Runner Lisa S. shares her hip recovery story with The FAI Fix.

This is a quick note to say thank you for the FAI Fix and the superb resources, especially on YouTube. Ever since I started following the FAI Fix and the FAI Fix for Athletes, I have enjoyed heretofore unimaginable improvements in my mobility — glutes, adductors, hamstrings, quads, calves, external hip rotators, TFL, lower back, shoulders — and have really no need anymore of physiotherapy, massage, chiropractic, etc.

I had a diagnosis of FAI from a sports clinic that treats professional athletes and from my doctor, on the basis of X-ray and MRI results. I naively followed your “quackery” to the letter, doing tissue work, stretching, and activation 6-7 times a week. Unfortunately for the wallets of all medical specialists involved, my journey down the FAI Fix garden path eliminated all my FAI symptoms in two months. I am now working on strength, conditioning, loaded stretching, and plan to return to parkour. My motto these days is this: “I don’t need therapy, I just need a kettlebell.” And best of all: my FAI is a thing of the past. This time last year I would not have believed I could enjoy a fraction of what I have achieved in two months of focused, almost daily application of the principles you expostulate and the exercises you prescribe. I have modified many other exercises for my own purposes and plan to expound them on my blog next year. I have never in my adult life or teenage years felt as free and easy as I do these days, and I achieve an appreciable increase in static passive flexibility almost every session. When I started using the gym for my self-treatment, I was looked on as a reclusive oddball who spent a lot of time on the floor; these days, gym members and even some of the trainers now approach me for advice on flexibility and stretching, because they can see I’m on to something special. I have never been so excited and motivated to train, and I can barely contain myself when I consider the plethora of movement forms I shall be able to safely explore in my new, stronger, more mobile body. Yes, the FAI Fix works, and if you go about it consistently and intelligently, it will work wonders.

Hey, Shane. My name's Ryan. I've been following you for a couple of years now. I was diagnosed with arthritis and FAI I about three years ago, and it was keeping me from being able to run, which is my passion. But after finally finding The FAI Fix and following your website and the instruction you provided, I've now gotten to a point where I can continue running again. I still have a long way to go at a lot of tension in my outer hips, but, through your instruction, the FAI Fix program and The Hip Stick, which I've got, I've been able to loosen up my abductors, glutes, get everything back moving again. I've been strengthening them and getting a lot more flexibility and really appreciate how far I've been able to come Just to be able to back running again made a huge difference in my life. So thank you for everything and keep up the good work!

I purchased the program at the end of August 2015 after being diagnosed with FAI. My Dr suggested therapy and after several expensive months of therapy I found no relief. Not willing to give up I began searching and found one of Matt’s videos online. I purchased the program and began on September 1, 2015.

It’s now September 22, and I have seen remarkable changes! I’m a weightlifter and was unable to squat or complete full lifts (snatch, clean and jerk). After three weeks of just about daily sessions I’m able to complete all the above lifts pain free!!

My journey with the FAI fix began in February 2017. My hips started giving me issues in 2016. By the end of that year, my right hip locked up and never let go, and my left hip eventually joined. I started digging online for help. I’m so grateful I found Matt and Shane. Although I never saw a doctor for a diagnosis, I tested positive for all FAI self-tests. The beginning was hard - it was a lot of self-teaching, and it was painful! I just wanted to lift again to pursue my bodybuilding career. My FAI journey wasn’t flawless; the one thing that got me to where I am now is the fact that I didn’t quit. It took 9 months to reach pain-free, but those 9 months were worth every single second. Fast forward 2 more years, and I’m still practicing the FAI Fix. I’m still learning about my body, my mobility, and ways to make it better. But thanks to Shane and Matt, I’m now an oly lifter that can put a bar over my head that weighs more than I do and squat it 5 times without a single pinch in my hips.

Hi, Shane. This is Allison. I wanted to let you know that I've been using the FAI Fix for a while now. And one thing I really appreciated was your perspective, knowing that you'd come from a place of having a lot of pain and getting really debilitated by it and then being able to look at where you are now. The video cues are super helpful, and it's helped me to be able to learn what muscles are activating and for me to see how I'm activating things out of order or incorrectly. So I still have a lot of work to do and to go to get to where I want to be. But it's been a really good tool for me to have in my toolbox. So thanks a lot!

My FAI experience began with lower back pain and weakness, and I was treated for that for six weeks with physical therapy (the theory of multiple experts being that carrying twins with a particularly small frame years prior had destroyed my core). That work was invaluable, because I HAD lost a great deal of core strength and stability along the way. After repeated set-backs, my therapist said this was likely rather a hip issue and I had an X-ray followed by MRI arthrogram that revealed cam impingement and labral tear. I read those results before the follow-up with my surgeon and started researching. I came across The FAI Fix and assumed it was a scam, looking forward to my next appointment with my surgeon.

I’ve been so fortunate to meet a surgeon who supports and even promotes this approach and continues to meet with me WITHOUT scheduling surgery, and am grateful to your team for providing the tools I need. At that appointment, he briefly discussed the controversy of surgery for FAI, and suggested that it be considered a last resort.

He wrote “The FAI Fix” on a piece of paper and handed it to me, saying it was a great source of information and would be worth a try. He pointed out that though there is a registration fee, the amount was pretty reasonable if the program could make a difference. What an understatement! Over the past five months, the invoice totals from my physical therapy visits have been shocking. While there is some value in that process, it’s neither as empowering nor as effective as the The FAI Fix has been in just eight weeks. This program was truly overwhelming in the beginning as I saw how many exercises there are, how time-intensive the work would be, and that I would have to rely on self-evaluation. Those “challenges” have turned out to be the true blessings of this experience because sticking with it and has been a lesson in patience and in what our bodies are capable of if we pay attention and learn what they need. I’ve been so fortunate to meet a surgeon who supports and even promotes this approach and continues to meet with me WITHOUT scheduling surgery, and am grateful to your team for providing the tools I need. While I’m still far from where I want to be physically, I now have very little daily pain and much less fear because I have an understanding of how my hip works, why I feel what I do with certain activities, and where to find guidance on what to do next as I continue to progress.

Cortney

My problems with hip pain started 6 years ago after the birth of my 3rd child. Even walking and going up stairs was painful. I saw a physical therapist who told me I had anterior pelvic tilt caused by a weak core from pregnancy. I worked with him on loosening my quads with basic stretching and massage and strengthening my core, and my hip pain went away. Now and then over the years the pain came back, but I could always handle it with taking a short break from working out and doing the exercises the physical therapist gave me.

About 6 months ago that stopped working. The hip pain was worse than it had ever been (walking, stairs, getting into my car, sleeping, even swimming) and my lower back was hurting too. I noticed that my clothes were getting all twisted on me and I could even see that my pelvis was twisted.

I tried a physical therapist again, and he did a lot of stretching with me that improved the twisted pelvis, but my hips were hurting more than ever. He referred me to an orthopedic surgeon where I was diagnosed with cam impingement, torn labrum, a large cyst, and thinning cartilage. The surgeon said I should try more physical therapy and if that didn’t work I could have surgery to fix my hip. I was unconvinced about the PT being effective since I was there because it had been making things worse. I was also very hesitant to go the surgery route. I didn’t understand why physical therapy had worked years ago for me when I had shoulder impingement related to competitive swimming, but it wasn’t working for hip impingement related to a very basic active lifestyle.

In my search for answers I found the FAI Fix online. The research really resonated with me. The muscle theory behind FAI made so much more sense than bone shapes and cartilage. (And I think I watched the video explaining why the “bad news” from my MRI wasn’t so bad after all at least 5 times, so thanks for that!) I was also blown away by all the testimonials from other people this program was working for. I noticed immediate improvement after my very first workout, and I’ve been gradually improving since. The tissue work and reactivation have been really important for me, and every single time I’ve noticed something that feels wrong in my hip the Troubleshooting Guide has had the answer.

Before I started the FAI Fix I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to stay active with my kids and for a healthy lifestyle. Now I feel confident that not only am I fixing my hip problems, but I’m learning how to listen to and take better care of my body.

Jen L

I purchased the program and began on September 1, 2015. It’s now September 22, and I have seen remarkable changes! I’m a weightlifter and was unable to squat or complete full lifts (snatch, clean and jerk). After three weeks of just about daily sessions I’m able to complete all the above lifts pain free!! I will be referring anyone that asks to to the FAI FIX! Thank you!

Richard Legarra

I am a practicing physical therapist, and I was diagnosed with FAI in my left hip in 2013. My MRI arthrogram showed a small posterior labral tear, but no arthritis. Two orthopedists told me that I should have surgery because I have retroverted hips with deep sockets and my acetabulum should be shaved down. This made no sense to me whatsoever because my right hip is shaped the exact same way and I have no pain at all on the right!

Since I have not seen good outcomes with this surgery, I have opted to avoid it. I discovered Matt’s videos on YouTube and I was relieved to finally find a voice of reason amidst the hip arthroscopy craze. I followed his recommendations and changed up my exercises and within just one week, I felt less pain than I have felt in two years! I am running better and sleeping better and on a path to better living thanks to Matt.

Evie.

Happy new year! I’ve been wanting to send you an e-mail thanking you for all of the work you and Shane put into the FAI Fix program. The program helped me get my life back together.

My story: I’m an avid cyclist and cycling is an integral part of my life. In April 2014, I was making a (too) aggressive right-hand turn and lost it in some gravel. It was the first serious cycling accident of my life. Post-accident, my right hip did not feel right. It was painful to walk. I rested it for about a month and went to an orthopedist when it did not get better. He recommended PT. The PT was cookie-cutter with no root-cause analysis. In retrospect, some of the exercises the PT gave me were really counterproductive and made me feel worse. More time went by and I went to a chiropractor/sports rehabilitation specialist. He quickly recognized glute shutdown on the injured side. That was a good call, but the exercises he gave me seemed overly aggressive.

