Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 One other thing I remember tonight during my practice. In several different asanas, especially during downward facing dog, I get a burning sensation in my arms at the connection between the shoulder and the upper arm. If you placed a triangle on your shoulder muscle and pointed it downward, the bottom most point is where I feel this sensation. It feels as if it is very fatigued or stressed. This seems like some kind of injury and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so what they thought. I have also noticed it while doing other more daily activities. Thanks again. Layne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 the next time you look in a mirror with your practice see if you back and shoulders are straight in a line, a perfect upside down v-shape, and relax your shoulders let your head drop, see if you are doing each of these thats usually what people have feeling like that! Shrugging over extending whilse there, I hope that helps try each for a week so you can find which one if any helps! blessings james ashtanga yoga, "Layne Hedrick" <aleister@a...> wrote: > One other thing I remember tonight during my practice. In several different > asanas, especially during downward facing dog, I get a burning sensation in > my arms at the connection between the shoulder and the upper arm. If you > placed a triangle on your shoulder muscle and pointed it downward, the > bottom most point is where I feel this sensation. It feels as if it is very > fatigued or stressed. This seems like some kind of injury and I am > wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so what they thought. > I have also noticed it while doing other more daily activities. > > > > Thanks again. > > > > Layne > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 Very hard to tell without further investigation, but it could be impingement (which I have on the left side). Very common in shoulders. The mechanics of my left shoulder have deteriorated a little and the impingement is part of the overall problem. The left shoulderblade rides up a little more than it should when I lift my arm to overhead. I have trouble internally rotating the left are when lifting it closer to overhead (or as close to directly overhad as I can get). And I had either tendonitits or a microtear in the left supraspinatus which didn't help. My point is that the shoulder is a complicated area, with a lot of parts working together, and one problem usually signifies there is a bigger disfunction at work. I would investigate it further rathen than just live with it. You could be making it worse and preventing it from healing. ashtanga yoga, "Layne Hedrick" <aleister@a...> wrote: > One other thing I remember tonight during my practice. In several different > asanas, especially during downward facing dog, I get a burning sensation in > my arms at the connection between the shoulder and the upper arm. If you > placed a triangle on your shoulder muscle and pointed it downward, the > bottom most point is where I feel this sensation. It feels as if it is very > fatigued or stressed. This seems like some kind of injury and I am > wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so what they thought. > I have also noticed it while doing other more daily activities. > > > > Thanks again. > > > > Layne > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 Ashtanga is very powerful and very healing. The answer to all of these problems is that you continue practice and you must breathe. Don't force anything and don't strain, ever. Breathe. FBL ashtanga yoga, "trulyscrumshess" < budokanasana@a...> wrote: > Very hard to tell without further investigation, but it could be > impingement (which I have on the left side). Very common in > shoulders. The mechanics of my left shoulder have deteriorated a > little and the impingement is part of the overall problem. The left > shoulderblade rides up a little more than it should when I lift my > arm to overhead. I have trouble internally rotating the left are when > lifting it closer to overhead (or as close to directly overhad as I > can get). And I had either tendonitits or a microtear in the left > supraspinatus which didn't help. My point is that the shoulder is a > complicated area, with a lot of parts working together, and one > problem usually signifies there is a bigger disfunction at work. I > would investigate it further rathen than just live with it. You could > be making it worse and preventing it from healing. > > ashtanga yoga, "Layne Hedrick" < aleister@a...> > wrote: > > One other thing I remember tonight during my practice. In several > different > > asanas, especially during downward facing dog, I get a burning > sensation in > > my arms at the connection between the shoulder and the upper arm. > If you > > placed a triangle on your shoulder muscle and pointed it downward, > the > > bottom most point is where I feel this sensation. It feels as if > it is very > > fatigued or stressed. This seems like some kind of injury and I am > > wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so what they > thought. > > I have also noticed it while doing other more daily activities. > > > > > > > > Thanks again. > > > > > > > > Layne > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 Many Ashtangis will tell you to just keep practicing if you're having some kind of pain -- all is coming, you're building strength, you have to work through it, pain is an opening, etcetera, but in the case of a legitimate injury be aware that this may just get you into deeper trouble. I recommend from experience to be very cautious with a shoulder that is painful during down-dog as well as daily activities. I had the same thing, and after it escalated, it turned out eventually to be a torn rotator cuff which cost a lot of money, time and difficulty to rehabilitate (and has left me with permanent losses in flexibility and strength that has changed my yoga practice profoundly.) While working with a physical therapist, I also learned that both down-dog and chaturanga dandasana can put the rotator cuff in an impinged position for some people, depending on your personal anatomy and precise alignment. The daily repetition of these positions can harm the muscles of the cuff, especially if they are already weakened from other athletics (for example, if you were ever a swimmer, kayaker, climber or weight lifter.) After my injury I wound up meeting literally dozens of "ashtanga refugees" -- people who were seriously injured in one way or another, including several people who needed shoulder rehabilitation and surgery. I still believe Ashtanga is a powerful practice and am glad to have done while I was able, but it is not an unimpeachable cure and it is certainly possible to get hurt doing it, even under the supervision of a teacher. I hope your shoulder feels better soon, and that you are able to continue your practice. If you start to have trouble sleeping on that shoulder, though, I urge you to see a doctor as that is a common sign of potentially serious impingement or tears. It may also be necessary to do some strengthening of the rotator cuff and surrounding musculature with light weights to get you back to a pain-free practice. While not exactly recommend by KPJ, it's really the only proven way to head off an impending failure of the cuff. Several yoga teachers (Iyengarites, as far as I know) support this. I wish I had done it before my shoulder progressed to a partial tear. These days, I am able to do down-dog without pain but I don't do it repeatedly and I concentrate on "wrapping my shoulder blades" and "sucking" my shoulder into their sockets. This may or may not be useful to you and your body! Robyn ashtanga yoga, funkybadlady <no_reply> wrote: > Ashtanga is very powerful and very healing. The answer to all of > these problems is that you continue practice and you must > breathe. Don't force anything and don't strain, ever. Breathe. > > FBL > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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