I injured my right hip 4 years ago and despite help from an osteopath and some interim improvement, it went again big time last December after an uphill hike. I was in despair, it seemed that it would never get better. 

After three months of this, my osteopath suggested surgery might be the only answer. I didn’t want this at all, I was only 45 and needed to be active with my kids and back in the saddle sooner rather than later. 

I found Upright Healths YouTube channel and a glimmer of hope appeared in the dark. Slowly, gradually, it improved. After a month I was able to leave my bedroom. It was a miracle! 

Now, 5 months later, I can do stairs again and am starting to be able to do some gentle hills too, I have travelled and camped this summer with my family which seemed impossible before I started the program. 

Everything has stabilised, I have built back strength and mobility and I will continue to do the exercises so that one day I can achieve my big goal of walking the Camino with my husband. 

I thank you Upright Health from the bottom of my heart. Your program has truly been a godsend for me.

I recently (about 2 weeks ago) happened upon your channel. I just turned 49, and I have VERY bad knees. At 23 I tore the ACL in my left knee (a jump rope mishap), had 2 surgeries to get it fixed, and yes, it did work. Then around 35, I tore the ACL in my right knee (a karate mishap). Again, had surgery and yes, that one worked too. Fast forward to age 41, and my left knee, out of the blue, made to POP sound and I couldn’t walk back up the stairs that I just walked down. Again, surgery (#3 on that side). HOWEVER, this time, 7 years later I am STILL in pain, STILL not able to move around proportionally. Which has caused me to put on 75 pounds and have a cornucopia of health issues. Which has also been devastating for me mentally, since I had been extremely active and healthy my whole life. Honestly, I had truly given up, convincing myself the problem was my “age” and now my "weight". That was on till about 2 weeks ago when I stumbled on one of your “knee strengthen videos”, then went on to watch others. In the space of a little over ONE WEEK of following your videos, I have gone from barely being able to stand long enough to make a simple cup of coffee, to being able to walk on my treadmill for 10 minutes before the pain set in, to 2 days after that, being able to walk 12 minutes WITH NO PAIN. Now to this morning, being able to sit CRISS CROSS APPLESAUCE pain-free. I can’t for the life of me figure out why I’ve never seen your stuff before, but so happy and so grateful that I have now. I am not exaggerating when I say, YOU have not only changed my life, but YOU have given me my life back. Saying thank you will never be enough. But, THANK YOU!

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. 

I am a 68 year old woman. For many years I suffered with discomfort in my left hip/lower back. It would get worse at night when lying down and made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. I tried Pilates, yoga, acupuncture and went to many health practitioners over the years to no avail. 

Only temporary relief. And then I found Matt and Upright Health! I bought their back fix program as a last ditch effort to fix the problem, whatever it was. I learned so much about my body in those 15 weeks of targeted exercises! I could see for myself how weak certain muscles were and why they were the cause of the issue. I stuck to the program religiously and loved the results on my body, even at 68. 

The flab of my inner thighs tightened up, my shoulders took on a strong and fit appearance and I actually developed my glutes! I changed from 3 lb weights which felt heavy and now exercise with 5 lb -also went up a pound with the ankle weights without strain. I can walk for 2-3 hours now without feeling crippled and can do squats and lunges without agony! 

I love this program so much I am starting from the beginning and doing it all again! I am impressed and surprised by the results. I can sleep on my back all night without issue! So thank you Matt and everyone else at Upright Health! 

I realize that I need to keep up with these exercises to maintain good muscle tone, but the program is varied and presented well so I don’t get bored. I would recommend Upright Health to anyone with mechanical body issues, these guys know what they are doing!

Absolutely brilliant! I’m 62 and 5”10 tall with an inside leg of 34” and have it always had tight hips like a giant elastic band stopping everything moving. Finally, at the age of 60 I had an MRI and was told I have mild osteoarthritis in both hips and “by the way, have these painkillers as it will only get worse”. 

I have been going to a physiotherapist for a year who has been brilliant with massage but Matt's exercises are - well - unbelievable actually. Only after 10 days of following the Healthy Hips 1 Follow Along program, I feel that tight band loosening and I can actually walk for longer than 10 minutes!

I’m not able to do some of the exercises as well as Matt does, (wow is he bendy!) but love the encouragement he gives. I do the programme every day around 4 pm. If I have to give any advice, I would say no matter what your hip problem is, it's the muscles that are the problem. 

I have also cut out sugar as much as possible, you are what you eat as they say, lol. Fantastic stuff! Can’t thank Upright Health enough! 

Just a little feedback from the end of phase 2 of the Back Pain Fix program...

Because of other health issues, I have every 2 months some tests in hospital and they do measurements of the muscular mass each time. I started very underweighted with muscle atrophy and pain everywhere, and I had to gain 8kg of muscles to be back in the bottom of the norm. 

