blindbetsy

Hi Patty,

Just thought I’d chime in here because I have been trying to sort out how to work with my hyperextension for the last few months. Like you, I have clinical hyperextenson in both knees – and also have hypermobility in other joints. And I have strong quads. It is in fact possible for me to “lock” my knee by lifting the knee cap and engaging the entire quadriceps muscle while still being in hyperextension. This is because it is a structural issue; it is about the laxness of the joints themselves.

I have received a lot of advice for this, some of it useful and some not. I am a bit concerned that you have been having knee pain, and so wanted to share my experience with you. I have had teachers tell me that the most important thing is to keep my leg straight so for a few months I was starting with my leg slightly bent, then lifting through the quads, grounding down with the ball of the foot and stopping once the leg was straight. And it certainly looked right – perfectly straight, lifted through the knee cap, solid, one piece etc. However, it didn’t feel locked to me. And it caused a lot of pain through my hamstrings and the tendons at the back of my leg – not the discomfort that comes with effort, but actual pain.

The best advice I have received was from a senior Bikram teacher (by that I mean that she has been teaching for over 2 decades). She said that the way to change my body and fix the hyperextension is not to keep the leg straight, but to work the joint through the full range (backward) and then use the quadricep muscle to “pull” the knee/leg into alignment. The leg still won’t be straight, because it will take years to change the body. But it will happen over time. This feels the safest in my body.

I am hearing you about the hip alignment – this is such an issue for me because of the hyperextension and also severely pronating ankles. I have been paying real attention to keeping my knees forward and tailbone tucked under which helps. Also, in the forward bends like Standing Separate Leg Stretching, I have been making effort to keep me pelvis in line – rather then tilting it down which I was just doing automatically. This has been making a difference; and my hips are telling me about it!

I hope you find the strategy that works best for you with your hyperextension. It may take a bit of trial and error, but I am inclined to think you should NOT have knee pain. As Bikram says, “you can mess with the gods, but don’t mess with your knees!”

Good luck.

Beth

Hi Gabrielle,

Thank you for the prompt and helpful response. I have had conflicting information about this – some of my teachers have said it’s just how my body is (which is clearly true!) and as long as the knee is locked it’s not a problem, while others have expressed concern. Certainly, for me, I can feel that it affects the angle of my hips and pelvis, where I put my weight and other alignment issues. I am very loose through the hamstrings – which is nice in the forward bends – but after reading your reply it occurs to me that this looseness may in fact be weakness. I guess I’ll start looking into how to retrain my body!

Thanks again,

Beth

Wow, 7 years to fix it! Was it Diane Ducharme that your teacher saw in Boston, and did your teacher say how she has been making progress towards straightening her own knee?