u/IndependenceOld3849

Hi! I am looking for a haircut place that is judgment free/supportive. Women’s haircuts specifically. I have trichotillomania (hair pulling) and also some depression that has led to me, not getting a haircut in a while. I have quite a bit of dead ends and odd layers, and would like to get a proper haircut instead of just letting my friends go to town. Does anyone have any recommendations for places in the North Seattle area? Also willing to go into Snohomish County.

thanks

I'm looking to get some advice and possibly some ideas on what I could mention at my upcoming ortho appointment? Not even sure if this is within the realm of Orthotics/Prosthetics, but I'm feeling like I'm running out of ideas and things that could help.

I have chronic ankle, foot, calf, shin, and leg fatigue/pain that significantly affects my daily function and activity tolerance. My symptoms are worse with walking (mainly longer/faster walks), stairs, uneven terrain, prolonged standing, running, jumping, hiking, and sports/activity. My right side is consistently worse and often feels unstable, heavy, and fatigued, especially with prolonged walking.

I feel like I lack a strong push off/toe off, and my double support time on my Apple Watch has been consistently around 30% since I was 16 (I'm 21 now). I've had these symptoms since around age 14. My gait has been described by others as "slow", "loud", and "careful". I have a mild overpronation on both feet. I have also been known to "trip over air" and "fall up the stairs".

My ankle dorsiflexion has decreased despite PT and stretching, and I played two years of JUCO softball where I weight trained and did work with athletic trainers, and my gait and endurance stayed the same or slightly decreased despite this.

I try to stay active and have completed several rounds of PT, strengthening/weight training, athletics, OTC orthotics, stretching, and OTC bracing, I continue to have recurrent ankle instability, frequent fatigue with walking, and pain during or after activity. I walk with a slower/cautious gait pattern and feel like my calves and upper legs are constantly working to stabilize each step.

I am hypermobile (5/9 beighton), and have a right ankle CAIT of 8/30. My doctors don't seem to take this into account and just keep pushing for more PT and stretching, which has not helped. The hypermobility diagnosis is recent, and I haven't seen ortho since before the diagnosis.

Right now, I am wearing superfeet in my shoes, never go barefoot, have hokas that were fit by a store, and wear ankle compression sleeves and a ASO brace on my right side. Walking still feels inefficient/exhausting, my ankle hurts on push off and even just walking, and my calves and gastrocnemius are still super tight. It feels like I'm using my calves and gastrocs to guard/stabilize my gait.

Functionally, this has significantly limited my ability to comfortably run, hike, jump, walk long distances, tolerate uneven terrain, or participate fully in sports and recreational activities. Routine daily activities such as walking to class, stairs, standing at work, and longer outings all increase pain and fatigue, and it is starting to affect my mental health.

I live close to Cornerstone (about 15 minutes away), and I want nothing more than to be able to hike, run, jump, and go for walks without fatigue and pain. Is it worth asking ortho for a referral to be evaluated by an orthotist? Or would another specialist be worth asking for? I'm currently on a waitlist for PT.

Hey! I (21F) recently was diagnosed with generalized hypermobility, and my doctors haven't ruled out hEDS, since I have a history of chronic joint and muscle pain, migraines, ankle, thumb, and wrist instability, and neurodivergence. My beighton score is 5/9 (thumbs to wrists, palm the floor, both pinkies). I'm really struggling with getting doctors to listen to me, and unsure if my history of pain is from the hypermobility, or if it's something else. I really just need to rant, but would love anyone's insight or similar stories.

I was a competitive athlete growing up, and played two years of softball at a junior college, skied, snowboarded, biked, hiked, swam, did martial arts, and soccer. After puberty, I started to experience ankle sprains, wrist pain, and a seemingly never ending list of injuries and pain. I'm now struggling to continue my active lifestyle, due to fatigue, pain, and my asthma on top of it.

I had "shin splints" for over 5 years straight (clear x-rays), plantar fasciitis, unstable ankles (frequent twists), standing on the "outside" of my feet, extremely tight calves, tight gastrocnemius, lack of lower body awareness, chronic leg pain, quite severe ankle pain, frequent tripping over air, and the most annoying symptom, exercise intolerance/quick fatigue despite an athletic background with weight training and daily practice.

