Yoga Poses for Knee Pain

​

Yes, I suffer from knee pain, as do many other yogis and non yogis alike.  It’s not fun and can vary in pain level from day to day.  I’ll try to keep this short and sweet, straight to the point.  After logging many hours of research and rehab I feel pretty good about sharing some of what works (and what doesn’t) for knee pain.  Of course I’m no doctor and you should consult one for your own pain issues.  BUT here’s some great yoga poses that have strengthen my troubled left knee and also alleviated pain.  Fingers crossed they could even work for you, so run it by your doctor!


"If you listen to your body when it whispers, you may never have to hear it scream"
Less is more, so pace yourself and never push through the pain.  Pain is your body's way of giving you a warning sign.  Pay attention to it or you just may pay a big price.   Also; consistency of practice is the key to practically everything.  Keep at it.  5-6 days a week of a few minutes to half an hour a day will pay off way more than two hours twice a week.  Repetition is the key.  


Start with some warm-ups of the knee.  Bending gently and smoothly without a lot of impact.  Maybe this is a short walk and or some (small) circles of the knees.  Rub and warm them gently with warm hands and maybe even massage in some castor or sesame oil daily to help lubricate the joint. Use extra padding when necessary for comfort if on the knees.


Of course you do not have to do all of these.  Pick and chose what works for you.  I used the camel pose as the picture becasue I really dislike camel pose.  So it's a reminder to me.  Do camel pose more often.  LOL.  We tend to avoid what we don't like.  So be creative and ask yourself if you are consistently avoiding a pose because you don't like it.  And if you practiced this specific "disliked" pose more often would your body and muscles change?  Would you get better at it?  Would you become stronger in an area that you REALLY needed to become stronger?  


Yoga is a personal practice.  You figure it out for yourself and do what you need to do for YOUR optimal health.  This is yet another reason why I highly recommend a home personal practice of at least 3 days a week.  


Each asana can be held for one minute, except the first.  If this is initially too much, try for 30 seconds.  Use any and all props necessary to prevent pain and be safe.

1. Try for 2-5 minutes of seated meditation in easy cross-legged position.
2. Baddha Konasana.
3. Pigeon on your back. (both sides)
4. Supine hand to big toe pose. (be gentle maybe use a strap)
5. Half supine hero pose. (fabulous quad stretch) Use props and don’t overdo it.
6. Roll onto belly and stretch the quad by grabbing one foot while in sphinx pose. (do other side) Focus on alignment of knee directly below the hip.  Don’t let the knee pop out to the side too much.
7. Standing forward fold.  Play with knees bent and then knees straight.
8. And a twist to the standing forward fold. (twist both sides)
9. Kali (goddess) Squats.  Knees and hips pointing in the same direction.
10. Chair pose w a block or ball between thighs.  (make sure you can see your toes) While gently pulling the femur head back into the hip.  Engage the glutes (all glutes) and stay stable.
11. Bridge pose.  I like to use a block and engage more adductor (inner thigh) muscles.
12. Bridge pose.  No block.  Lift a leg while keeping hips still. (both sides)
13. Camel pose. (again, I love to use a block or an exercise ball to help engage adductors and for strength and alignment) This may be too much for those who cannot or should not be in a kneeling position, so skip it or use blankets for padding.  Remember, we don not want pain!
14. Supine tree. (bot sides)
15. Happy baby.
16. Savasana

NEXT:
We will work on some hip poses as they are highly related to knee issues.   Many people tend to have an issue in one joint, the next thing you know there's a problem in the joint above or below the initial joint with the issue.  It's all connected so get on this ASAP so you can feel better!  And be stronger!

---