Rod:
In almost three weeks I turn 75. For most it’s a time to slow down. Many of my friends are going through terrible physical ailments, all of which are attributed to “age.” The same thing was happening to me, so about 3 years ago I resolved to return to the martial arts, this time in the form of Tai Chi Chuan. I started with 1 to 2 times a week but now I’m up to 5. That’s like my earliest karate days and never that much for kendo. It does demand a great deal on joints and isometric strength. Despite my resolve each week to not overdo it, I overdo it. However, there is a very real story of its benefits I will share with you.
Three years ago, at this time I had severe bursitis in my left hip and a permanent spasm in my left calf muscle. I was awake nights in pain. It drove me crazy, so intense I’d shout out loud in anger. My orthopedist gave me cortisone shots and prescribed physical therapy. It didn’t do a thing. Then my back went into spasm and anyone whose had back pain knows how insane that can make you. I was essentially crippled, on a cane, losing sleep, with a lifestyle that was disintegrating. I was referred to a spinal surgeon for consultation. He did a complete MRI from the spine down to the legs, and told me “You have an alignment problem, and are a candidate for surgery in the L-1. It’s stenosis in the lumbar and arthritis in the spine that is throwing your body out of alignment causing spasms down your hip and into the calf, ilia tibial band around your knee and muscle seizures in your back.” Crap! I’ve never heard anything good coming from back surgery. He told me to go home and think about it.
It was about that time…ready for this…I started Tai Chi. Six months into training the pain subsided, eventually disappearing. Since that time I haven’t had a single episode with my hip, spasm in my calf, knee problems, and only once had a minor set-back in my lumbar. A week of Tai Chi and suddenly the spasm disappeared. Tai Chi focuses on centering your body over your balance point all in slow motion engaging your muscles in uncommon ways, rooting your strength with every muscle in my body needed to keep you in alignment. It has made me stronger. In addition, I’ve learned to use my internal strength, i.e. fascia, and striated muscles (long, thin, multinucleated fibers, and not the bulky twitch muscles on the exterior), and as we say get my mind out of the way of my movement. Nothing is different with my meds, I declined an epidural, and absolutely passed on surgery. There is only one variable that changed between my days of agony and now and that is Tai Chi.
Recently I was in the surgeon’s office seeing one of his colleagues about carpal tunnel in my left hand and bumped into him. He asked how I was doing. I told him the entire story and he said, “Yes, Tai Chi is an excellent form of therapy. Many studies from prestige medical schools have found strong correlation to health and Tai Chi.” He directed me to them, one of which is a book The Medical Benefits of Tai Chi from Harvard.
I just returned from a Yang style Tai Chi class and this evening I have a Sun style class. Last night was Push Hands class. I’m doing martial arts with a 75-year-old body and 25-year-old mind. I think my mind is still getting in the way. —Ron Landis—
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