Help my tortoise

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on something for me…

I practice yoga and I run a lot. I have had knee pain lately when I run so I have been taking some time off. My physio says it is related to the usual causes: weak core, glutes and IT band.

BUT, I feel something really tight an painful down the back/side of my bad leg when I am in tortoise pose. It begins in a deep part of my hip/glute and the pain runs down the side/back of my thigh, past the back of my knee and into the back/side of my calf.

This must be related to my knee pain but can’t put a finger on the problem. Has anyone had anything similar? And only in tortoise pose? The rest of my body is quite flexible, I don’t have any particular problems anywhere else or in any other poses.

Please help!!

#2

Inner Athlete could shed light on this for you I think…

#3

Do you have knee pain only on one side? It’s impossible to tell just over the internet, but it could be related to your sciatic nerve.

Perhaps you could go to a physical therapist, or a yoga teacher and/or bodywork well trained in anatomy. Assessment in person is pretty essential.

Maybe google some sciatica stretches and try those to see if it lessens the pain you feel in tortoise.

#4

I also got the impression that you are describing sciatic pain. If that is the case, forward bends and lifting activity could be dangerous for you. You need to talk to a doctor…soon!

#5

I am pretty positive it is not sciatic. I have been to physio and have no lower back pain, or inflexibility any where in the back of my body. It is all around 4 or 5 o’clock if the back of my thigh were 6 o’clock.

Looking forward to any other insights!

#6

What do you mean “physio”? What kind of doctor are you seeing?

Having no lower back pain does NOT mean you don’t have sciatic nerve impingement of some kind. Frequently pain is referred and the problem itself may be nowhere near the site of pain. While the sciatic nerve branches out from the lower back, it can be affected anywhere along its length which runs all the way down the leg, exactly as you describe.

Weak glutes and IT band will not cause knee pain. And I can almost guarantee you if you’re a runner you do not have a weak IT band. However, tight IT band can put stress on the knee, and tight glutes and put pressure on your sciatic nerve.

#7

Yes, tight IT band. I was just listing it as a problem.

Physio is short for physiotherapy.

#8

I would suggest NOT doing tortoise to the point that you experience this pain, or pull out of it immediately if you begin to feel any discomfort at all since it seems to be a chronic issue. You may be exacerbating it.

I have had sciatica, and sitting forward bends helped it. But it was a pain that originated not in my back but in my mid buttocks, sometimes originating mid thigh, running down the back or side of the leg.

Inner Athlete may have some suggestions for you, as another poster said. :slight_smile:

#9

When the kneee is bearing weight, lunge pose etc, try to avoid lateral movement when it is flexed.It is not really designed to have much lateral movement when flexed.Yogajournal has a good primer on this area. It is the hips s that should rotate so someone with tight closed hips can give themselves knee-strain if they try to get into poses they’re not ready for.Supta virasana and padmasana are the two classic ones often abused… Uusaly the hips are not open enough so the knees take the strain.

Tortoise pose.

If some thing or pose is causing you pain you stop doing it. It’s that simple.It violates [I]ahimsa[/I].Sometimes hard to learn though.Maybe try other stuff.Maybe others will chime in with their suggestions or appropriate alignment and actions.

You want to be very careful with your knees. Be gentle.A great deal of injuries in hatha yoga seem to occur to the knees.My hunch is that some teachers may be over-zealous with their students by pushing them into poses they’re not quite ready for.I would exercise great caution with the knees. They also have the reuptation of taking longer to heal.The degree of movement laterally is as i say more limited ,i.e not designed that way,compared to the other main joints while flexed…