I have a private client in his mid thirties, who at age 18 had knee surgery. Years of compensation patterns coupled with the lack of proper stretching (and of course, neglecting the scar tissue created by the surgery) resulted in such limitations that he couldn’t even sit cross legged. However, the real problem he came to me about was low back pain, a lack of hip mobility and of course, knee pain.
He has a great love for both basketball (and running), and a bit of a stubborn ego, which led to numerous jump landings on an already imbalanced knee that ultimately resulted in all of the ailments he was seeking remedy. Many people engage in habitual physical activities that contribute to pain. The love for a sport may override the initial whisper of a pain, until that whisper becomes a scream. One of my greatest rewards as a Yoga Tune Up® Teacher is assisting students to keep their sport of choice in their lives by prepping their bodies with sport specific healing movements and self-care strategies.
When addressing any injury, it is valuable to also address the joints above and below it (uptown and downtown). Nothing could be truer than with the knee. Opening and strengthening the hips in every direction is important for even distribution of weight. I immediately taught my client the Half Happy Baby Minivini shown below (which is part of the sequence you can see for free here) and did some myofascial release around his knees with the YTU Therapy Balls. After just a few short sessions his range of motion doubled and in about month’s time, my client not only has the ability to, but also CHOOSES to sit cross-legged!
P.S. – If you’re interested in the Myofascial work on the knees or have any type of knee issues, I highly recommend the YTU Quickfix Rx: KneeHab DVD, there are great routines in here the will help you or help you help your clients/students with knee related issues!
A fun way working with gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus which will help me with my hip extension.
So true…once I started really being able to open my hips through flexion I found my knee pain subside.
i have never heard of this stretch, it’s amazing, i feel taller after a couple of minutes.
Incredible results! I always thought that after surgery you never have the chance of any real healing but I stand corrected. I have a lot of students that have knee issues, the roots of these issues all being so different varied and complex as you outlined in the article and now I see that the half happy baby mini-vini really covers it all, stretching and strengthening above and below this abused little knee joint.
I have a client that sounds awfully similar – except he’s a she! She has injured her knee in the past, and continues to run, and we work on hip openers a lot. Now that I’ve been working with the YTU material, I will add this into our work for sure. I love the idea of uptown/downtown to help a student feel less emotionally connected to the injured area, while still helping them strengthen and repair their lost range of motion. We’ve been working a lot with the feet and ankle strengtheners as well – err I mean we’ve gone downtown as well
I just bought the KneeHab DVD to better educate myself as well since it’s such a common area of injury these days., likely stemming from that no-pain-no-gain mentality in our culture. I know the YTU Therapy Balls are a big part of re-conditioning the area and releasing old habits too, which we already use (uptown and downtown of course).
Plus, I personally have tight hips and need a lot more Half Happy Baby Minivinis in my life too. Thanks for the reminder!
My husband grew up skiing since he was age 3. Now he has some odd creaking in his knees when he ascends stairs and also on occasion locks his knee up if he sits with his leg folded under. I’m wondering if this hip opener will help avoid the pain he suffers when his knee locks up?
I had surgery to repair a torn meniscus last year. The knee never healed properly and I have a build up of synovial fluid in and around the knee. I have been using my therapy balls and this mini vini for the last 3 days and already feel a remarkable difference. The swelling seems to be reduced, my walking flows easier and my range of motion has improved.
Hi Gari!
Yes indeed, this could help. Coupled with ball therapy work, it may be all he needs. That said, every injury is different and needs to be approached as such. Some parts of his glutes/legs may need to be strengthened and some parts may need to be lengthened…
the chain is pretty amazing, tight adductors, abductors, extensors and flexors that intersect at the hip translate into constricted knee joints! i had a knee injury earlier in the year and it helps so much to roll out the entire leg!
Thanks for the expanded stretch with happy baby pose to help me open my hips and surrounding muscles, especially for my longer right leg and associated knee pain resulting from the tighter compensating muscles.
My left knee has been bothering me for the past 15 years. According to a scope (and the doctor who performed it) there is nothing wrong with my knee and therefore nothing I can do but stop running or going for long bike rides (!!!). Over the years I have started to wonder if the pain in my knee is related to my lower back and my hamstings and according to this blog post I may be on to something… I will definately try this happy baby mini vinyasa during a period and see if there is any improvement in my knee.
I knew that I was drawn to this yoga tune up pose and now I know why. I am constantly trying to find ways to heal my knee and this is exactly what the doctor ordered.i won’t miss a day of doing half happy baby mini vini .