Blog on the Lillypad
Friday, July 30, 2004
 | No Yoga Tonight!
Actually, it was no yoga last night, as the class meets on Thursdays. I've developed some knee pain in the right knee, which I figured was from the recent stretching and weight bearing exercises: Short instances of sharp, crippling knee pain a few minutes after the tough exercises, as I am sitting on the mat (feet out in front of me), or straightening to stretch. Last week I had a short but pretty painful episode, and the yoga teacher suggested I consult with my chiropractor. |
As it turned out, I had my monthly appointment scheduled this past week, so I asked Dr. Lewis about the knee pain. He did a thorough check of the knee and told me it's in pretty good shape, a little bit worn. But the pain, he said, is most likely from iliotibial band friction syndrome. The IT band is a tendonous band that runs from the hip to the knee on the outside of the thigh. It stabilizes the knee.
Due to overload on the muscles that keep the IT band operating, I've developed a fatigue in the muscles that makes it painful for the IT band to do its work at the knee. (At about 30 degrees of flexing, the IT band moves across part of the knee. It's gentle knee flexing or straightening that is painful for me after strenuous postures.)
Dr. Lewis did some therapy with me that makes the Trigger Point Massage stuff seem like a whirlpool bath. It was pretty painful, but the leg feels a lot better. The knee feels looser. But I took last night off in order to rest it. The diagnosis is to attempt all the postures but not hold them as long as the advanced students hold them. And he showed me a few stretches that will help the muscles that direct the IT band.
