While maintaining left-right balance is crucial for running, I have a challenge when standing on one leg: my body can be kept steady and straight on the left leg, but it becomes unstable and wobbly on the right leg. What causes this problem? Fortunately, the world is full of information from physiotherapists. Their advice can be summarised as follows.
Firstly, the muscles in my right buttock are not in use properly, so it is wobbly. My right buttock feels no strength because my pelvis is tilted backwards. The cause of the backward tilt should be addressed not only in the lower body but also in the upper, it seems. In particular, the hip drop is caused by a hunched back, and it is necessary to correct the drooping shoulders. This can be done by pulling the shoulder blades together, but not if the chest muscles are tight. So, why do chest muscles get tight? There is no end. Just great!
Well, look at it from another angle. Muscles stretch and contract. When the front muscles stretch, the back muscles contract in response. Actually, the buttocks are not contracting and cannot hold the posture because the front thighs are tight. Once the front thigh muscles were fully stretched, I tried to stand on my right leg. To my surprise, there was no wobbling. I thought that the contraction of the right thigh and iliopsoas muscles would cause the pelvis to tilt to the right, creating an imbalance.
I know it is important to coordinate the upper and lower body, but I can feel the most effect on the front of my thighs for now, so I will concentrate on one point rather than the whole body. I hope this imbalanced approach will bear fruit.