Yoga as Therapeutic Exercise: A Practical Guide for Manual Therapists

9. Basic exercises for the knees9. Basic exercises for the knees 9. Basic exercises for the knees9. Basic exercises for the knees

Exercise 9.3: Mobile patella

Aims: mobilizing the kneecaps, coordination.

1. Sit on the floor with straight legs, and the feet
   in dorsiflexion; use a backrest if necessary; put
   your fingertips around the kneecaps to feel the
   movement.


2. Continuing normal breathing, rhythmically
   contract and relax your thigh muscles to move
   your kneecaps, 5–10 times, contracting both
   sides at precisely the same time, then alternating
   left and right 5–10 times.


3. Contract your thigh muscles; hold the
   contraction for 3–5 breaths; add a trace of
   flexion of your knee joints.


4. Slowly let go of the thighs; relax them for 1–2
   breaths.


5. Perform points 3 and 4 3–5 times.

Variation

Perform points 2–5 while standing.

Exercise 9.4: Posterior knee

Aims: mobilizing the knee joints, relaxing the back

of the knee.

1. Sit on the floor using a support for the pelvis
   that is high enough so that you can bend your
   right knee, with the toes pointing backwards
   and both buttocks resting equally on the
   support (Figure 6.182); the left toes are
   pointing towards the ceiling.


2. Slightly raise your right buttock until you can put
   the right palm and the flat fingers on the calf; the
   fingers are touching the back of the knee.


3. With your fingers very gently pull the calf
   muscle away from the back of the knee and side-
   ways, while lowering your right buttock; then
   remove your right hand from the calf.


4. Sit evenly on both buttocks.


5. Put the right palm on your right thigh, the left palm
   on your left thigh; stay for 3–5 breaths.


6. Put the sole of your right foot on the floor, with
   the knee pointing towards the ceiling, and slide

the right heel away to stretch the leg, keeping

the back of the knee soft.

7. Repeat points 1–6 for the left leg.


8. To finish sit with both legs straight for a few
   breaths, with the kneecaps and toes pointing
   towards the ceiling.

Exercise 9.5: Rotation of the

lower leg

Aims: mobilizing the knee joint into rotation and sta-

bilizing it.

1. Sit on a chair, with the knees and feet more
   than hip width apart, and the shin bones
   perpendicular to the floor.


2. Bend forward so that you can rest your left
   elbow on your left thigh; put your left hand
   on your right thigh close to the knee; keep
   the fingers on the outside of the thigh; the
   right hand is around the top of the right shin
   bone.


3. Keeping your right heel as a pivot, turn your
   right foot inwards (Figure 6.183) and outwards
   (Figure 6.184), 5–10 times.


4. Your left hand is stabilizing the right thigh.

Figure 6.182