After some plyometrics, I spiraled down into serious pain that interrupted sleep and led to a pain medication prescription from my primary care physician. The pain was so bad that I agreed to have an MRI arthrogram on my injured hip. I was stunned, quite frankly, when the results came in negative – no labral pathology. The orthopedist discussed “exploratory surgery” which scared the heck out of me. When I balked at that (and a guided cortisone injection), he recommended another PT.

The last PT was certainly not cookie cutter. He tried many reasoned approaches, and I improved a bit, but I was certainly not ready to return to cycling. Around Christmas of last year (2015), I discovered your web site. I really liked the detailed research that you brought to the table. It was also very reassuring to hear that you and Shane actually had serious hip issues and recovered well. You experienced these problems directly unlike a lot of the therapists that worked with me. At that point in my injury, I decided to give the FAI Fix program a shot. So last December, I purchased the program as my Christmas present. I had been periodically trying to get back on my indoor bike for exploratory rides, but the pain was still present.

So I decided to stop forcing the issue with the bike and focus on the FAI Fix. I performed the exercises every day without fail for about three months before trying the bike again. Throughout that time I saw slow improvement. In the beginning, to be perfectly honest, it was hard to see improvement. But gradually, week after week, I felt better. In early April of last year, I got back on the indoor bike and was encouraged. I gradually increased time on the indoor bike and tried some outdoor rides in the latter part of May.

I could not believe that I was back on the road again. The thought of outdoor riding was completely out of the question earlier in the year. My goal then was simply to get out of pain. This last cycling season (2016), after the lost season of 2015, I was able to log 2850 miles on the road. I still can’t believe it. When I speak to others about the FAI Fix program, I tell them how effective it is, and also tell them that it has given me tools that I continue to use daily. For me, the FAI Fix is not a one-time program to “get up and running” again. It is an integral part of my fitness regimen.

John H.

When I found out that I had FAI and was given surgery as my only option to fix my hips, I looked for an alternative. I found the FAI Fix. After following the program for about two to three weeks, my hip mobility increased while my crunchy hip pain steadily went down. The FAI Fix program really opened my eyes to how important strengthening the muscles around the hip joint is, specifically the glutes

Strengthening the glutes has been every bit magical for minimizing my hip pain. My problems were the classic pinching feeling on the front of my hips when I flexed. It hurt to stretch in a pike position, and I couldn’t sit comfortably in yoga child’s pose with my knees together without a lot of pain. I was told that I needed surgery. The doctor told me that it wasn’t an immediate need, but that it was inevitable as the pain would only get worse and inhibit me from doing all the wonderful active things that I wanted to do. My hips are holding up pretty well, and we’re 8 months since I was told everything was just going to get worse and that I’d need surgery. Now I can sit in a pike stretch comfortably and even child’s pose with knees together. I no longer have pinching in my left hip during flexion.

I get slight pinching in the right, but the pain is far less than what it used to be. It is fantastic. I still can get discomfort, but it’s not anything that really deters my activity level. Because of less hip pain, I have been able to focus better on my flexibility and have definitely seen a wonderful increase in it. I just need to do things to maintain my hip health! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Skye D.

I am a distance runner with right FAI cam type. I am 6 weeks into the FAI fix program and have made more progress than the previous 10 months of physical therapy. When I was diagnosed with FAI and a labral tear I was hopeful that I would be a surgical candidate in spite of already having mild arthritis in my hip. The surgeon that made the diagnos is is an expert in FAI arthroscopic procedures.

He told me that I would be better off doing deep tissue work and strengthening since there was a significant chance the surgery would not resolve all the symptoms. I have been working with 2 physical therapists, a chiropractor/ART and a personal trainer. While I appreciate the help I have gotten from each one of them, it was one of the therapists who said it best that what I needed was for someone to “put all the pieces together and there just isn’t anyone who does that”. So thank you guys for “putting it all together” because your plan appears to be working for me.

Mary M.

I just thought I would give you some feedback. I have moderate arthritis, FAI, and bursitis and a very tight hip. It’s been very painful. As a police officer wearing weapons, etc. on a belt around my waist for 30 + years, I was struggling. I have had a cortisone shot to help with the bursa and have been following your program for about 3 weeks.

The cortisone worked pretty well straight away on the bursa pain, but the bursa pain was apparently separate from the pinching in the front of my hip and the SI joint moving poorly and causing jabbing pain in my lower back. Since I have been doing the FAI Fix, the pinching pain and SI joint pain has improved significantly. Another plus, I can now bend over all the way to put on socks, tie shoes, etc. without the need to use a step. The results are really encouraging so far. I am not limping as much and the pain is reducing markedly. I am very impressed to say the least. Thought I would check in with you. I have been doing the FAI fix since March of 2016. I now have incorporated Pilates weekly and kettle bells every other day. Life is great. My hips still play up from time to time, but that usually correlates with slack times when I have not been as disciplined with the FAI Fix exercises. All in all I am doing well!

