Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

[Ohms Lawyer]

http://www.alignedandwell.com

Was initially brought to my attention by a lady doing research on Kegals. I'm interested in learning if any of you more experienced MT's, and especially those who are something "in addition" to being an MT (chiropractor, physical therapist/trainer, etc) have ever heard of this lady, and if so (or even if not), what do you think of it?

 

[~Jessika~]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

I've not heard of her, but I spent a bit of time searching the site. LOTS of info for sale, and some for free. While most seems well grounded, it misses some important points (at least points that are important to me).

For example, on her site she talks about what to do to prevent osteoarthritis of the knees and proceeds to give 5-6 stretches which are for the knees (minimally), hips, and pelvis. But she omits what, to me, is the most important stretch to promote knee health, a good quadriceps stretch.

The materials certainly are not too expensive and are a start.

 

[Samm(:]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

Thank you, Walt.

So, in your opinion, it would be "okay" for a group of women who don't know much at all about how the physical body works, most of whom have had several babies and/or are hoping to have several more, and who desire to minimize the impact of childbearing on their bodies? Pretty much, they've been taught to "do bunches of kegals" and that "nothing can help/prevent PSD" and many of the other issues that crop up with multiple pregnancies.

ETA: Many of the ladies I mention do "do their own research", but they also don't have much of a background to base such research against. What I am looking for (not being nearly as experienced as I'd like to be) is to know whether the information here could be considered potentially harmful, or is it okay to "let them look" without warning? (If that makes sense)

 

[Krin]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

Her site is a mishmash of basic info and some questionable recommendations. She pretty much ignores the fact that we have fascia and a nervous system, focusing almost exclusively upon musculoskeletal alignment. Since her basic premise is so flawed, her message is skewed to incorrectly reframe SYMPTOMS (poor posture and alignment) so that they appear to be CAUSES. This misinformation is confidently and professionally presented in a way that will mislead most people into perpetuating these myths as truth.

Her "Rx...ercises" are also questionable. As Walt pointed out, the stretches she recommends for knee pain will be minimally useful, and her choice to teach them as passive static stretches virtually guarantees minimal results. The video clip demonstrations of exercise recommendations do not include much in the way of how to practice them (sets, reps, workout structure, etc.)... it's as if she assumes that her viewers will instinctively know the best way to practice. *sigh*

Though she was apparently a trainer, this person is not a therapist and should not be "prescribing" exercises. Unless she's participating in some form of research, she is also not actively a scientist. My impression is that she's using all the science-talk just to legitimize her own personal opinions about what does/doesn't work. She RARELY cites legitimate scientific research studies in her blogs; the only example I found was cherry-picked so she could attack it on some point. Oddly, she failed to present any contradictory research that supported her attacking argument. Because she constantly emphasizes her M.S. degree (an important marketing strategy!), everything she says comes across as "gospel" to clueless people looking for "straight talk" from an expert.

Here's a prime example from http://www.katysays.com/2010/06/17/creep/

And then I signed my real name. Just because. And actually, to be a bit of a butthead, I added M.S. after it, because, well, the “M” stands for Master and the “S” for Science, so I was just pointing it out. And it’s been fatiguing answering questions from “scientists” who don’t know their biomechanics (or tissue properties) that well. And I may have PMS, but these days, who can tell.

Are her videos dangerous? Probably not, unless you worry about having to "deprogram" her followers later in life. (As a trainer, I am constantly faced with this issue... not just this program, but all such programs, including P90X.) The average viewer will learn some useful tidbits that they can practice reasonably safely. Some of them will benefit from it. Those that don't will still feel like they learned something. I wouldn't recommend ths program, but I won't warn people away from it. It's better than some, worse than others, but overall nothing to get too excited about.

 

[R. P]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

Well put, Jason. The information presented and sold is mass market oriented, with a general inclusion of some helpful topics but lacking in depth.

As for your question, Timedess, I don't think your ladies would be harmed by this information. The danger comes from the fact that the author claims her methods are well researched, but really just scratches the surface. So, "let them look", but encourage them to look further.

 

[matt c]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

Jason and Walt, thank you so very much for your input. I appreciate y'all (and MassagePlanetL) very much.

 

[Angelique]

Aligned and Well- anyone heard of this program?

I have been reading this forum for a while now and learned so much from you all! I was thinking about buying some of these DVD's but already doubted somewhat because of the focus on mechanics, which I now know is only a part of the pain puzzle. I was surprised to see this specific program mentioned here. I wondered if you could recommend me a better program? I am specifically interested in foot health and pelvic health. It seems that many general exercise programs do not take (female) pelvic health into consideration at all, and I think some may be even damaging to this area. For example, I do think she has a good point as to proper squat posture (on her blog), and I think the "proper form" that some fitness instructors teach may only be proper for some specific muscles they focus on, but not good for the body as a whole.

I would really appreciate your recommendations!