Supta Kurmasana knee

[Guest guest]

I think I may have had a similar experience. This

all from my layman's knowledge of the anatomy of the

knee, based on listening to what various doctors and

physiotherapists have told me over the years. There is a thing

called the illio-tibial band, which is a strip of

tendon-like material that runs down the distal side of the

knee joint and contributes to its lateral stability.

There is also an important nerve running down the

distal side of the leg in the same area. (Any doctors or

other qualified anatomists reading, *please* correct me

if this is misleading crap). I had surgery to fix a

cartilage problem on the distal side of my right knee, and

for a long time afterwards still had a lot of

stiffness and aching in that area. A phsyiotherapist who

was treating me believed that the problem was

something to do with an excessively tight illio-tibial

band, or scarring from the surgery affecting the nerve.

Either way, he didn't think there was much he could do

about it.<br><br>So I lived with a certain amount of

stiffness and pain in the outside of my right knee for a

few more years. Starting yoga helped but didn't

completely cure it. Last year in India I went to an

excellent masseur, recommended by one of the astanga

teachers I was studying with. This guy (Vijay in Kovalam,

a genius and a saint) worked his way around my

right leg and hip for a while, feeling out the problem.

Then, with two assistants holding me down (yes, really)

he ran the ball of his foot really hard down the

outside of my right leg, along the line of the

illio-tibial band and the associated nerve. The pain was

intense, sharp and yes, could be described as

electric-shock like. And that was it. Knee fixed. I haven't had

a problem with it since.<br><br>I know this doesn't

amount to any practical help. I'm not a doctor,

physiotherapist, yoga teacher, acupuncturist, masseur or anything

remotely similar. Just sharing what might be a similar

experience.

[Guest guest]

And I thank you for sharing that, Alan. And now

please share some more, namely the meaning of "distal."

I can't find my dictionary after all this furniture

rearranging.<br><br>John, I think it you who was asking about finding one's

ease in a pose and Trayam supplied the word "Suka." A

teacher here used the phrase "Suka stira" (and you

Sanskrit experts must forgive me since I am probably

spelling it wrong) which he interpreted as "comfortable

steadiness," implying that you are working toward something,

even pushing, but not pushing too hard. Finding your

edge, but in a way that doesn't take you away from your

breath or focus. I think that's it. Maybe Cocteau can

help me out here.

[Guest guest]

My understanding is "distal" is the opposite of

"medial", and means the outside of the knee - i.e. the

right side of the right knee or left side of the left

knee. I might be using it wrongly, but that's what I

meant by it.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Alan. Dug out Webster's and here's what is

says for distal: "far from the point of attachment or

origin -- compare PROXIMAL." <br><br>So does anyone know

of a website with a good digram of the knee? I'd

like to see all this, as the electrical zip sensation

is persistent and troubling.

[Guest guest]

hi, bandawoman.<br><br>1. i haven't practiced

with you in a while, so i'm not sure exactly what

you're doing in supta kurmasana, but one possible thing

that might prevent that weird distal side of the knee

pain would be to keep the feet flexed as you wiggle

them towards each other. Why? Often we "sickle" the

feet (i.e. point the toe and curve the foot into a

sickle shape) to give the illusion of moving them closer

to each other, when really the hips need more

external rotation (a similar thing happens for lots of

people in ardha padmasana). When the hip is tight and

the foot sickles this way, it ends up torquing the

knee.<br><br>2. "Sthira-sukham asanam" -- from the Yoga Sutra of

Patanjali. "The pose should be steady and

comfortable."<br><br>3. Utkatasana -- When the shoulders are tight, it's

hard to bring the hands together without the shoulders

riding up and forward, making it hard to take the head

back without crunching the cervical spine. So i guess

it's all in the shoulders, again...<br><br>-jc

(another card carrying member of the tight shoulders club)

[Guest guest]

First: the subject with yoga relevance.

<br>Lateral is the opposite of medial. Anatomically speaking,

lateral describes things that are away from the midline,

like IT band running down the outside of the upper

leg. Distal refers to something that is away from a

point of origin. The knee end of the femur is the

distal end, the hip end is proximal.<br><br>OFF

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classical music NPR station I could tune in got a little

crazy and broadcast this american life instead. I don't

listen to it as consistently now, but its still my

favorite. Great as Dan Savage is (have you heard his piece

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[Guest guest]

The plot thickens. Extending the leg and then

"sickling" the foot in the way you describe was an exercise

my physio suggested as a strech when he suspected

the illio-tibial band problem. (Although it didn't

seem to have much effect for me)

[Guest guest]

>The plot thickens. Extending the leg and then

>"sickling" the foot in the way you describe was >an

exercise my physio suggested as a strech when >he

suspected the illio-tibial band problem. >(Although it

didn't seem to have much effect for >me) <br><br>I

imagine the effect of this is different if the knee is

fixed (e.g. pre-folded and thus not likely to torque),

vs. as in supta kurmasana, where the hip, knee, and

foot are all free to move.<br><br>-jc