I am a 19-year-old soccer player who played his whole youth at German first Division Team (Eintracht Frankfurt) and also played for all German Youth National teams. My problems with FAI started when I was just 16 years old! My pain went away, but I always felt not really comfortable with my hips. In March 2015 the situation was so bad I had to stop playing soccer and was not able to live my normal life! I went to hundreds of doctors, specialists and stuff all around in Germany, but then I saw Shane’s and Matt’s YouTube channels and realized they really know what they’re talking about.

The first 3 days using the FAI Fix program were incredible. I felt NO PAIN in my right hip anymore, after just 3 days of work! Then I did too much and some things too fast and I felt bad again. But little by little I got to know my body more and recovered. The program is very easy to understand, well structured and effective. The best thing is I realized what was “wrong” with my body all the years, and now I know where I have to work exactly. Shane always answered my questions really quick and he spent extra time helping me with extra advice. It’s February now and I’m able to jog again! I’m still far away from perfect, but the best feeling for me is to be pain free! Soon I will continue with the FAI Fix for Athletes program to keep my hips healthy, while starting soccer again. So for everybody out there who is in pain and may want to give up and accept the situation, please do not!!! You will get to know your body in a way you never ever thought about, if you start this program and be patient and considerate about what your body is telling you! Best Wishes, everyone!

Yannick Wolf.

At 22 years old, I was diagnosed with FAI in both hips (cam and pincer) as well as having small bilateral labral tears. I was diagnosed in June of 2015 and in the months after that I saw two of the best hip specialists in North Carolina. I was told by both doctors that arthroscopic hip surgery was the only way to really get rid of the issues in my hips. After that news I felt pretty hopeless and demoralized because most of us are taught to believe these doctors because of the MD and the white coats that they wear.

Over that summer my pain and dysfunction in my hips was mild but I knew something was not quite right. I had tight hips as well as some lower back pain and this uncomfortable pinching feeling just inside my hip flexors on the inside part of my thighs. So I started searching for answers online in hopes there would be another alternative. For me, it was such a stroke of luck that I came across Matt and Shane’s program, and I can tell you that I am forever grateful that I did. I am now almost 2 months into the FAI Fix and I am pretty close to being pain free. This TSR program is so complete and detailed and really gives you the power to make the improvements on your own. One of the most important pieces of advice I can share is that it is a PROCESS. You truly have to be focused and intentional about EACH aspect of the program. It does take effort and time but the rewards are totally worth it.

Again, my hip issues were pretty mild compared to some and I am almost pain free after 2 months. For some people it will take less time and for some it will take more time. My journey in healing my hips is by no means complete. For example, I am pretty much pain free but my hip internal rotation still needs a lot of improvement so I still have plenty of work to do. I cannot thank Matt and Shane enough for sharing their knowledge and experience to develop such an amazing program. They both embody what true health care is all about. My goal in sharing part of my story is to provide a ray of hope for those who feel as hopeless as I once did. Really get after it with this program and you will see results. Be your own health care advocate and take the time to improve your body and your life!

Paul Borda

I have been doing the FAI Fix for about 6 weeks. I have seen tremendous improvement. My hip pain is next to nothing! In this photo I am gardening. Gardening was a big motivator for me to get beyond FAI — which I feel I have! I have gone beyond thanks to what your program shared (through strengthening and tissue work mostly). The best thing seems to be that I don’t feel powerless or afraid with pain anymore. Before I felt that all I could do is pop a pain pill and numb out for relief.

The doctor said surgery was my only option. I am so grateful to both of you – for your perseverance in your own healing and then service in sharing what you’ve learned. I really had no hope before I found the FAI Fix… I appreciate you both answering my questions and concerns. I feel totally supported in this process, and unafraid of the different experiences my body has in this healing, reactivating process. This is new for me and it is wonderful to be so in touch with my body. All the best to all of you at FAI Fix. You really were the only light for me on a dark path in my life. And now that path has opened up to a whole new world of self-discovery and freedom!

Supriya Friend.

I can tell you I’m already sitting more comfortably at work and it’s been less than a week! I want to compliment you guys on the way you’ve put everything together. The FAI Fix is just so well-written, and both the text and the videos are very clear and easy to follow. I like that it explains why certain things work and what to do about each muscle. It’s just so reassuring to see that other people are in the same boat.

There’s a lot in here I’ve done in PT but also a ton of new stuff. It’s all organized in a way that builds on my PT and gives me the answers I need. With the FAI Fix I can improve my hips on my own time at a tiny fraction of the cost of more PT.

Lisa Sherman.

