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| Hey guys!
I thought I would post this question since I've always had a problem with one of my knees (well both, but one more so than the other), and I thought someone else may have some advice. :-)
I have "loose patellas." Basically, it's a loose knee cap which sometimes will cause one's knee to pop out of joint, and have to be popped back in (both of which are excruciating)! My doctor suggested I wear sand bags around my ankles about the house to strengthen the muscles on the sides of my knees. I'm seeing zero improvement. I've only had it pop out of place twice, but both times were memorable enough!
Anyone know any yoga poses to strengthen those muscles?
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| Dragon:
Where are you situated. If you are near Virginia, come to my class so that I can see the situation.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Neel,
That would be awesome. :-)
When I am better off financially and can take some time off, I will try to come and see you. :-) Virginia isn't too far away, a few/several hours depending on where in Virginia of course. I am situated about an hour away from Kentucky (I'm closer to Knoxville than Nashville). It would be a definite road trip, but not horribly. :-) I just started a new job, so unlucky for me, it will be like three months before my paid time off even begins to accrue. I could possibly talk someone into a Virginia road trip though, I've been wanting to go to DC. :-)
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| Good. While you are in Tenessee, you might see Mary xxxx who is the author of 'Back Care Basics' (look on the internet.).
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Thanks Neel. :-)
I will look that one up!
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| On a related note, I was wondering about the connection between knees and hips. Specifically, I had an acl reconstruction done on my left knee and since that time I have noticed that my left hip is far more "open" than my right side. Is there any hope of balancing myself out? |
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| There is certainly a strong connection between your knees and hips, and your feet too. If your feet are out of line, or your knees, then you have to compensate further up the body in order to balance. Often this is noticed in the hips, and the lower back too.
What could be happening in your case is that since your left knee was (is?) weaker, you maybe favour your right side, which leads it to do too much work, shortening your hip muscles. There is no simple answer, the body is very complicated. But to be aligned in the upper body, the lower body must be a solid foundation. Crocked foundations place stress on the upper body.
In my case I favour my right side, and my right hip is much tighter, and my right lower back often gets fatigued. It also extends all the way to my right shoulder, and the right side of my neck.
Virasana is a great pose for finding imbalances in your legs. All the standing poses are too, if you pay very close attention to getting the form the same on each side. It is very easy to do a pose wrong only on your weak side. Try and draw your concentration to the centreline of your body, into the chakras etc as you practise - this has helped me recognise my imbalances.
Edited by Xavier 2005-03-09 10:10 PM
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| Thanks for the tips Xavier. I will try them out. You are spot on regarding my favoring one side over the other. I have been practicing being aware of this favoritism both during class, in my every day life and when I ski (which is how tore my acl in the first place) and I am starting to notice the difference.
Edited by sweetyogini 2005-03-10 1:55 PM
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| Dragon - 2005-02-24 2:13 PM
Hey guys!
I thought I would post this question since I've always had a problem with one of my knees (well both, but one more so than the other ), and I thought someone else may have some advice. :- )
I have "loose patellas." Basically, it's a loose knee cap which sometimes will cause one's knee to pop out of joint, and have to be popped back in (both of which are excruciating )! My doctor suggested I wear sand bags around my ankles about the house to strengthen the muscles on the sides of my knees. I'm seeing zero improvement. I've only had it pop out of place twice, but both times were memorable enough!
Anyone know any yoga poses to strengthen those muscles?
Dragon
I had a similar problem with my knees a few years ago. I think it was from all the jiu jitsu. Anyway, it hasn't really been a problem since doing lots of yoga and leg strengthening exercises.
Here are some things to focus on:
Feet. Strong feet are the foundation of everything. Learn to keep your feet strong and your arches lifted. Lift the toes and feel the feet get really strong. Try to encourage that feeling as much as possible.
Alignment. Always watch your alignment. Try to keep the knee aligned over your second and third toes in lunging poses. Try to rotate from the hips in poses like pidgeon and baddha konnasana. Keep the foot flexed in those poses and press through the ball of the big toe and do not let your feet sickle in. Keep the integrity in the ankle and knee.
Practice. In yoga class, I recommend doing lots of utkatasana. Legs together, squeeze the inner thighs and take the weight into your heels. Outside of class, I recommend lots of squats and lunges with perfect form.
Give it a lot of time. Connective tissue is slow to heal. I recommend lots of glucosamine and time. |
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Oh my Knee!
