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Pulled muscles?
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Karn
Posted 2004-02-12 5:11 PM (#3703)
Subject: Pulled muscles?


When i do stretches (e.g. the v stretch, where you stretch out both legs while seated and lean forward) i feel that my left calf area and the meat under my knee gets very tight, while my right side is fine. I jump rope and bicycle kick, so can that hinder the recovery process of the muscle? Does stretching help to heal the muscle? Could any give me some recommendatiosn of good stretches to perform?
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YogaDancer
Posted 2004-03-17 11:58 AM (#4530 - in reply to #3703)
Subject: RE: Pulled muscles?


Bicycle kick? Are you hyperextending your knee by throwing your foot without control?

This doesn't sound like a pulled muscle at all, but rather an alignment issue.

When you sit down, grab your left buttock with your left hand, pull it out from underneath you while rolling your inner thigh down with the other hand. You're kind of rolling your leg from the hip socket, in. Do the same on the other side. Do it to your calf, so you can kind of push the calf out to the side, while keeping your toes pointed straight up.

Now, when you go to bend forward, don't think forehead to floor, but rather belly button to floor. The straighter you keep your spine, the more you'll get out of this stretch. If you hunch, you defeat the purpose and may as well move on.

Now during this stretch, keep the toes pointed upwards, but put your foot into a kind of "Barbie foot" position. Push out through the heels, (flexation) but make certain to also push out through the balls of the feet, bringing your toes back towards you. For an example, get ahold of a Barbie doll and look at her foot.

This insures you're not hyperextending the tendons in the knee, while energizing the front of the leg to let the hamstrings release.

Know that one side of everyone's body is looser than the other. It's the humanity in us. We are not balanced souls nor physiques. Anyway. Keep the spine straight and do an extra repeat on the tighter side. Hold for 5 even breaths, holding that muscle energy. When you go into the center, go only until you feel serious discomfort. Do not force. Hold, breathe, and kind of pulse back and forth into and out of the pose.

This is extremely common. To address your question about healing? If you've pulled a hamstring, which I don't think you have, the ONLY. (Not one of, but ONLY) way to heal it is rest. You cannot work through a pulled hamstring. Activities that stress the hamstrings in the name of stretching it out, cause harmed hamstrings to swell and tears healing muscle fiber. You must rest it. Once you have no pain AT ALL, you can begin small, shorter holds again. If you rush into deep hamstring work, you will tear that newly healed hamstring fiber. Again, common since people feel so good they throw themselves into things.

If you tear newly healed hamstring fibers, they'll scar, lump, and it can take years to work them out if you ever do at all.

I hope this gives you some ideas and conceptually focused information to work with.

Christine
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vox terrae
Posted 2004-03-23 12:16 AM (#4764 - in reply to #4530)
Subject: RE: Pulled muscles?


yoga dancer, that is a great reply on the pulled muscle. Can you explain this one for me. Why is it that when I do body twists in my practise, I can feel every vertebra crack from bottom to top on my left side but not my right. I am pretty loose and can do bound lotus and other sort of extreme asanas. Is it better to crack the vetebrae or not to craclk the vetebrae. Thank you
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YogaDancer
Posted 2004-03-23 11:42 AM (#4775 - in reply to #3703)
Subject: RE: Pulled muscles?


I can't get into the argument about cracking bones. It's one for the ages. Chiropractors tell you it's enhancing mobility from calcium-fused joints. Others (although science has proved them wrong) feel it furthers arthritis. People WITH arthritis are advised not to crack, because some forms actually weaken the cartiledge, so one doesn't want to hurt deteriorating tissue. See what I mean, bean?

However, you're cracking probably on one side because you're less mobile there. Flexibility has extremely little to do with this, because flexibility is primarily (but far from completely) muscular.

When you twist, particularly since you're flexibile, make SURE you're anchoring the opposite side of the body. If it's a seated twist and you're turning to the right? Make certain, to the point of someone holding you so you can feel it, that you're grounding that left hip. Turn with your belly button rather than your head. Make certain you're sitting tall enough that the left shoulderblade can come into the body.

These actions isolate the twist into the torso and make sure it's a twist rather than a rotation. It also protects your sacrum and SI joints. You're more at risk of pulling something or popping something out if you're flexible than if you're tight. Go figure, huh?

If you're standing, do a few in the mirror to watch your pelvis. The hip pointers should remain stationary, with the turn coming from just below the belly button. Your spine needs to be extremely erect. Usually this can be done by inhaling and lifting (using your hand behind you in seated twists) and turning on the exhalation.

Do you know the purpose of twists and how the breath is used? Many people don't.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the cracking unless it's:
1) painful
2) painful after release
3) effecting arthritis
4) causing tingling on the opposite side
5) makes people hearing it throw up
And I would make absolutely certain you're as tall and long as you can be, and definitely turning from your core (belly button).

I hope this helps. Without seeing you it's tough to know what to say, so these are basic steps for twisting safely.


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vox terrae
Posted 2004-03-23 1:40 PM (#4784 - in reply to #4775)
Subject: RE: Pulled muscles?


It is the looser side cracking, Yoga Dancer. I do appreciate the pointers and already this morning both my sitting and standing twists have improved thanks to your comments. Be well.
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