Australian Yoga Journal – July 2019

36

july

2019

yogajournal.com.au

OURPROMaryRichards,hasbeenpracticingyogaforalmost 30 yearsandtravelsaroundthecountryteachinganatomy,physiology,andkinesiology.

A hard-core movement nerd and former athlete, Mary has a master’s degree in yoga therapy.

The knee is least stable when bent.

When we flex our knees, as in

Virabhadrasana II, we have less contact

between the femur and tibia. When

there is less bony contact, connective

tissues strain and become more

vulnerable. The vastus medialis, the

inner muscle of the front thigh, is

primarily responsible for keeping the

patella, or kneecap, in its femoral sulcus,

the groove at the end of the thigh bone.

Ideally, we want the kneecap to slide

smoothly up and down that groove, so

that the patella functions efficiently as a

fulcrum when we bend and straighten

the knee. But the vastus medialis is

much smaller than the vastus lateralis,

on the outside of the front thigh. This

strength imbalance in the front thigh

muscles, or quadriceps, can cause the

kneecap to pull out and up, creating pain

in everything from walking to bent-leg

standing asana. Lunge poses often make

it worse. But we can develop balance

between the muscles through “quad

setting.” Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose)

with a rolled towel under your knees,

toes pointed up. Press out through your

heels. Then, press down through your

knees, leading with the inner knee. Hold

for 10-20 seconds, release, and repeat to

fatigue.

Remember, the knees, stuck in the

middle, absorb energy from the feet and

hips. If you take them beyond normal

rotation or put too much pressure on

them when bent, you increase the risk of

Get real

If healthful for you, take Downward

Facing Dog, and look at your knees.

Notice that the inner knees naturally

move back farther than the outer knees

and the kneecaps glance toward each

other. Remember: this is normal!

Gain knowledge

Sit in Staff Pose. With relaxed thighs,

lightly grasp the inner and outer edges of

your patellae and wiggle them side to

side. Lightly grasp the upper and lower

edges of your patellae and gently slide

them up and down. Next, engage your

thighs. Notice how the patellae cinch

into the ends of the femurs. The moral

of this story? Use your muscles, instead

of mobility, to move your knees in asana.

Say thanks

Rest your hands on your knees and send

them love. They do so much for you

amid so many demands. Show ’em

gratitude! When a body part hurts or

doesn’t do what we think it should, we

often believe it has failed us. More likely,

we have failed our body part by blaming

or ignoring it. Gratitude is

theantidotetoshiftingthatrelationship.

KNEE KNOW-HOW

Avoid injury by understanding how

connective tissues help knees move,

bear weight, and respond to strain.

MENISCUS: Pads the space between the femur

and tibia. This C-shaped structure also deepens

the tibial plateau and helps stabilise the knee,

especially the medial meniscus, which firmly

attaches to the joint capsule and resists shear

and rotation. Each knee has two menisci.

ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL):

Functions like a stiff bungee cord to keep tibia

from sliding too far ahead of femur. It’s one of

the most commonly injured parts of the knee

due to twisting actions that overstretch or tear

it. That means many yoga poses put it at risk.

MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT (MCL):

Keeps the knee from buckling inward. Also

works with the ACL to stop the tibia from

sliding too far forward. The MCL typically gets

injured in sports with heavy physical contact

and sudden changes in direction, such as

football. It is not commonly injured in asana,

though avoid “knee drift” toward the midline

of the body in bent-leg asana; when the knee

is in flexion, centre the kneecap toward the

space between the second and third toes.

FEMUR

ARTICULAR

CARTILAGE

LATERAL

COLLATERAL

LIGAMENT

LATERALMENISCUS

TIBIALPLATEAU

MEDIAL

MENISCUS

TIBIA

MEDIAL

COLLATERAL

LIGAMENT

ANTERIOR

CRUCIATE

LIGAMENT

PATELLA

harming your ACL. In turn, several

poses demand a high degree of caution.

SomeI’vestoppedpracticingaltogether.

• Bhekasana (Frog Pose): Places strain
  on the ACL and medial meniscus
  because of torsion from trying to draw
  the soles down and toward the outer
  hips.


• Virasana (Hero Pose): When
  practiced with the knees together and
  feet outside the hips, we push maximal
  range of motion for most people and
  add rotational strain multiplied by
  bodyweight.


• Padmasana (Lotus Pose): Without
  sufficient mobility in the hips (and
  some of us will never have it due to our
  particular anatomy), our knees twist
  too much. The primary axis of
  movement in the body is the hips, a
  true ball-and-socket joint uniquely
  suitedtorotation.


• Pasasana (Noose Pose): Without
  sufficient strength in the hamstrings
  and calves, gravity wins, putting undue
  pressure on the knees, which strains
  the ACL. Laxity in the ACL can reduce
  power and stability in the knee.

Now that I’ve laid out what to avoid,

here is what I recommend. Try this

homework for two weeks to get to know

your knees.

ANTERIOR KNEE