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MaRo

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MaRo last won the day on July 11 2022

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About MaRo

  • Birthday 05/05/1972

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    Female
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    Switzerland

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  1. As I mentioned before, I do gymnastics (on a very basic level - most of the time, I am a coach). I always had problems doing a standing balance due to my limited flexiblity. In the standing balance, the upper leg and the shoulders are supposed to be even or higher than the hips. Last saturday, I had to do it again and a friend of mine took a picture. To my surprise, it was ok. Still, the leg is not straight, but it actually is "even or higher than the hips". I was really happy for this little improvement of my flexiblity! (the old ladies don't do beam - we do bench 😄 )
  2. Very well said, @Kit_L. I often sit in a stretchin position and ask myself: Why can`t I lower any further? What is blocking me? Where am I tense. In my "difficult" positions, it is often difficult to feel why the movment is limited. I just feel that it goes to a certain point and not any further. In some positions, I feel it very well (like in leaning forward it is the hamstrings- sometimes moving to the calves or in the side split position it is the adductors etc.). In some it is jut like blocked. Well, I go on.. .day per day. I had a nice little experience on saturday, I hope I`ll get a picture of it - and will tell then...
  3. Your words are encouraging! I don't need the full splits, but some more angle would be helpful. At them moment, I can not hold the posiiton that long. Some muscles always start cramping. It is really had to relax into the position. I do the turnout stuff, cossack squats nearly every day, contract-relax about twice a week and a lot of work towards pancake.
  4. Today, I did - as I do every week - some contract-relax in "side split" position. My ability to split the legs was really poor when I started working it on a more regular basis in august 2020. I took a picture back then which showed that I was able to split the legs in a 98° degree angle. Today, it was 118° degrees! Still nothing like a full side split, but I certainly gained flexiblity!
  5. You're certainly right that the adductors are only part of the problem. It was just kind of a side not wenn activating my ancle and I mentioned my problem with my knee falling in. He showed me how to move the foot in a way that makes sense. The foot activations series is a real comfort. The right side of my neck tends to be tense at the moment, too. Apparently, a consequence of not moving my left foot properly. I found a stretchtherapy video with jaw-net stretching Exercise s that provide relief, especially in the morning.
  6. Hi, thanks so much! I watched the videos today and tried them after physio. It is very similar to what my physiotherapist recommends, so it's really helpful. He also says I should do whatever doesn't hurt and remain careful. The "foot activation" ist perfect! He also recommended to stretch my adductors as he says my problems with my knees "falling in" are suspectedly due to thight (not necessarily strong) adductors. So exactly what you, @Kit_L say. Not that I don't believe you, it is just that I feel really good taken care of if two very competent people lead me in the same direction.
  7. Thanks for your reply. One of the ligaments seam to be fully ripped, but in place and not far apart, the other only half, at least it looks like it in the MRI. And there is quite a bit of scar tissue - I had problems with the ligaments severalt times in my life. The physiotherapis says that it might be possible that the cartilage does not heal as long as the ligaments do not hold the bone in place. The doctor says that I should wear a brace/guard (sorry, I don't know the correct expression in English) night and day for a couple of weeks. Then, the ligaments should healed enough that it can be seen how the flexiblity of the ankle is (I guess, unchanged, unfortunately, as ist feels totally blocked). The physio does some "opening movements" on the ankle which should increas the blood circulation in the ankle and this feels really helpful. He also showed me how I could worke the muscles in the foot and around the ankle and which movements I should avoid. Then, we try to work on a "sneak walk" so that there are no hard movements on the joint. I should avoid jumping, running, uncontrolled wobbling and lopsided positions of the foot (which are mostly restrained by the brace). Basically, I should avoid everything that hurts slightly. So no climbing, jogging, horseriding, jumps and landings in gymnastics. I was not aware how often I jump and run and wobble and go into lopsided positions... But I can walk, bike (moderatly), swim, do yoga and stretching partly
