

Hey Coop:

I picked the dvds up on EBay but waiting for them to arrive. I got to be honest with you. Those shoulders circles and movements make me nervous. On the video, he says to move the shoulders back and down which I'm fine with, but the "pinching" together is a recipe for disaster.

I did a pinch together movement given to me from a TOS Neuro and it put me into a flare for months and deep throbbing shoulder pain. Do you think he means more of a "glide" together, not a "pinch." It's a subtle difference, but a huge difference.

I think I'll start with 1 Rep, as all the arm flailing looks nasty :). I've read a bit about the program and it makes logical sense, but can it be applied to severe neuro problems will be the question.

Anne

Trust your instincts
 

Anne, Scott Sonnon always says to trust your instincts. If you think something might flare you it's probably best to avoid it at first. You don't want to get a huge flair right off the bat. To be honest when I first saw this program I never thought I'd be able to do as much of it as I am now. I really didn't, but my body has gradually adapted.

Also, it might be best to just try a couple of things at first to test the water. Then, if you're doing OK you can gradually add more movements. I would also suggest keeping the pain level at a 2 or less at first instead of 4 like he suggests, just barely to the edge of the tension. Even that will probably cause some inflammation at first.

Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility-Steve Maxwell
 

The Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility-Steve Maxwell is another cool DVD I just got several weeks ago. There's a little bit of intu-flow on there, but the majority of exercises is other stuff. There's tons of different stretches on there for every part of your body and they all involve movement, like I've been doing. A lot of it is way too difficult for me right now but it gives me something to work towards. There are a lot of things on there that are helping me, though.

One thing I've been doing a lot of is foot and ankle stretches. He really stresses the importance of having flexible feet and ankles since they're the first thing that touches the ground. If the feet are tight that tension works its way through your body. Everything's connected. My feet were super tight when I started but they're starting to feel much better. It really makes a big difference in the way I feel.

Another thing I've been doing is putting a little super ball on the floor and rolling the soles of my feet around on it. It really helps loosen the feet up and makes them less sensitive to walking on uneven surfaces. The first time I did it my feet were sore for several days after, but now they're used to it. I do this almost every day now and walking around barefoot is getting a lot more comfortable for me.

A good TOS tutorial
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFvNY...eature=related

These doctors do a good job of explaining TOS using one of the Bodyworld's figures as a visual aid. They also talk about the importance of breaking up adhesions.

Have you tried any of the Graston Technique and Active Release Technique
like on these videos?

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...Technique&aq=f


I used one of my big stainless steel serving spoon (the handle is wide & smooth) & Palmers Cocoa butter :)


I should do some again , my forearms are a little sore from doing extra chores & projects lately.

I haven't tried using anything metal like those instruments, but I have been doing a lot of self massage on my forearms and wrists lately. I really wasn't a big fan of self massage because it seemed to make me worse, but lately it seems to be helping. I guess my body is getting healthier.

My lower legs and calves are a problem spot too. If I lay on the floor, a 26 ounce can of spaghetti sauce feels pretty good to roll my lower legs around on. That's metal. Does it count? Maybe redneck Graston? LOL

Lateral Neck Glides
 

My neck is one of my biggest problem areas. After more than 30 years with TOS, it's very tight and stiff. When I stretch my neck, I have to be very careful. On a pain scale of 1 to 10, I try not to go above a 2 when I'm working on my neck, and I never do more than two or three reps of any exercise. Some of my worst flare ups have been from overstretching my neck.

One of the exercises on Intu-flow is lateral neck glides. There's also a front to back neck glide, and I can do that one fairly easy. The lateral glides I still can't do, though. No matter how hard I try, my head just turns when I try to do them. He says it's a hard movement for most people to learn. After all these years with TOS, my thoracic area is so gunked up, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do that exercise. Has anyone else tried to do those?

Not a very good month
 

I don't feel like I made much progress this month. I started out the first day of the month with a bad flare that lasted eight or nine days. It wasn't from stretching, but because my wife was driving and went around a couple of sharp turns too fast. That's all it took to set me off.

The last week or so, my lower back and legs have been flared and sore. That is my fault. I was seeing how far I could push them and obviously it was too much. So I'm not really overflowing with encouragement and enthusiasm right now. Hopefully next month I can get back on track.

Stretching like this can be kind of an emotional roller coaster. I have to try and not get too discouraged when it's not going well, and not too overly enthused when I'm doing better. I'm not seeing the message boards overflowing with old-timers who are getting better so maybe I'm just kidding myself.

Keep at it, after the flare passes...:grouphug:

I still over do once in awhile, or try a new thing and push a bit too far, then learn to take it back a notch..and go easier next time.


I wish more of the old timers would try some of these things & post about it too, but maybe the damage is too much, or pain is just too high, to even consider starting something like this..:(