Ever hear of the medical diagnosis “miserable malalignment?” Neither had I, until a client of mine who’s a physical therapist told me she had once been diagnosed with the condition (I still have trouble believing it’s a real diagnosis because it sounds so mean-spirited).
What is it? Well, it’s when a bunch of things in your leg and into your hip joint are misaligned. Your knee rotates in, your lower leg rotates out, and your arch collapses. But according to the medical community, there is an easy fix! What is it?
According to this website, it’s a screw/bolt looking thing. It looks like this:
HyProCure's bolt (from hyprocuredoctors.com)
Now, yes, it does look like it can be had from Home Depot for 25 cents in the bottom drawer of aisle 17. But what in the world would you do with that screw/bolt looking thing?
You would have it surgically implanted in your ankle! Why? According to curemms.com:
realignment of the foot under the leg (elimination of excessive pronation, or flattening and turning out of the foot) is what is needed. The HyProCure® device is made to address this need.
So think about this. Your hip joint gets out of alignment because of what’s happening at your ankle. And apparently your ankle gets so under the influence of mysterious forces that you need a screw/bolt looking thing to stop it from getting out of line. Does that make sense? At all? Any?
That screw/bolt thing sounds like a quick fix to me (sort of…), but doesn’t it make more sense to be trying to reprogram the muscles of your body to align your bones better? You know with some hard work, a little problem solving, some exercise?
That’s what I think. That’s what my physical therapist client thinks. But we are extremely biased. And neither of us are trained surgeons, so take what we think with a grain of salt.
What do YOU think?
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11 Responses to Miserable malalignment can be fixed quickly!
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BECOME A FAN OF GOOD POSTURE
I totally agree with the client and Matt! Physical therapists are supposed to help your body physically heal and function properly without suggesting to embed nuts and bolts in your body. My friend has about 3 screws in his ankle right now because he fractured/damaged/broke his ankle. I think that would be a good enough reason to have Home Depot-type fasteners in your ankle. However, if you are born with “miserable malalignment” (whatever that is!) don’t use a screw to fix yourself, have Matt help you! But if anyone ever chooses to use nails and screws, I’d suggest the Simpson Strong Tie brand. They are the number one fasteners used in wood construction!
I also agree with Matt and his physical therapist client. Matt’s knowledge and thoughtfulness to problem-solve are the best!
What types of exercises would be best for this condition to train the muscles if the bones are malaligned? What actually causes the pain associated with “miserable malalignment”?
Hi Rose,
While I don’t know the particulars of your case, your best bet is to see someone who’s good at posture alignment therapy. Very likely, the supine groin progressive and the supine groin stretch are going to be extremely important exercises for you. Both are passive exercises that give your hip and leg muscles the opportunity to get used to proper alignment with gentle coaxing from gravity. The fix is not quick but the gradual approach means your body can actually handle and stabilize the change.
Pain can come from a variety of sources, but the two common ones in dealing with chronic pain are too much friction (bone on bone or muscle across bone) and too much tension (within an overworked muscle). With miserable malalignment, depending on your specific situation, you’re probably dealing with both. Femur and tibia can’t articulate properly (excess friction), and the muscles that are creating this inefficient alignment are almost definitely doing work that is not ideal for their long term health.
Hope this helps you on your quest. If anything was unclear, please don’t hesitate to ask for clarification!
[Also, picture of the "bolt" has been updated as curemms.com -- the site originally referenced -- has apparently been taken down.]
Hi Matt,
I am very excited to have found your site! Your philosophy is encouraging and you seem extremely knowledgeable and skilled. I so wish I lived in CA, so I could come directly to you, but alas, I live in NJ. Are you aware of anyone who does what you do (interdisciplinary combination of egoscue, rolfing, etc.) on the east coast (NJ/NYC preferably) area that you could recommend? I too have been diagnosed with miserable malalignment and am facing femoral and tibial osteotomies to fix it if I cannot improve through rehab. I have such intense, debilitating pain in my hips, knees and feet, I can barely walk, sit, stand or lie down without being in distress.
Hi Ivy,
Unfortunately I don’t know anyone in your neck of the woods who does combine these approaches. It’s not much solace to you in the short term, but in the long term we are working on putting together training programs to try spread the word and the practice around the country and the world.
In the meantime, you could certainly seek out an Egoscue clinic or affiliate in NJ/NYC. There is a Westchester, NY clinic and a handful of affiliates out that way. I know there are also Rolfers around that area, though I do not have any in depth knowledge of how any of them approach things. Make sure you do a little screening by checking out websites and talking on the phone to see if they are the more structurally oriented Rolfers and don’t get too “out there” in terms of philosophy!
Don’t let yourself get too distressed. With some stubbornness and perseverance, you’ll get where you want to go. Best of luck to you!
Also, if you find a particularly good corrective exercise specialist, you might be in luck. It really is about getting muscles working properly again, and it definitely takes some time and perseverance.
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much for responding! Even though you do not know of anyone specifically, you have given me hope that my body may be able to improve without surgery. After all, I made it 40 w/out my body breaking down — surely it can “re-accomodate”. I did check out the Egoscue clinic in Westchester and will definitely go there. But I think what I really need is a more integrated approach that pulls from multiple disciplines. I guess I will have to be my own “coach” and put together a coherent, multidisciplinary “team” from different areas to work with me. Really wish there were more individuals like you though.
In your experience, have you been able to help people with miserable malalignment (a bony anatomical condition) get better through working on their muscles?
Thanks again,
Ivy
Hi Ivy,
Be careful thinking of it as a bony anatomical condition. It’s generally just misalignment of bones, not full fledged abnormal growth of the bones. Misalignment can change, absolutely (and yes I’ve helped people do it!).
Keep us posted on how it goes. A little stubbornness and faith will get you a long way.
Hi Matt — I’m confused… when you say “Misalignment can change”, are you suggesting that excessive anteversion and tibial torsion can be corrected through the right corrective exercise…?
I will absolutely keep you posted on how things go. If I have to, will come out to San Diego for a couple of weeks to see you personally
Absolutely. The biggest thing that determines the position of your bones is what the muscles and connective tissues are doing to them. The bones don’t move themselves!
Come on out to San Diego any time! Just not this month as I’m doing a lot of traveling!