At the end of phase 2 (with a proper diet) I gained 8kg weight from which 6kg are of muscular mass, which means I'm almost back in the norm. And of course my mobility improved a lot, pain almost disappeared and I feel like a lot of things I missed (like hiking for example) will be soon possible again. 

I spent a lot in physical therapy the last few years and nothing has been that efficient. Far from it! 

So thanks a lot for this program!

I didn’t squat for over a year because I couldn’t stand getting underneath the bar due to fear of inevitable pain that would follow. Last week, I stepped underneath the bar completing my daily FAI Fix protocols for the day) and it went great. No pain. Great form. Felt strong. I’ve only been working through the program for a month and this has already happened. No doubt I am glad I made the purchase. Thank you guys. It means a lot to a guy who takes so much pride in being a healthy athlete.

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.

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 the FAI FIX! Thank you!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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!

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.

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. 

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!

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.

It’s one thing to watch the videos and be like “hmm okay, I see," but that moment when I’m practicing a cue or movement and it just clicks and I understand how it works and what it’s supposed to feel like…those moments are straight-up golden! So thanks for everything you do; you’re a big part of my successes."

Really helps your feet immediately! These are so important to know...major foot injuries are so debilitating and cause so many other gait problems. 

I've tried so many things!

Thanks SO much! The Healthy Hips program is helping tremendously, even after just one week. The first YouTube video I watched - "Why Sudden Sharp Pain in Hips Comes and Goes" is what got me started. I felt immediate relief after doing the 2 workouts in that video. I did a few other workouts from your YouTube posts, then ordered the Healthy Hips 1 & 2 programs. 4 months ago I could barely walk - started with nagging lower back pain, then intense knee pain, then pain from my hip to my knees to my ankle. Then intense pain in my groin when squatting, bending over or going to sit down. I was in tears and screaming in pain every day. Felt like I was walking on a broken leg. I didn't do anything for about 2 months, thinking I had a back injury causing sciatica. That didn't work - it just got worse. Then went to a chiropractor/physical therapist. Surprisingly, he thought it could be muscles from the start. But he also got thrown off track with the pain just below my knee, thinking it could be a spine issue. I made appointments with knee specialists, spine specialists and hip specialists in Durango, CO - but ended up cancelling all of the appointments due to snow storms (Durango is an hour's drive away and treacherous if roads are icy). Glad I didn't waste time with those appointments. Going to continue with your programs. Can't believe the progress I've made in just one week! Wish I would have found your site 4 months ago - could have been able to ski this winter instead of limping around the house. thank you thank you thank you! 

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.

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.

I’ve been doing the Healthy Hips I stretches and exercises the last two days and I already feel SO MUCH BETTER.

After 5 years of trying with PT and rolfing and pilates and yoga, this is amazing (for multiple reasons, not the least of which is – why aren’t those other practitioners clued in to this stuff?)…You know how you don’t know something is hurting until it stops? I’m feeling THAT kind of better. In addition to the kind where you know very well it was hurting before! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Ever since I found your program and YouTube it has only been 3-4 days since then but the changes are drastic. Just last week I was popping ibuprofen like skittles and just wishing the pain would go away just for hours later it comes back like a killer in a horror movie viciously stabbing at my hips. I went to the ER which they gave me more drugs and crutches saying to lay off it as much as possible. Frustrated beyond belief I ignored them using only 1 crutch for support and researching like a mad man. 

Cut to now I am on my Day 3 of your work out plan and I am walking without any crutches, still having dull pain in my hips but nothing compared to LITERALLY LAST WEEK. You give me hope of becoming an United States Air Force Para-rescue man. No goal is too ambitious and you are giving me the hope I thought I lost. 

Thank you for doing what you do, your program is saving my life.

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.

No kind of stretching and exercise I did brought relief and I had been in pain for over a year from a tight piriformis. I somehow found Upright Health on YouTube and watched the glute wall stretch which provided immediate relief! 

Seeing this progress, I signed up for the Healthy Hips course. After the first day of ab work and stretches the hip pain is gone. I knew my inner thighs were getting tighter and tighter, but didn't know that I had to do various ab exercises, hamstring and quad stretches for relief (many of which I hadn't seen before). 

Thankfully, they were all explained in a detailed and easy to follow manner. After months of pain, I am pain free after 1 day! I look forward to completing the program, and then developing a daily routine of body exercises and stretches to keep me strong and pain free. Thank you for all you do. You are amazing and generous to put so much information online!

