Yoga Help with Torn Quad

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hoping to get some help from fellow yogi’s. I have a partial tear (Grade 2) in one of my quads (rectus femoris, mid point area, left side). The docs want me to completely stop doing yoga for now. This is unhappy news, as I get so much from my home yoga practice.

The injury occurred over the course of a week. Started with playing 3.5 hours of kid’s/parents baseball (hardball) which I have not played for several decades. My yoga practice makes me nimble, quick, in shape, etc, and the coaches had me stealing bases. The next day it was quite sore, but I kept up my normal routine (a day with an hour workout of light weights and cardio, then a day for an hour of moderate hatha flow/vinyasa yoga at home, alternating). Second incident was while lowering during dumbell fly’s it hurt the femoris due to load being transferred, but still just a moderate issue. Third incident was this past weekend while at a dance/yoga class I slipped while removing my sweats, which acted like a banana peel between my (top part of the) foot and the floor. This transferred suddenly all my body weight onto the already compromised quad area, and the pain was amazing, bringing me down instantly, then hobbling around the past couple days. The MRI confirmed the grade 2 tear, I’m set to go with an Orthopedist, etc. I’ve been doing the RICE thing (rest, ice, compression, elevation), plus advil.

Any suggestions you have are greatly appreciated (ie, does Wobenzyme actually work, are there specific poses which may help, etc). Thanks

#2

There are different types of yoga. Restorative yoga, Yoga nidra, breathing techniques and meditation might be a good thing to explore for the healing period. Therapeutic yoga might be a great help on your way to recovery!
Get well soon!

#3

Hi Dave,

The Rectis Femoris is the only muscle in the human body that crosses two joints - the hip and the knee. It is considered one of the three majot hip flexors along with the Psoas and Illiacus. As such there are at least four actions that will need minding; hip flexion, hip extension, knee flexion and knee extension.

Muscle tears are tricky and it’s best not to venture into “tricky” unless the person doing the guiding has been there before and really knows what she/he is doing. It is too easy to do additional damage.

It would be best to consult your teacher so that the guidance you receive is within the lineage of your study. Too many cooks spoil the stew even if all the herbs are superb. In that discourse please ask your teacher to advise on what to do physically, nutritionally, emotionally, and therapeutically (topical and internal). Please do share the info you receive with us as it will be helpful for all.

Gordon

#4

Dear City Monk and Gordon,

I really appreciate your guidance. Things are going much better. The orthopedist says the relative minor amount of fluid in the tissues and the muscle cells reorganizing themselves this soon appears as if the injury occurred several weeks earlier than it actually did. What that means is my body is healing ahead of schedule, which may be a benefit of my home yoga practice with both strengthening and stretching the fascia. Also, I am now able to walk without any pain or limping, which is great.

Obviously I’ve modified my home practice to gentle type of yoga, so not to aggravate the injured muscle. What’s interesting about that is still feeling the wonderful release and sensation of simply “moving with the breath” even at a much reduced physical intensity, as the “internal” aspect of practice is still just as good (that’s encouraging news for all of us once we hit old age, at least I hope…).

PS - My main yoga teacher said “Gentle walking in Nike shoes. Lying postures with gentle leg movement and strong breath.”

Thanks again,
Dave

#5

So you are doing the right thing! Happy to hear that you are healing ahead of schedule! Wish you a speedy recovery!

#6

Yes, it’s going well. The physical therapist just says no squatting poses (Warrior 1/2, Utkatasana, side angle, etc) for the time being.