Exit Student Section:  Home  |  Classes  |  Practice  |  Community                     Workshops  |  Books, Video, Shop Student Section Student Section Home  |  Practice Questions  |  Reserve Room Articles Photo Albums  |  Miscellany

Aches, Pains, Tweaks and Pops There are some recommended books in the text below, but you can also search for more here:

Search Now:

Aches, Pains, Tweaks and Pops

Everybody comes to Ashtanga practice with individual physical dynamics, many of which present themselves immediately to be dealt with in practice, (e.g., a bum knee) and more of which may reveal themselves over time with practice (misaligned hips).  We're working intensively with the body every day, and as a result, many physical issues may come to the surface which would otherwise remain unrevealed and unresolved for many years without practice.  One of the results of regular practice is a fair amount of shifting about of things in the body, which can often be noticeable and sometimes sudden, and which may or may not present areas of temporary difficulty which need to be reckoned with.  The notes below offer suggestions for common tweaks which people experience, and some possible approaches to practice for each area.

Injury

Generally speaking, the Ashtanga approach to injury is pretty different from the common western medical approach.   Following injury, Western medicine has generally recommended rest and immobilization for recovery.  Ashtanga emphasizes continued movement during the period of injury.  In recent years, western medicine is also realizing the benefits of continued movement through the injured period, and many doctors have begun downgrading from casts to splints when possible, and beginning physical therapy as soon as possible after an injury. 

Most injuries require practice in order to heal properly without excess scar tissue formation and permanent muscle shortening or atrophy.  Practice slowly and gently, working around the area in question.  Do not work through the pain, work around it.   Do not go into the area of pain, which is there to give you information about what you should and should not do.  The point is merely to maintain mobility and range of motion, not to "improve" your practice, deepen your stretch, or accomplish something new.  Really, not even to maintain your practice as it was.  In the injured area, do not go so far into the stretch that you feel pain.   You should, however, approach each posture "correctly" and merely go only as far as you are able, and no further.  I will help you modify a posture when appropriate.  Although you may have to back way off, in most cases you should practice.   However, every injury is different.  Sometimes there are particular things you should do or not do for particular areas/injuries.  Sometimes shortened practice is appropriate.  And sometimes it really is appropriate to stop.  Talk to the teacher about it to get details for the particular part of the body in question.

If you are seriously debilitated (major car accident, some surgeries), then you must rest and heal, incorporating movement as soon as possible once it is appropriate. 

Popping Sounds - I heard a popping/moving sound in my knee/hip/shoulder, etc.  Should I be worried?

If there is no pain associated with the popping, you do not need to be worried.  Sometimes things shift in the body suddenly, without negative effect.  This is fairly common during Ashtanga practice and is generally called an "opening."  This is the body realigning itself to a more balanced, neutral and free position.

However, if you felt pain during or after the popping, then you should take care with the area until you know how it is affected.  If it is negatively affected, follow guidelines for that part of the body [below].  Unfortunately, actual injuries are also sometimes referred to as "openings" in Ashtanga, and perhaps they are, but in the sense that they present to you a new opportunity to learn how to care for your body in a deeper way.  We never want an injury to occur during practice, but if it does happen, the least we can do is to look upon even an injury as an opportunity for growth.

Notes for Specific Areas:

Hips (in progress)

Illiotibial Band Syndrome - ITB Syndrome occurs when the band running on the outside of the thigh from the hip to knee shortens to the point of causing restriction, friction, and pain.  The pain may be in the hip, the knee, or the lower back.  If, when you lay on one side and dangle the top foot over the back leg, the dangling foot doesn't touch the floor, you have a tight illiotibial band and may have symptoms of ITB Syndrome.  Here is a short program you can do to help release and condition the illiotibial band.

Hip popping out of the socket - you are probably one of those ultra flexible people.  For you, stretching is more dangerous, and the challenge is not to further some of your stretches, but to hold yourself back.  These dynamics are very important for you:

• In standing twisting postures, it's very important to keep hips square to the floor and initiate the twist only from the thoractic portion of the body (ribcage).  There is no twisting in the hips in these postures.

