657. Wednesday Q&A: knee pain, spinal rotation, protective tension in the body, & neutral pelvis/triple s while running/walking

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about knee pain, the risks of spinal rotation, holding tension in the body from previous injuries, and how to move around holding a neutral pelvis and spine.

Your questions:

• My question is about my partner who recently developed pain in the front inside of his knee. He has just started training for a half marathon and after just a couple of runs, he noticed the pain while he was running. He cycles and plays squash and football. I think it is quite important as a photographer, which means he often finds himself in awkward positions trying to get the shot. For example, he often has to lower his body into a kind of low lunge with the bottom knee hovering and then stays there for a while while he shoots. He has an inkling that some of these awkward positions might have something to do with the knee pain. I think it’s also important to note that in early 2021, he fell playing football and the fatty tissue of his knee was swollen for five months. I thought it would be a good idea to ask, number one where you think the supposed pain might be coming from. And number two, do any ideas for him to continue training for the half marathon without encouraging more pain or at worst, creating further injury?
• In all LYT classes, we do spinal (I mean, all segments of the spine) rotation, whether it’s in the reset, in supine, or in sequences. Over the last year, I have heard from a few students that their osteopaths or physio or even integrative doctors are telling them to practice these rotational movements sparingly as they lead to build up sometimes more tension in the body than the benefit we usually credit them, not in LYT by the way. Have you heard of any similar recommendations or client feedback?
• In some classes, yoga, meditation, etc. there’s an invitation to observe where we feel that our body might hold tension. One of my students, 56, had rotator cuff surgery a few years back, and I noticed that I keep reminding her a couple of times to relax her right shoulder. She said that she feels like her shoulder got stuck in a sort of defensive position that translates in this tensed-up way of holding as it was before the surgery. And also since then, she was inwardly thinking, “Oh, I don’t want to hurt my shoulder,” “I should be careful of my shoulder,” etc. I feel like there might be something to it as it seems unconscious. But I was also wondering if it’s also related to suboptimal posture, habits, and brain wiring.
• Can you talk about the neutral pelvis and Triple S while walking, running, etc.? How does it work when one has to look down to avoid tripping on things or falling on uneven ground?

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at [email protected]

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