Dr Stark also writes that it is risky to put the knee on the ground for any type of lunge stretch, which is one of the main components of sun salutations. He says that loading the quadriceps while the knee is on the ground puts traction on the patella tendon, compresses the kneecap and femur, causing damage to the aricular cartilage of kneecap and femur. Are his fears founded or is he being too cautious?
I would say he is too cautious. First of all I always consider hearing student’s feedback first. The physical Yoga training is primarily for increasing student?s sensitivity to their body so they can listen and heed the messages that it gives. So to me if the student does not react to the sensitivity at the knee there is no problem for the teacher to be concerned with. Provided the teacher has established a rapport encouraging the student to tell them when they experience discomfort or uncertain sensations.
However let us consider his point. The kneecap is located above the knee joint. The Patellar tendon extends above and below the kneecap. Most students will be weight bearing on the kneecap, some below it. Most students will be taught to do the movement on the top of the foot as they give their body weight to the motion, it will be distributed primarily into the knee joint and shin. If the pose is done with the toes forward then the foot and ankle will be weight bearing and thus take some strain out of the knee joint. So this modification can alleviate some of his concerns for students who experience strain in the motion.