Torn meniscus due to Bikram Toe Stand (Padangustasana)

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

Tried Bikram Yoga for the first time yesterday. Have done basic traditional hatha yoga for a while as a part of general mobility training and I’m generally very fit (CrossFit).

I probably tore a meniscus in the Bikram class attempting the Toe Stand/Padangustasana pose. Bending the knee to 90 degrees and then turning to squat down on one leg on my toes, half way through I heard a popping sound from my knee. All felt ok and I continued but 4-5 hours after class I had swelling and pain.

In hindsight that pose seems to go against everything I have learned about knee health in the past.

[B]Questions:[/B]
Anybody else experienced knee pain from this pose?
Is thisToe Stand/Padangustasana used in any other yoga style?
What does non-Bikram yoga teachers think about this pose?

As a side note:
My perception of Bikram yoga (so far) is that it’s a style invented by Mr Choudhury with the primary objective to get rich. Reading about teachers training with 700 students it seems like a money making scheme. And competitions in yoga… hello??? Congrats to him for pulling it off but I’m hesitant to label it as yoga in the meaning of a path towards reintegration.

Thanks!

#2

Hi,
My perception of bikram yoga is much the same as yours…but many different schools of yoga in India do have yoga competitions…not just bikram.

I have many clients who are ex-bikram and many have knee problems. The knee problems in bikram are often caused by “lock the knees” without any proper explanation of what that means…so students tend to hyper-extend and get injured. (knee problems in Ashtanga usually by pushing into half and/or full lotus before the hips are ready)

Personally I like vinyasa flow with intelligently sequenced asanas and not pushing/forcing and no yelling from the instructor.

My yoga teachers never yell or ask people to push, push,harder, harder…they [B]teach[/B] and encourage the students and help each student to adapt the practice for their own body and needs.

Sometimes I do toe balances in my classes…I have never hurt my knees that way (I did tear the meniscus in my left knee in Ashtanga…trying to push myself into lotus…silly me…)

#3

I’ve had a knee injury but it was from my own foolishness in basketball (an activity that makes no claims of evolution, safety, unification, or the like). Such an injury is not the most pleasant of things no matter where it comes from. But injury, illness, and pain are methods of communication from the spirit so with a slight paradigm shift we can view them in a different light.

I don’t have a viewpoint on the pose in question other than that I don’t use it in my personal practice and I don’t teach it to others. When students are sustaining injury from asana AND that injury is not SOLELY from the overdoing or approach of the student then a closer look is certainly warranted - regardless of the brand of origin.