Ischial Tuberosity

Check here for questions about Yin Yoga and hips. (Note: discussions about sciatica are in the Spine forum.)
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janecantlin@gmail.com
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:52 am
Location: New Hampshire

Ischial Tuberosity

Post by janecantlin@gmail.com »

I have just found Yin Yoga and am fascinated. I've been teaching and practicing yoga off and on for 30 years and had never heard of it. My immediate question is that I have been re-habing an ischial tuberosity for about 5 months. I stopped doing yoga for a while but then started. Do you have an opinion if the yin poses good or bad for this condition. Thanks Bernie for any help with this. Jane
Limit your expectations, expand your horizons.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Rehabilitating Hamstrings

Post by Bernie »

Hi Jane ... welcome to the kula.

Yin Yoga is not restorative yoga. While restorative yoga certainly contains yin-like elements, the intentions are quite different. This is complicated by the fact that there is no one "yin yoga" possible. So, when I say that Yin Yoga is not restorative, I am referring to the style of yoga as taught by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers and all the teachers they have spawned (myself included.) In this style of Yin Yoga our intention is to use a yin-style of stress of our connective tissues to build greater mobility and strength there.

I can sympathize with your rehab: I once had a micro-tear of the attachment of my hamstrings to the sitting bones (ischial tuberosities) and it just wouldn't heal. I tried for a year to "work through it". Finally, I just made the commitment to not do any forward flexions that generated even the slightest feeling of pain: zero tolerance. After about 1 year, the pain finally stopped. This was hard to do as a teacher because I was used to demonstrating everything. I just had to give up forward folds until it healed.

Yin Yoga can definitely strengthen the ligaments and fascia, but tendons are tough to work on. If you stress the area too little, the muscles take all the stress. If you stress the muscle enough so that the tendon can be affected, the stress may just tear apart the healing that the tendon just went through.

My advice, from my own personal experience, is to accept no pain at all. If this means no forward folding - so be it. You can work on getting longer hamstrings after your have healed, but if you never let it heal, you will never be able to get longer hamstrings.

Good luck!
Bernie
janecantlin@gmail.com
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:52 am
Location: New Hampshire

Post by janecantlin@gmail.com »

Thank you. My first visit with a PT advised no downward facing dog, which was difficult to obey because there is no pain in the pose. In fact it feels good. Maybe they should have said no forward flexion when pain is felt. I appreciate your advice and will be finding out what yoga poses do not cause pain in that area.
Limit your expectations, expand your horizons.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Flexion and hamstrings

Post by Bernie »

No flexion of the hips, but you can still work towards flexion of the spine! Unfortunately, one often leads to the other. I would say, try Down Dog, but keep the knees bent...a lot! Bending the knees takes the stress out of the hamstrings but you still get all the upper body, strength building aspects of Down Dog.

Similarly, try Caterpillar in the yin-style, but again with knees bent. You won't feel it in the hamstrings, but you can still get a nice stress along the spine.

Good luck!
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