• In sitting forward bending, anchor your hips down to the floor and roll the thighs toward one another.  This centers the stretch in the center of the hamstring rather than the hamstring insertion and takes the stress of the stretch out of the hips.

General Hip Issues

• The hips are the locus of opening for the knees in lotus. 

Legs

Hamstring soreness - this is normal whenever you begin practice or re-begin practice.  Just keep practicing and it will ease.

Hamstring or hamstring insertion tear - this is not normal, and if you've torn a hamstring, you should NOT try to stretch it during the healing period (can be up to 18 mos or several years), simply maintain whatever range of motion is possible, without stretching into the point of pain.  For more about hamstring recovery, read Tim Miller's article.

Avoiding the hamstring insertion tear - in sitting forward bends, roll your thighs together and anchor your sit bones and hips to the ground before bending.  This focuses the stretch in the center of the hamstring rather than at the insertion of the hamstring at the butt.  If you came from another yoga style, you may have been taught to spread the buttocks and flare them out before bending.  This can cause injury to some people, so be aware that this is specifically not taught in Ashtanga practice.  Also, don't let anyone press you down in a wide-leg forward bend (upavista konasana)

Knees

• Be careful not to torque the knee unwittingly in virabhadrasana or utthita parsvakonasana or similar postures.  Always send the knee directly over and in the same direction as the toes, and do not allow it to wave to one side or the other.

• Never lock the knee back

• Always keep the knee-cap lifted when bearing weight on a straight leg (you don't have to have a locked knee to achieve this)

• In Ardha baddha padmottanasana - don't pull the foot up into the area where there is pain in the knee, and don't fold forward if you are making a "4" rather than having the foot at the crook of the fold.

• If you are experiencing pain on full flexion of the knee, you can try a rolled-up washcloth behind the knee during full flexion postures

• DO NOT FORCE LOTUS POSTURE.  Just do your practice normally and gently and wait for your hips to open.  Knee pain can come from trying to force the knee to do the work the opening of the hip is supposed to do.  Give yourself the time (weeks, months, years) for your hips to open so your knees are not bearing the brunt of your work.

Ankles & Feet

Many foot pains and problems disappear with regular practice.  You should see a difference within a few months.   Some movements are designed to return the original strength to your feet often lost through the wearing of shoes.  The most important of these is:

• Rolling over the toes and back during the sun salutations - be sure to control the feet and angle the heels directly behind you during these moves and not let them roll out or in.

Other considerations:

• Observe your feet for pronation or suppination (rolling in or out) and work on mindfully correcting this during practice.  This is most easily seen in downward dog.  You must actively resist these tendencies in order to re-strengthen your feet to their most stucturally sound position.  Talk to me about this if you are having foot pain and I will show you how to work with this.

• In any standing posture, be sure to center your weight between the heel and ball of the foot and distribute your weight evenly between inside and outside of the foot.  This is particularly important in prasarita padottanasana.  Avoid rolling onto the blade or instep of the foot in any posture.

• If you have tightness in the outside of the foot in prasarita padottanasana, you may begin with a shorter stand until that area becomes more flexible.

• Tensing the feet during practice is unnecessary and can cause or exacerbate pain.  Practice doing standing postures with the toes lifted throughout to learn to relax your feet.   This is also good for fine-tuning balance.

Blisters and Peeling Skin on the feet and toes

To heal the condition:

• Trim the torn skin as close as possible to the foot/toe before practicing to prevent further tearing.  Apply a thick cream or salve overnight with socks on.

To prevent the condition:

• You may be "gripping" or grinding with your toes.  During standing postures in particular, try to practice with your toes off the floor to learn how to practice without using your toes heavily.

• When jumping forward and back, teach yourself to land softly without impact, so there is less wear and tear on your feet (you should be working towards that anyway)

• While rolling forward and back over the toes, try to float over the toes rather than grinding them into the mat.