  8. I have not disappeared or stopped stretching, I've just torn two ligaments and a traumatic cartilage lesion in my left ankle...
  9. I believe you anything, Kit, as everything you recommended made sense so far! The fact that the ability to relax improves by getting stronger / doing the contractions is new to me but there is no reason why I shouldn't belive or try it. I have definitly gotten more flexible since the beginning of the first lockdown when I decided to make a new attempt at working on my flexiblity which has been an issue all my life. At my age of nearly 50 it is clear that gains can only be slow as I need to overcome habits of many years. So I certainly go on! Good news are that the I have control over the problems with the base joint of the big toe. As recommended, I do "barefoot" running (in Skinners) once a week, walk in toe socks at home (floor too cold for barefoot in winter), wear minimal shoes whenever possible and do some foot gymnastics. It works. I still have problems with my left ankle, though, after a strange landing of a backflip in December. If it does not change I will see a doctor after the end of ske season.
  10. Now I did the contractions in the straddle position a couple of times. It is hard doing them, but it does not make the muscles longer-term tired or sour. While this is a good thing, I kind of feel that nothing is happening in the muscle. It is rather my not-ability to relax the muscles than the contraction not working. It might take some time. I go on. And I do wear toe socks!
  11. I like to thank you all for this thread! I am reading it sliently and I am learning a lot from it - just wanted to mention that.
  12. Thanks for this, @Kit_L and I am sorry that it took me so long to reply. First, I was in my homecountry for a week and then I started playing around with these contractions. I feel that I have to be careful and shouldn't do it too often. For me, it is very diffcult to relax in "side split" pose. One problem is that the knees fall "in", mein legs are really crooked (not sure if this is the correct expression). I feel that the adductors are always very thight, it is super difficult to relax them eve just a bit. Working with contractions might improve their ability to relax... I hope! I thought if it is maybe a good way to do it upside down: lying on my back, legs on a wall and in "split" pose and do the contractions like this: a partner could push the legs slightly down and could contract towards "closing" the legs. I will give it a try... After all that complaining, I checked my photos and discovered that I did take a picture of my my "side split" angle in August 2020: It was about 100°. Now, after doing 1,5 years of cossack squats, pancake exercices, tailer pose ect, it is about 120°! It is a lot of work, but at least, there is a little bit of improvement. Thanks to Stretchtherapy, so again thank you very much! Btw. I admire your turnout!
  13. Thank you both for this input! I do have a pair of toe socks, but I don't wear them often. Honestly, most of the time, it's just too complicated to move in each toe. But as I experienced it with the "barefoot running", which I always considered being to painful, you convinced me trying it again and now I do it on a regular basis. So maybe the same will happen with the toe socks (I am not home right now, so I can't put them on immediately). Nathan, thanks for the encouragement considering the stretching. I do like it and it makes me feel good. This alone is already motivation to continue. I just hoped the gains would be a bit more (still hope them coming). And @Nathan, my daughter loves the skinners, too. She just grabbed my old ones. I will get her her own pair.
  14. My pair of Skinners are used up 😄! I never expected this to happen. The gravel stings through, I have to get a new pair. Although I run at least once a week for half an hour in them, I don't really get used to it. I get the feeling that my bones hurt the next day. But still, I can held the pain in the base joint of the big toe at bay, so I continue doing it. At home I keep walking in socks and outside, I use minimal shoes (except at the stable). In the gym, I have to wear gymnastic shoes at the moment because it is pretty cold because we have leave doors open for fresh air. I do my stretching every day, but I still don't think that I really improve. In some positions, I can relax my muscles pretty well. In "reclined pigeon" (I only know the yoga name) for example, when I start, my head does not get to the floor. After about one minute, I can lie flat on my back. But I don't think, the relaxation is permament. And I still think my adductors are super thight and I cannot relax them at all. But although this is kind of frustrationg, the stretching/limbering makes me feel good and I think it is a good thing for my body. Maybe, if I wouldn't do it, I would get stiffer and stiffer...
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