The Knees - from I Love Anatomy Ezine

"The knee is not really the knee. . . ." Huh? Yes, it's true!

I share this piece of sarcastic wisdom only to prove a point. When you look at your knee, it is made up of three bones - the femur, the tibia, and the patella. Of these three, the femur contributes to the hip joint, and the tibia contributes to the ankle joint. If you look closer still, of the many muscles that cross the knee, a large percentage also cross the hip or the ankle.

The muscles that cross the hip and the knee include the following:

·        One quadriceps muscle: rectus femoris

·        Sartorius

·        Three hamstring muscles: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus

·        One hip adductor: gracilis

The muscles that cross the ankle and the knee include the following:

·        Gastrocnemius

·        Plantaris

There are also muscles that indirectly influence the knee through their fascial connections, including the tensor fasciae latae, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, fibularis (peroneus) longus, tibialis anterior, and tibialis posterior.

The only muscle that crosses just the knee is the popliteus.

I think this is why many people who have experienced knee pain in yoga find the pain so exasperating. Whether the pain is on the lateral, medial, posterior, or anterior side of the knee, whether it is under the kneecap or between the femur and tibia, yogis with knee pain tell me that although the rest of their bodies feel great, the pain in their knees has them feeling tethered and prevents them from fully enjoying the practice.

So what to do?

As a teacher or student, there are a number of things you can play with in your practice. The first is one you have often heard me say - find ease in your movement. Breathe, nourish relaxation, and stay in your pain-free range of motion. If you keep moving in pain, your neurological system will know that stimulus. If you begin to move in your pain-free range of motion, your neurological system will conform to that state of being.

The second suggestion is to create alignment between the hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Poor movement patterns at the hips, ankles, and feet can lead to dysfunctional patterns in the knee, which can lead to too much compression or shear.

Third, be mindful of hyperextension. A hyperextended knee often leads to a disconnect between the top and bottom of the leg. The quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles weaken, and much tension can develop on the front of the knee.

Finally, improve both the range of motion and stability of the pelvis. Get grounded through your feet so that both subtle energy and physical load can easily transfer through your legs, from feet to pelvis and up through the spine and back down again.

In my years of teaching therapeutic yoga, I have seen some neat things occur for people's knees. Whether the problem is arthritis, a torn meniscus, iliotibial band syndrome, or patellofemoral syndrome, when a person is able to find ease in the movement, when she is able to move pain free and with alignment, when she is able to improve balance and evenness, she starts forgetting the pain was ever an issue. I wish the same for you and your students.

Happy exploring,

Susi

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I will be leading a one-hour teleclass on the knees with Yoga Spirit on October 24. If you are interested, please contact Deborah Rubin at Yoga Spirit. In addition, my book The Knees contains a basic program to help improve knee function. You can order the book by going to www.functionalsynergy.comand clicking on SHOP; or contacting Cara at 403-229-2617 or toll free 866-229-2645.

Copyright 2007 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved.