Locked Knees and Hamstring Injury

Cindy,

While you’re waiting to hear from Gabrielle, I wanted to tell you that I would be very wary of any teacher who would be so inflexible (pun intended) when working with a student with an injury. To insist that you do something one way as a matter of dogma when something else is clearly working better for you does not seem to be very, well, yogi-like! I received a hamstring injury practicing Ashtanga and it took forever to heal. And so now, when that old injury starts to bark at me even a little bit, I back off and am never sorry. I work with it, work around it, it quiets, eases, strengthens and I can stretch again.

Namaste,

Kelly

Hi Cindy, Hi Kelly

Oh boy! What a ridiculous situation.

It really annoys me that sound physiological principles are completely thrown out the window in favor of dogmatic teaching.

The technique described in the Hot Yoga MasterClass manual in great detail and also touched on in Opening up your hamstrings with hot yoga is absolutely the way to go.

As you BOTH and thousands of others can swear, many back, hamstring and sciatic issues are WORSENED when you lock your legs and stretch to the floor through a ROUNDED back. This is dangerous. And then to be told ‘my way or the highway’ with a risky maneuver is just irresponsible (or insert word of choice … 😉 ).

The magical part of using the technique described (particularly for Hands to Feet and Separate Leg Intense Stretch) is that you don’t need to back off AT ALL. It simply does not matter if your legs are bent. I guarantee you that you will feel the stretch – and more importantly you will feel a safe stretch – right through the back of your body which opens up the calves, hamstrings and the whole back, while working the arm muscles.

So what do you do when your teachers say no? Unfortunately the polite person inside of us wants to please the teacher and not cause any waves. And defying them by simply not listening to their admonitions that you have to do it in the way that hurts you, can cause some internal conflict! Yikes.

You have 2 choices. One of them is to ignore your teachers and continue to do what works for you (safe in the knowledge that you are not changing the pose or defying any good solid scientific and yogic principles) and build that strong internal frame of reference that allows you to stand up for yourself even in the face of opposition. That in itself is a great thing. And I am sure you can also approach it another way.

Perhaps you can go to your teacher/s and express your feelings and needs. It is definitely hard to give you the script for how a unique conversation is going to work out. But there are definitely things you could say:

* I am feeling very upset/angry/dismayed/bewildered (or whatever your feelings are) when I am commanded to do this pose in a way that actually causes further damage to my hamstrings. I feel strain in my back and damage occurring in my hamstrings when hanging out with my hands on the floor with straight legs. I need to feel safe and that the work I am doing is benefiting me so I am requesting that you allow me to do this pose (without complaint) in the way that works.
* I enjoy coming here, and I want to let you know that I am going to continue to do that pose in the way that benefits me.

You could try showing them the post on Opening up your hamstrings with hot yoga. You can get all factual on someone but unless they are willing to listen to you and adopt a sense of curiosity, you may find you simply have to defy them in class.

My guess is that your comments will be welcomed and you will be able to do what works. You COULD get some opposition but what can they do to you? Can they force you to do it the wrong way?

The worst case scenario is that they throw you out of their studio. Yeah right! That’s not going to happen.

We all have to learn to live with feedback. And it is not just the student who has that job to learn. 😉 I love this yoga and I really value how it has made me stronger (and millions out there). You hear feedback in the room that potentially can unbalance you, emotionally and physically – remember when you were a new student? And after a while, you hear stuff, you check in with your body and you work out whether the feedback you hear for Joe Blow on the other side of the room actually can apply to you too. You check, you apply it or you don’t. But it is you who decides. The beauty is that while you literally became unbalanced in the beginning of your practice now you just observe (listen) and you apply it if necessary without emotion.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you should do your own class with your own adjustments and make up your own pose sequence (as some people have been known to do). You are not changing the pose you are doing it properly. You will feel stronger when you can assert yourself without then berating yourself or judging anyone else for the reactions it evokes or ’causes’. When you can do that without self-judgment, others will less likely judge you! :cheese:

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

PS I am overjoyed that you love your Hot Yoga MasterClass manual!!! 🙂 Thanks Cindy

Hello,

I was just reading about this hamstring injury (from the back of my knee, all the way to my buttock – where it is the strongest). I’ve also been suffering from it for 6 years already. It was all great at times I didn’t stretch, but as I never wanted to ignore stretching and wanted to improve flexibility, I’d always start to stretch again and it would always come back. I can easily do the forward bend almost with my chest to my knees with even straight legs but the problem for me is the same stretch with my legs wide open (apart) and then trying to reach my toes on the left side (on the right leg I have no pain)then it hurts like hell… As well as the wide butterfly pose (with my feet away from my groins and then leaning forward, then the left hamstring hurts even worse and unfortunately I always felt the need myself (no dogmatic teachers :-))to keep working through that pain because though it hurt it also in a way felt good to work through it – but as you can see the pain is still here. As I gathered you advice us to keep stretching but to adjust the poses (bent knees) to back off it the pain arises in any pose and that in time this hamstring injury should heal itself? Is this basically it or you have some extras?

Hello again,

as first thanx for this fast reply… For your final question is kind of a true. I do not feel I can stretch less, but definitely feel my stretching didn’t improve significantly over the last couple of years and it takes me forever to stretch (warm up) in the morning. The difference between morning and evening flexibility is actually drastic. While in the evening I can effortlessly reach my knees with my chest in the morning I can hardly touch my toes for the first 20 minutes of workout. And yes, couple of years ago I went to the doctor for this hamstring, they put me on some machines and told me I was perfectly fine and healthy and that why would I have the need to touch my toes as some goal in life (?!?!):bug:

Thanx again for all your work, effort, inspiration and help,

By the way salutes from a distant Croatia…