Knee pain

(2020)

 How have I relieved pain (patella femoral syndrome) or noticed improvement in the health of my knees?

First and foremost, it is in my nature to see a problem as a possibility. Knee pain has to be my teacher therefore rather than anything else. My knees continue to teach me about myself. Now I’ll get into the more practical aspects.

Staff communication

A moment or two of acute knee pain helped me realise I needed to be more open at work with my colleagues. It’s very clear that soft ground, such as grass, has very little impact on my knees. Concrete on the other hand, is the reverse- noticeably greater impact with each step. With this information, I’ve made choices in terms of which paths to take in order to get from A -> B. In turn, noticeably less pain, more support from colleagues and a side benefit- closer to nature by being on woodchip or grass paths. However, there also comes a point that I need to ‘make friends’ with concrete and tarmac.

Yogasana

Since 2017, I have been working on knee adaptations and appropriate asanas.

I have faith that if I continue to do what I am doing for my knees (as well as adding in more Ayurvedic massage), my knees will heal because I will build the necessary muscles around the knees and hips for support and correct alignment.

Urdhva Prasartia Padasana is an asana that truly transforms my knee health. Lois Steinberg is the author of ‘Iyengar Yoga Asana  Alternartives: The Knees’. The following image shows how I have used belts and more to bring awareness to what needs to be done during Urdhva Prasartia Padasana.

 After carefully coming back to sitting, still with the belts on, Dandasana can be carried out:

Additional Gratitude

My Grandmother on my Dad’s side (RIP) generously paid for a knee consultation. The feedback validated my experience and feedback was to continue strengthening my legs.

Also thanks to Essential Ayurveda. I regularly purchase their 300ml Maha Nayan oil which contains 37 Ayurvedic healing herbs for massage.