I first began noticing the pain at age 23 after about a year of intro rock climbing. But at the time I thought it would just go away if I rest it and avoid irritating it. But it would only grow worse. At age 28 I tore my ACL in my left knee while skiing. The recovery from surgery was frustrating. My knee never seemed to quite heal properly and my hips were getting worse still. My athleticism and enjoyment of sport was suffering due to the pain and discomfort in my hips, and it was killing me. I somehow lost tons hip function and it kept getting worse. Swinging a golf club (my first love) was becoming irritating, and I could no longer climb challenging bouldering problems without pain or feeling like I was making things worse. I wanted to get a stronger but exercise was irritating. And the aches were even showing up in daily life and seemed to be spreading to other joints like my low back. Walking didn’t feel right anymore and my pace was getting slower and slower.

I felt like I was falling apart quickly. I felt like a 60 year old man at the age of 30. I felt like anyone could easily knock me off balance by giving me a pat on the back. I remember one time I was attempting to jump over a puddle, but then I had to bail just and go around it for fear of hurting myself. How depressing. What I tried : I intuitively felt like all my pains were connected and that I would slowly get worse and worse especially now that I had an injured knee. I saw some doctors and did a bit of online research. I was eventually diagnosed with FAI and offered what was considered “a relatively new surgery” to shave down my CAM lesions and fix any damaged cartilage. But luckily I was severely disenchanted with surgery in general seeing how poorly my ACL recovery was going. So I opted to try PT and to see what happens. I tried physical therapy for about 6 weeks but I felt only minor relief from the program. At one point I tried taking Meloxicam for a month in hopes it would break the cycle of inflammation. It didn’t work either. I felt really stuck and was close to considering surgery.

How I started recovering : My recovery probably began when I found Matt and Shane’s videos on youtube. Their explanations of what is most likely going on with FAI clicked with me. But it took a bit of tinkering before I was able to truly convince myself their approach would work. When I first started with the FAI fix, warrior positions in yoga were painful, the frog stretch was excruciating, the Cossack stretch was impossible. I couldn’t squat without falling over backwards. In fact almost all the exercises in the FAI fix were painful, uncomfortable or frustrating at first. But luckily the program has as great method of progressing, and with a diligent, daily, mindful, playful, practice, I slowly got better. I discovered some stretches I could do at my standup desk at work. I took stretch and massage breaks during the day, and worked through a customized routine in the evenings. The FAI Fix program really helped me devise an evolving practice that fit my ever changing needs. I really took to studying the art of human movement and treating recovery as a mastery of skill rather than a list of prescriptive exercises to follow. How I feel today : 9 months after starting the FAI fix, I feel a ton better.

I don’t even think about my hip aches anymore in daily life. I may not be a gymnast or expert level yogi yet, but now I can do things that shouldn’t be possible if a CAM impingement was the cause of my pain. For instance, I can work the frog stretch and the Cossack stretch now. I can even sit in Lotus now after a good round of hip openers. I regularly deadlift and squat heavy now, and can almost do a proper pistol squat. I have no more pain during the golf swing and my swing speed has increased dramatically. My climbing has improved and I just feel like I am finally getting stronger, suppler, and more flexible. I no longer feel doomed from my bony circumstances. More importantly, I have a new love for movement and conditioning and feel confident I have the tools to maintain a strong mobile body deep into old age. Thank you FAI Fix for bringing a unique evidence-based perspective on joint problems, and for discovering and creating solutions! My opinions and keys to success : -Only you can heal yourself. Treat everyone else as a consultant. Luckily Matt and Shane are best consultants I have ever found in any field. They have been amazing at answering my emails, providing motivation, and even helping me though some sticking points. -Keep a journal. -Awareness is key. Be mindful and focused, but also playful. -Don’t rely on patience to see progress.

Patience will inevitably wear off. Instead, focus on fun. Fun never wears off. -Focus on the forest and the trees. -When an exercise feels frustratingly hard, remember that you won’t feel the progress of today’s workout until tomorrow’s workout. -You are practicing a skill instead of “busting out a workout.” -Try to find ways to incorporate movement and exercises into your daily routines. For example, practice eating on the floor or checking your emails in pigeon pose. Get creative. “Always be mobilizing.” -Think like a hunter-gatherer and get more movement, even study their movement. Get more outdoor time, better sleep, better nutrition, etc. (i.e. The basics). -Never give up. Favorite quotes: “Don’t go into the pain cave” Kelly Starrett “Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.” Bruce Lee “It’s a lovely journey that just gets deeper as you go along!” Shane Dowd

Jeff P

Your program has helped me so much. I believe the vast majority of FAI patients should probably be doing your program instead of the doctor -prescribed treatments for FAI syndrome.

This experience has blown my mind, because I grew up believing I should always trust my doctor. Perhaps financial incentives are to blame for why so many orthopedic doctors prescribe surgery for so many patients who simply need to work on their soft tissues in order to heal.

BTW, I love the Hip Stick! It's my go to piece of equipment for getting the knots out of my adductors. Thanks for everything!