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 was lucky that my friend encouraged me to check your website when I developed pain in my hip. I bought Healthy Hips 1 and am feeling better just 3 days into the program. I am so so grateful that you do this work. It is fabulous. I am so impressed with the way you teach the exercises, the format of the online book, and also the psychological approach/pearls helped me a lot as I was starting to despair. As an internal medicine physician, I knew just enough to have doomed myself to eventual surgery but not nearly enough to know what I had done to myself or how to approach healing it. 

Bottom line: thank you!

Within the first week of getting oriented to the program, I was already experiencing more strength and mobility just by doing the arm circles daily. I couldn’t believe how quickly that simple exercise gave me relief, and hope! 

I have so much more hope now than ever before....This method is working quicker than anything. My advice to you is to try this! It’s worth the small amount of money! 

I am happy to say that I’m back painting with my favorite oil paints! My galleries will be happy to see my new work! 

Thank you, Matt!

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.

...In the first session with Matt, there was an obvious improvement in my hand and neck symptoms. After a month or two I was feeling very good and no longer suffered the distraction of pain and numbness during my busy workdays.

I didn’t squat for over a year because I couldn’t stand getting underneath the bar due to fear of inevitable pain that would follow. Last week, I stepped underneath the bar completing my daily FAI Fix protocols for the day) and it went great. No pain. Great form. Felt strong. I’ve only been working through the program for a month and this has already happened. No doubt I am glad I made the purchase. Thank you guys. It means a lot to a guy who takes so much pride in being a healthy athlete.

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.

My X-ray shows calcium deposits in my right shoulder, and I probably have tendinitis/ bursitis from an allopathic doctor’s point of view, but what I do with the position of my joints – taking care of relationships of joints and muscles and fascia – is what gives me the most benefit. 

In the Shoulder Fix, I find the bent over arm circles to be very beneficial. And in starting the recalibration/strengthening section, I am starting with no weight/resistance, just to get used to the movements and do with correct form, and not hurt anything. 

Unfortunately, that has happened in the past with other exercise programs. Unfortunately, like a lot of others, I am “too busy,” sit too much, am on the computer for eight hours a day at work… 

But, in summary, when I can do the tissue work, stretches, and exercises regularly from the Shoulder Fix, I am fine! 

Thanks for the program you have created!"

Matt is one of the few practitioners that not only know what they are doing, but has suffered from the same problems and has overcome them on his own. That’s very powerful.

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.

I couldn’t weight lift, which I desperately wanted to do. I went to orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, sports performance specialists, and not only did nothing work, these professionals could not diagnose the issue. 

Then I met with one of the top “thoracic outlet syndrome specialists” in the country and was diagnosed with TOS. After only meeting with me one time, I became a candidate for surgery, with the option of removing two muscles in my upper chest and neck, as well as one of my ribs. 

I immediately went online and searched “alternative treatment for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome” and that’s where I came across Upright Health. 

I found the Shoulder Fix program and immediately bought it and started that night. It was the best money I’ve ever spent. 

I swear to god I felt better after the first session. The rest is history – I’m lifting again without shoulder/neck discomfort or tingling. 

I was confused as to why I was not given this option when I saw the TOS specialist so I called and told them about my success without the surgery, but they didn’t want to hear it. 

Maybe that has something to do with the fact that they’re making hundreds of thousands of dollars off these surgeries.

Upright Health does what the traditional medical model does not – treating the root cause of conditions with lifestyle changes. 

Upright Health empowered me to heal my body by working in alignment with my natural musculoskeletal system without risky drugs or surgery – and for that, I am grateful.

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 the FAI FIX! Thank you!

I woke up one morning in January 2016 with nagging anterior hip pain. 3 days later I couldn’t get out of bed or walk without crying in pain. 3 weeks later an MRI showed bilateral labral tears in both hips.

It is now 7 months since the day I could not even get out of bed without excruciating pain. I am playing ice hockey and feel stronger on my skates, and am less likely to fall when battling another player for the puck. I feel like everything is easier, swimming, skating, yoga. I am a better skater than ever. 

I also am better at pinpointing and troubleshooting my own hip issues. I put in my part and since this began I have not skipped my exercises to keep me healthy. But I wouldn’t be where I am without Upright Health.

Two years into the job, I started to experience a lot of shoulder and hip pain. For months, I tried everything I could think of – ergonomic evaluations, multiple physical therapists, medications, chiropractor, acupuncture, deep tissue massages – but nothing helped alleviate the pain. 

I was in constant pain, and my range of motion was severely limited. I had trouble driving, sleeping, and working. At one point, I seriously considered quitting my job and doing a complete career change which did not involve sitting or computers. 

After nearly 10 months of trying everything, my friend recommended Upright Health, and after the first session with Matt, I felt a noticeable difference. The pain was not gone, but I felt better than I had in months... 

After 4 months of training, the pain was 95% gone, and I have been able to continue working at my job with no problems. 

My life has drastically improved.

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.