I have been experiencing pain in my sit bone (right side) and it is most obvious when I do trikonasana and other forward bends. The pain feels like the sit bone is going to pinch through my skin, leads to numbness sometimes, and extends to the back of my knee and down to the ankle.
Does anyone have any idea as to what I have been doing wrong? And what I can do to treat / avoid the pain? Many thanks!
The ischial tuberosities, or sitting bones (“sitting bone” in the singular) are the attachment point for the hamstrings.
Obviously therapeutic issues require therapeutic approaches and that means contact hours, seeing the student, observing the doing, assessing then adjusting the practice as needed AND seeing how the body responds to that adjustment.
Since you’ve mentioned numbness and referenced it in the back of the knee and ankle the question begged is whether there is pressure on the sciatic nerve, either at the level of the spine or where it passes the piriformis. The piriformis however connects the sacrum to the thighbone and so it’s involvement here is questionable - all the more reason for assessment.
Please consider a visit to a skilled, therapeutically trained yoga teacher. In the meantime may be best to limit your forward bends or at least do them with the knees flexed.