Jeremy

Here is my FAI Fix hip story. I started training in ballet when I was three years old, and I continued on until I was 17 very seriously in pre-professional (and one professional) companies. After that I only took a few classes here or there, but most of my adolescence was spent doing 10-20 hours of ballet per week. I had always struggled immensely with flexibility. It took me many years of hard work to achieve the splits, which is really the bare minimum of flexibility required in ballet. It was always so frustrating how little I progressed compared to my peers. I also struggled with turns (I think I've finally put together an explanation for this which I'll mention later). When I was 23, my fiance and I were preparing our "wedding" bodies and started doing P90X workouts regularly. We obtained our goals and became strong and durable. I've never been successful, or frankly, that interested in running, but during this period of confidence I hopped on a treadmill and somehow managed a six-mile run. I felt horribly hungover with fatigue that evening, and in the middle of the night I woke up screaming with intense pain in my left hip. My intuitive response at this point was to protect the area in pain with rest, ice, and pain medication.

The pain only got worse. My mobility had tanked and my pain was unbearable. While I was a dancer I noticed a lot of popping in my hips as well as the tightness/inflexibility that I had mentioned, and I had always sort of thought "some day my hips are going to be a problem for me.” Now that they were, I decided to track down the sports medicine doctor that treated a local professional ballet company. I assumed my long run was just the tipping point to years of hip abuse in dance. The sports medicine doctor sent me to an orthopedic surgeon, who sent me to get an MRI, and then diagnosed me with femoroacetabular impingement and a good amount of labral tears. I was offered a handicap tag to take with us on our honeymoon to Disney World (we cancelled and delayed our trip a year! Who wants to be pushed in a wheelchair by their husband on their honeymoon?). As pain and mobility issues increased, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. My impinged bone was shaved and my tears were repaired. I woke up out of surgery and felt immediate relief! It was a miracle surgery! I then proceeded through all of my physical therapy and got stronger and back to normal. Fast forward two kids and about seven years later, and my husband and I started doing some training again for a couples trip to the Bahamas! I was working hard doing various at-home workouts, really focusing on my legs with lots of squats and lunges, etc. Lots of progress and confidence, and then one day I started getting that familiar aching and throbbing pain in my glute on the right side. Oh boy, time for my right hip "to go", I thought. Ballet requires very symmetrical training, so I could only assume that if I needed surgery on my left hip that my right was probably coming. I slowed down on my training, but the pain did not subside. We made it on our trip, but afterwards I started going downhill. The glute throbbing became accompanied with that torn feeling on the inside of my hip. I knew exactly what to do: call up my surgeon, order the MRI, and get it fixed. Sure enough, there were impingements and tears from every angle. As I instinctively tried to protect the area, the last thing in the world I would do was stretch it. I kept my legs crossed or laying down, and the more I rested the more I hurt. I was almost in tears going to church one day to a picnic where I could barely walk at all. But I had surgery scheduled.

Now here's where it gets interesting. At some point while waiting for my surgery, my left hip started going into the same pain! And I started going downhill on BOTH HIPS! On a Sunday night, my husband left for a weeklong trip to Singapore, and I laid in bed perplexed. How on Earth was I going to take care of my two young children for a week with no help. I could barely walk, it hurt to drive, and to top it off we were having a house remodel! I guess you could say I was desperate and hit rock bottom, but surgery was over a month out, and that was only for one side! How would I recover with the other one hurting (and still, with two young kids!) Also, at 31, is this really going to be my life? Am I going to need hip repairs on both sides every seven years? How long would I last? Am I going to have hip replacements at 40? My life is over! Why did I love ballet so much? What do I do?

So, I hit the internet and found the FAI Fix program that night. I read through the site and some reviews, and bought it quite impulsively. I thought this was definitely worth a try even if it didn't work. I did all of the self tests that night. I was pretty terrified to be STRETCHING muscles that had "lots of tears", but I really didn't think I could get worse, so I did it. I almost immediately had pain RELIEF in doing the self tests. I took all of the notes that I was supposed to, took a deep breath, and went to bed praying I could get out of bed in the morning. I had less pain that night and woke up more mobile than I had been in weeks. INSANE. So of course I got to it! I followed all of the guidance of the program and picked two areas to work on. I did about 45-60 minutes of "hip work" every. single. day for a good few weeks.

When my husband returned from his weeklong trip, I appeared normal again! I was walking around and doing things with very little pain, and normal activity and mobility was completely restored. I did still have pain, so those first few weeks I was especially diligent about icing my hips after every session. At this point I had to decide what to do about my scheduled surgery. I decided to get another opinion. I have a friend who is a sports med DO (should have seen her first) for a major college in Colorado. She ran all the scans and found my impingements, on the front of one hip, and in the back of the other. She also found my entire spine was slightly angled, so essentially my entire core was in a bit of a corkscrew. She felt confident that because of my success so far with FAI Fix and my ability to receive training as a former dancer, I should not move forward with surgery, and should continue with physical therapy. I actually have not yet gone to physical therapy now a few months later. I had to cancel because of a child's illness and just haven't found the time, but I have been continuing with the FAI Fix program. I would say I was extremely dedicated for the first two months, and got myself back to "normal". In the business of life, I'm not currently as dedicated, however on several occasions now I will get that throb in my glute, and I'm able to stretch it out with a targeted stretch. Or, I'll feel pinching in my inner groin and I'll stretch it out and do some tissue work, and get relief.

