Patella Femoral Injury

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

Author

Posts
carolynplum
Participant

April 8, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Post count: 4

#1391

Hi!

Thank you for all of your great information! I started Bikram on January 15th and have been doing it 3 times a week. I love it! Last week I did four classes and I had an old knee injury that seemed to flare up towards the end of the week. I went to see my knee doctor who put me in a brace and says I can do nothing but knee exercises for three weeks. I have Patella Femoral syndrome in my right knee. He is saying no yoga for me ever again- especially Bikram! I was shocked! I can understand not doing lunges and squats, but I think he is over reacting. Are you familiar with this type of injury? Can I still do Bikram yoga? I think I can if I cut out Awkward, Triangle and Tree. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

April 9, 2009 at 7:34 am

Post count: 3048

#4619

Hi Carolyn

Thanks for posting this question. I tend to have the opinion that a problem of function and alignment such as yours should respond to exercises that restore proper function.

I don’t like to subscribe to the belief that you need to avoid regular activity like bending your legs to avoid the pain and the problem. My approach is more about finding a solution.

It seems to me that yes, while your problem is acute and you are experiencing great pain and or instability that a brace is a great idea and maybe avoid yoga for a while. But forever? Hmmmm.

I would like to know how serious he thinks your problem is. And what you can do to restore your physical health. It reminds me of that visual joke where you tell your doctor: “It hurts when I do ‘x’.” To which the doctor says “Well, don’t do ‘x’!”

Funny yes, but I am sure you can find more suitable answers in other areas. If your patella is not tracking on your femur in the right way then it could be a muscular imbalance not just of the quadriceps but it could be the way your femur is aligned with respect to your body by the numerous muscles that attach. Perhaps you have a rotation of the femur, maybe you need some hip muscle rehab, maybe you pronate or supinate your ankles and this is causing your imbalance further up the chain.

So Carolyn what else can you tell us about your body that may lead us somewhere that can get you YOUR outcome?

You may also be able to tell me whether twisting your knee in Tree or Supta hurts you a lot. You mentioned Tree but not Fixed Firm.

Looking forward to your response
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

carolynplum
Participant

April 14, 2009 at 7:33 pm

Post count: 4

#4647

Hi Gabrielle!

Thanks for your great response.

I too believe that sitting around after an injury is not the greatest idea- I like to move and keep the blood flowing. And I truly believe in the restorative nature of yoga. My knee has been in a lot of pain- more pain that I initially realized. After a few days of not doing anything I came down off of my Bikram high and saw that there was no position I could be in without pain in my knee. Lying down, sitting, leg up, walking- it was all the same or worse. So I have been resting, with the brace, and slooooooowly my knee has begun to calm down. I don’t have a tear, but rather a bad inflammation of the patella femoral area. I see the doctor in two weeks and he will reasses the situation then.

I do have tracking issues (I am learning) from an old hip injury and an old ligament injury in my ankle, in the same leg. I have been doing a lot of alignment work through muscle manipulation (deep tissue work with a sports chiropractor) and specific exercises for my patella. It has helped tremendously!

I realize that I probably need some kind of more individualized yoga practice before I return to Bikram. The classes in New York are large and very fast and there is little chance for the teacher to watch all of us. When I return to yoga (hopefully sooooon!) I will probably take some therapeutic yoga classes and also try some other types of yoga to see how they “fit” my body. I looooove Bikram but I am concerned about the fast pace. I love to push my body beyond its capabilities and I might be getting too old to do that. lol (I am 37). I am also considering taking some private Bikram sessions so that when I do go back I will be safe with my body. Right now I am taking it day by day. (This injury has given me time to watch all your videos! They are fantastic and so helpful!)

I think I “drank the Bikram cool aid” and I am sad that I got injured. I wish someone had told me that as a beginner I should just take it easy. It is so tempting to listen to everything the teacher says and push beyond where you think you can go. I still love Bikram but now I know I need to work with it to fit my body, rather than forcing my body to fit with Bikram.

Any further thoughts on what I can do for my body/knee in returning would be greatly appreciated.
All the best! Namaste!
Author

Posts