I did three rounds of PT, have been treated by my college athletic trainer, seen ortho multiple times, podiatry twice, more PCP visits than I can count, and yet I keep getting "your just tight, do PT". The PT, OTC braces/insoles, taping, compression sleeves, stretching exercises, at home rehab exercises, activity modification, etc. hasn't improved my symptoms, and in fact, my dorsiflexion has gotten worse, my apple health gait stats have gone down (high double support time, short step distance, low 6 minute walk scores) despite the treatments, and yet I'm just getting told the same thing over and over.

I wasn't even tested for hypermobility until I got fed up with the pain and saw a sports massage therapist, who noticed my ribs were out of place, and my calves felt like they were guarded, and referred me to her colleague who does sports focused chiropractic, who did a beighton test on me. He sent me to my PCP who pretty much said "just keep taking alleve and stretching".

I was finally able to get an appointment to go back to ortho (for the third time since February), and they are finally going to do an MRI of my lower legs and ankles. I also requested a gait evaluation, and a referral to orthotics to see if a dynamic ankle brace will help with my calf and ankle pain, along with the fatigue when walking, which I am almost certain comes from the muscle guarding/muscle bracing. An ASO brace helps a bit with the calf pain/fatigue, but not with the ankle pain or lack of dorsiflexion, and walking is still exhausting and painful. I live locally to Cornerstone Prosthetics, and I'm intrigued by their Dynamic Brace.

Is there anything else that I should mention/advocate for at this appointment? I am wanting to be more active, and it makes me upset that I am unable to hike, run, bike, or stand without pain, and haven't been able to in years. Functionally, I am limited.

I would also love to connect with any athletes who are in a similar boat. I'm having a hard time accepting that I am now functionally disabled, and that despite my best efforts, riding an E-bike with wrist supports and ankle braces, or taking shorter ski days is now my normal.

Hi everyone! I’ve recently (over the past 5 months) gotten into MTB, and I’m really enjoying it (Western WA/PNW)!. During that time, some of my long standing health issues have worsened (asthma), and I’ve been diagnosed with a hyper-mobility disorder, as well as currently undergoing evaluations for possible neuro-motor issues. Riding has been a great way to get outside in a way that usually causes fatigue and pain (such as hiking).

All of my riding has been on an ebike, as riding an analog bike causes physical symptoms (worsening asthma symptoms/attacks, joint pain, and dizzy spells). Even on the ebike, I struggle with endurance/physical output, and often still fall behind analog riders on climbs. I also wear an ankle brace to support my foot from going in when pedaling. This is despite consistent exercise and strength training. Im also struggling with this identity change, since I played two years of college athletics (albeit with severe physical limitations and constant injuries and pain).

I have a National Parks Access Pass, which allows me to use the ebike in places that typically don’t allow them. However, I still feel like i’m not “disabled enough” to be considered an “adaptive rider” despite the joint pain, inability to pedal while standing off the saddle, etc. I’m signed up for a women’s enduro race this summer and was guided towards the adaptive class by the organizers.

So I was wondering if there were any other riders in similar situations, or any adaptive riders that had any thoughts/tips on participating in such a physically demanding sport while disabled. I’d love to connect more and talk about riding, especially with others who use adaptive equipment while riding.

I started riding last July by taking a lesson at a downhill park. Enjoyed it, but didn’t start doing it regularly until end of December. I’m now riding 2-3 times a week and have progressed up to being able to easier black trails without gap jumps, and I’m working on technical riding. I’m going to be purchasing a bike park pass this summer, and was wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on neck protection.

I currently on almost every ride (except for rides where there’s only XC trails without any features), wear a fox proframe RS, knee pads, gloves, and a troy lee rockfight ce flex. I also have elbow pads for gnarlier terrain. I have experienced whiplash from a snowboarding accident in 2024, and i’m still having some side effects with muscle pain. I was cleared by sports med, orthopedics, my primary care, and an athletic trainer. I also have hypermobility spectrum disorder. Is wearing a neck brace worth it? I’ve seen conflicting data, and I’m expecting to mainly ride green and blue trails at the bike park. Unsure if the cost and weight is outweighed by protecting my hypermobility in my neck and also providing confidence.

Any thoughts? And any suggestions for neck braces that work with the fox proframe rs and troy lee rockfight ce flex?