I don't sit as much in general. I'm standing as I type this and alternating some stretches on each leg. I spend more time on the floor casually doing stretches as I play with my kids. I do hip hinges while a kid is hanging on my back (works really great actually at 40 pounds!). I squeeze my glutes and hams ALL the time. Absolutely as a ballet dancer my quads were overdeveloped in comparison to the backside. My friend really helped me make sense of my struggles as a dancer, too. The tilted spine explains why turns were difficult; I would tend to fall easily turning towards my curve and had a hard time making the rotations turning against my curve. I feel so much better now about my flexibility issues because it wasn't ever a flexibility issue (in fact in my table exam my friend told me I'm quite flexible still). It's the mechanical structure of my hips that was always the issue. I love how this program has helped me put all of the data together to make sense of how MY body works. I just love how careful all of the videos in FAI Fix are in addressing the very specific dynamics of the muscles and body positioning to retrain your body properly. I also love the new mindset I now have that anywhere there is pain in a muscle, I can actively work to relieve it instead of just lying around in agony popping pills.

I have such a new outlook on how amazing the body is at retraining and self-healing. I will admit part of the reason I've slowed down on my "hip work" is because I really like to workout HARD and sometimes it was just feeling like "old lady exercises" after a while. So I am excited to sort of have all of the exercises in my knowledge bank and do them throughout my day, and hopefully progress back into harder workouts. I've just purchased the athletes program and have not started it yet, but I am very excited to work myself up to new challenges that are good for my body! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am seriously eternally grateful for this program, and I hope to never have hip surgery again!! I have told so many people with aches and pains to follow Upright Health. You guys are amazing!

Brittany

I want to thank you all! I have had incredible success with the FAI Fix. In 2015-2016 I had persistent, nagging hip pain and sciatica hat kept me from running, hiking and playing outside – everything I love! I was a competitive cross country skier through college and found myself struggling to go through my day without aches and pains; and there was no clear source of the pain. I have always been flexible and through your program I have realized that I have been lacking strength- glutes, hips, lower back. Your program has taught me to listen to my body, put in good quality strength sessions, and to be persistent. I downloaded the FAI fix October 2016 and the FAI fix for athletes and have been doing some sort of hip specific exercise, without fail, every day since then. My hips feel stronger than ever, my sciatic pain is non-existent, and I am now running 8 miles after a year of not running! I have become obsessed with hip and glute strength- I am pretty sure my friends and family are annoyed by how much I talk about it. But, they too would probably benefit from a little glute work:) So thank you and keep up the good work!

NOTE FROM THE FAI FIX: We were so inspired by Mia’s email to us that we followed up with a few questions for Mia. Below are her answers:

Q: What were your problems like on a daily basis and what diagnoses did you get from health professionals?
A: I was a collegiate cross-country skier and have spent most of my life moving – running, hiking, skiing, biking, climbing. A few years ago I was debilitated by left glute pain. It hurt to sit, to walk, to do anything. I saw a few different sports medicine doctors who concluded I had sciatica due to piriformis syndrome ad I was told to rest, stretch, and massage my piriformis. The initial episode did subside, but over time the pain came back and I developed a combination of symptoms: deep hip pain, quad pain, muscle twitches, and even left foot pain. Sometimes the throbbing pain in my left hip would wake me up.

Q: What did you try to fix the problems?
A: I tried stretching, yoga, chiropractic adjustments, dry needling, and countless massage. I did this for 2 years and the pain would come and go but never fully subside. Eventually I stopped running and biking completely for a year. I thought I would never return to the sports and lifestyle I loved.

Q: Were there any reasons you were hesitant to try the FAI Fix?
A: I found the FAI Fix searching for online resources for hip pain. I watched the videos, read about the research on FAI, and read all the testimonials. I was convinced that my symptoms were similar to others with diagnosed FAI and that I would benefit form similar a similar recovery program.

Q: Why did you decide to try the FAI Fix and what has your experience been like (including your present state)?
A: It was an easy decision to try the FAI Fix- it makes sense that targeting the muscles that control my hip bones and spine, I would retrain my body to work correctly. No matter how many times I get an adjustment or massage, the muscles will continue to work the same way until I retrained them. I realized that the diagnosis of impingement, arthritis, sciatica would all benefit from muscle retraining and activation. After spending countless dollars on massage- signing up for the FAI Fix seemed like a no-brainer. “Movement requires proper muscle activity. Even something like sitting requires muscle activity to maintain the position comfortably. Muscles are the organs of movement, and they are responsible for positioning and moving your bones safely and without pain!
“The FAI Fix is designed to help you focus on strategies that help you retrain muscles for better hip joint function – regardless of what an X-ray or MRI says”

Q: Do you have anything you’d like to add?
A: I signed up October 2016 and quickly realized that I needed strength, reactivation. I am very flexible and found that after a few weeks of FAI Fix reactivation exercises my aches and pains were better, my hips felt better. I liked that the FAI Fix recommended that I adjust the program to my needs. I focused on doing glute specific exercises regularly. I also signed up for The FAI Fix for Athletes a few months later when I realized how much it was helping. I built up to weighted exercises- eventually dead-lifts, squats, lunches. After 8 months of the FAI Fix, I was running again. After 12 months (of true dedication to reactivation exercises) I am now running 8 miles pain-free and my hips feel stronger than ever! Now, when I feel tight, or a muscle aches, I find that it is my body telling me of a weak spot. I continue to use the resources at The FAI Fix and Upright Health whenever I feel stuck.

