Blame it on the Bikram?
January 11, 2014
Rick McMahon asked The Guru for the following Physiotherapy Advice:
Hi there
Im a regular gym goer, spinning, running, body pump, boxing ect and so am pretty fit. However i have recently taken up Bikram yoga and have been about 10 times and have been enjoying it (not so much when im in the studeo). Now for the past three weeks my left knee is a bit stiff and very painul when i kneel down on it and cannot stretch it as far as i could before and my left shoulder has some kind of rotator cuff issue as i cannot lift anything heavy or rotate it without a sharp pain. I didnt experiance any sudden pain i just woke up one day and they had become sore.
Any ideas on what i prob need to do ie maybe come in to see you? what kinda treatment would be needed as im really keen to get back to the gym.
thanks in advance
Rick
January 11, 2014
Hi Rick
.
If you haven’t had any slips, falls or tumbles then this is most likely to be the straw that’s broken the camels back – and the most obvious thing is over stretching bits of your body which you don’t have enough control of.
.
Off the top of my head your knee sounds as if it may be due to your patella not sitting in the right place in front of your knee, and your cuff issue because you’ve stretched your shoulder too far, possibly because your thoracic spine is too stiff – one will always compensate for the other. The problem starts when you run out of compensatory movement.
.
Stop doing Bikram for the next 10 days – if this seems to do the trick then perfect. If not, or you want this sorted, then do get some advice. You need to make bits which don’t move enough to move more to take the excessive, painful load off of the bits that have been made to move and over stretch too much. These painful bits need to be stabilised, not strengthened -(don’t be tempted to go and blast it in the gym) a mix of functional rehab and old skool Pilates should do the trick.
.
See what gives.
