@birdman518 Mitch, I made the suggestion thinking possibly that you may sit a lot instead of being up walking around, and for general information for everyone that this can be an issue that tight hip flexors can cause constipation because it tightens up the wall of the abdomen which is supporting the colon and all the organs. I have had tightness from my neck to my pelvis that has affected my ability to breathe by restricting my rib cage and it tends to pull my hip bone forward on that side. That of course affects my back and squeezes my guts. I've learned that keeping everything aligned and where it should be helps a great deal. That is completely separate from spine myelopathy. There can be more than one cause for these symptoms. Our bodies were meant to move, and can get stuck when we don't move enough. If your hip flexors are tight, it is hard to get your trailing leg to stay back when you walk, and your strides become short. That happened to me after breaking my ankle because I just couldn't walk for months. This is just simple stretching. A physical therapist is always good for information and asking questions about what are safe things for you to do. Only you and your medical providers know what is best.

I haven't tried dry needling yet, and I'm not sure I want to do that. Have we discussed myofascial release before? I talk about it a lot on Connect and it has helped me a lot. That is another way to stretch tight tissue and get the body realigned and moving again. Here is our discussion:

-Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Jennifer