Mia

My testimony is not going to be very original and pretty much in line with other cases, but after years of struggles, I'm finally seeing the end of the tunnel so I wanted to thank you. I started to experience left knee pain early 2016 after running on uneven terrain mountain. The diagnosis was the very generic "runner's knee syndrome" since I could run 20min before the pain would start and then the IT band was rubbing on the outside part of the knee causing more friction and pain. Physical Therapy, shots, massages have been tried => nothing worked. You could see bursitis during MRI. A knee specialist proposed to do plasma injection. I declined and moved on to other sports not as painful as running.

I'd thought "now I have to live with my runner's knee...nothing can be done." But it's OK I'm playing other sports I can manage since I'm still active. That was until the end of 2018 when I started to feel inner thigh pain, in the other leg this time! Very tender and I had a huge lack of mobility. It would go away when my body was warmed up and playing tennis or badminton but very painful when cold after sports. It kept worsening and after countless doctor appointments the verdict was: "you have a labral tear, also called FAI or hip impingement since your bones are rubbing against each other".

1st treatment was PT, which I did for 6 months with the 3 best PT of my city. Results => zero improvement but less money in my wallet. Also having to suffer a couple times a week from dry needling my adductor/pectineus area will be something I remember!

2nd treatment: sport massages, chiropractor and acupuncture. Results => zero improvement but even less money in my wallet.

3rd treatment: cortisone shot. The sports doctor who found my FAI diagnosis told me: "one or 2 shots and in a week you'll run again like before". Results => zero improvement, huge disappointment and no more money in my wallet. 

I'm a foreigner, so I even went abroad to my home country to have a second opinion, similar recommendations (plus some doctors said that's it's only the beginning and I'm going to have arthritis soon...(thanks dude!) My last chance was to do a surgery so the surgeon would "shave a bit of my bones so they don't rub on each other anymore". I asked for advice from the 3 PT's I saw before and they confirmed the surgery was my best option now. I reached the point I couldn't cross my right leg over my left leg...putting on my socks or shoes was very painful. I'm not yet 40y old, have been doing sports since I was 5 (martial arts, racket sports, marathon running, etc. I was the guy doing 10+ hours of sport every week BUT never stretched or ever saw a foam roller in my life). I was miserable not to be able to do anything.

Shaving my bones didn't sound appealing for me (plus the cost and the recovery process and even more PT etc,) so I did more research and it just didn't feel right. I felt my body was messed up but shaving the bones wouldn't help. After more research I started to find some of Shane and Matt's videos online, read some comments and reviews and that was the beginning of my resurrection!

I enrolled in the FAI Fix program and followed it exactly. It was tough! This program is no joke! I was waking up 1:30mins earlier to do it every single day. After 2 weeks I started to see very small improvements...was I dreaming ? Maybe not...so let's keep doing tissue work, stretching, & strengthening. A couple of months after I could walk and live with less pain, and few more months of the program I realized how my much my mobility improved!

I also started yoga and slowly, went back to higher intensity exercises. 10min running, rowing and so on. Slowly increasing the intensity. After 6 months I was back on tennis courts...a bit nervous but no pain. This method works! Amazing.

So I then went for the "Runner's Knee program" on Got ROM, to see if the "magic" would work for my IT Band syndrome. The program is actually a bit similar to the FAI Fix but with less "self-tests" (I'm happy I knew the methodology from FAI Fix first so I could use a similar testing approach for the other Got ROM program.)

Now, my left knee is better as well! I can now play tennis again, run around an hour without pain. When I look back a year ago putting shoes on was very hard. I've come a long way and so glad I didn't do the surgery and found Matt and Shane's materials.

This experience allowed me to realize few things:

• I now have tons of stuff at home! Foam roller, lacrosse ball, resistance band and so on 😊
• Doctors actually don't know a lot about the human body. Even sports specialist/knee or hip experts. When I see all other people experiencing the same as me online I'm confused how come only you guys figured it out?!
• The human body is an amazing machine and when you understand how things are connected and work together, you realize what needs to be done to improve some conditions.
  Sorry for the long email, and as I told you at the beginning it is not very original, but I wanted to take some time to share this with you. Big thanks to Got ROM / FAI Fix crew!

You guys are awesome and changed me!

Michael M.