When he came to see me, his hip pain had been dragging on for four years. It had stopped him from running. Even walking pain-free was a struggle.

He told me:

“After four years of worsening hip pain, I thought this was something I’d just have to accept.”

He’d seen all the usual people—GPs, physios, specialists. Nothing made a lasting difference.

But when I assessed his posture, the bigger picture came into focus.

Look at the alignment in this photo: feet, knees, hips, shoulders, hands, head. Everything’s way off. But the real story was clearer from the side view.

His hips were leaning forward from his ankles. His upper back was hunched. His shoulders and head had shifted out of alignment.

Even though the pain was in his hips, I knew we needed to address both areas:

• Realign the hips

• Retrain the upper back, shoulders, and head

Why focus on the upper body for hip pain? Because pain often shows up far from the actual cause. Posture is about systems, not symptoms.

To start, I gave him just four simple, equipment-free exercises tailored to his posture and strength. Enough to trigger change—without overwhelming him.

We met around ten times. At first weekly, then gradually spacing things out as he progressed. Each session, I refined the plan and added new challenges to keep momentum going.

As his posture shifted, the pain faded.

Within two months, he was pain-free. And back to running—something he thought he’d lost for good.

You can see the shift head to toe. His posture looks stronger, more balanced, more confident. He feels better and he’s far less likely to get injured again.

In his words:

“I’ve now started running again—something I thought I’d never really be able to do again!”

Helping him get to this point was a privilege. His story is proof that when you treat the cause, not just the pain, long-term change is possible.

Even if you’ve tried everything—don’t give up. There’s always a path forward.

Written by Ameet Bhakta, BSc, DipHE
Certified Postural Alignment Specialist (Egoscue Institute)
Founder of Health Through Posture, London & Tunbridge Wells