I have a client who has Cushing’s disease. It is limiting the use of her entire left side from her feet up to her hips and into her arms. She has trouble balancing while standing. She has pain in her lower back due weak abdominal muscles (also, the back seems to be overcompensating for her lack of muscle use). She fractured a vertebrae late last year and is aware of that (she is reluctant to hurt it again). She is able to walk slowly. What can you suggest for her? She is very open to yoga and alternative therapies.
This is a condition i have not heard of previously so i had to look it up in Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. It is a good reference book to keep handy. It says this syndrome (not disease) results from hypersecretion of the adrenal cortex in which there is excesive productin of gludocorticoids. It lists a long series of symptoms including protein loss, fatigue, amenorrhea, edema, diabetes, and capillary fragility. Nursing recommendations include high protein diet, body image and strength training, and psychotherapy for feelings of loss. My reocmmendations given what you say would be to take it slow and keep her in a restorative Yoga class, or Yoga for pain specialty class. If you are working with her one on one then work on hip strengthening. These are the most important for restoring balance, especially pay attention to the gluteus medius. See my book for the Kinesiology chart 5 page 254 to give you a wide list of poses for all the range of hip motions. Also of course give the Joint Freeing Series from my book too. namaste Mukunda