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Meniscus tear
Posted: 14 October 2009 03:15 PM   [ Ignore ]  
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I have several tears in my meniscus. It is going to be a month before I can have surgery to repair it. What poses should I modify/avoid before the surgery?
How long will it take before I should return to my practice?

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Posted: 19 October 2009 02:42 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]  
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Hello Michelle

I wanted Robert to share his experiences since he has a torn meniscus. That explains the delay. If he has more to add I’m sure he will!

Perhaps it sounds trite to say this but basically you will want to modify or avoid the poses that cause pain in that knee! wink

Now the ones that generally cause the problems are:

<< Tree pose >> You may find it necessary to bring the sole of the foot to the inner thigh between the knee and hip, or below the knee, not at the knee itself. You may only need to do that on one side.

<< Toe stand >> Best to avoid on the side that you modify above. So just repeat Tree.

<< Fixed Firm >> Maybe you will find it uncomfortable to bring your bottom to the floor between your heels. If this is the case, sit on your heels in a kneeling position.

<< Head to Knee (floor) >> You may find it difficult to bring your foot to the inner thigh. If you do then simply extend the leg out. Robert’s extends more or less straight on to the mirror or a little wide.

<< Spinal Twist >> You may need to extend the leg directly out from your square hips. This is the leg that normally bends under and lies on the floor. The other leg bends up away from the floor as usual.

Please make sure you tell me which other poses are bothering you and I can suggest modifications.

Many people resume their practice quite quickly - sometimes within 2-7 days. Find out what your surgeon or physical therapist says. And go when you feel comfortable and reassured that it is the right thing for you to do. I hope we have a few people reading this who have either gone through meniscal repair surgery who can tell us their experiences or know of someone else’s story.

Namaste
Gabrielle smile

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Posted: 10 November 2009 02:58 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]  
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Hi there - a little late replying I know!

There is an excellent discussion similar to this here: http://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/forum/viewthread/667/

I modify tree pose; don’t ever do toe stand; modify floor head to knee as above (one side modified only); modify spine twist as above (straight leg is “knee issue leg” and again on one side only)

My injury was a number of years ago and has stayed pretty constant. I’m happy with my practice and if I try to go back to non-modified poses again, my knee hurts for a while until I re-modify. So I stick with the mods!

Hope that helps.

Robert

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