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Knee and hip pain

Ficus_religiosaFicus_religiosa Veteran
edited June 2010 in Meditation
When I first started meditating, my upper back hurt like hell after a few minutes. Some stretching and studying a proper way to sit straight proved to work wonderfully.
I always sit in lotus with a small pillow under my bottom, keeping my hip a little higher than my knees, helping my back staying straight.
After a month or so of meditating almost every evening, I just don't seem to get used to it in my legs. My knees are a little sore, and my inner thigh (only the left) is too. The foot which rests inside the joint on my right leg (this being the left foot) also hurts.
I thought it would pass, but it doesn't. I don't wanna hurt myself, but still insist on sitting in full lotus. It's a posture you can use everywhere on any surface because you don't sit on a foot or knee or whatnot squeezing it..

Comments

  • edited June 2010
    One of the things I have been told over the years is that a certain amount of discomfort during meditation is not necessarily a problem. However, this should NOT be taken to the point of injury, of course.

    Since I sit seiza, the knees get stiff after a while, and the ankles/feet as well if I don't use a bench. I consider it one of the sharper-pointed aspects of dukkha, myself.
  • Ficus_religiosaFicus_religiosa Veteran
    edited June 2010
    I'm sorry, I don't think I made clear when I feel this pain. It's not as much during the meditation but a while after. I considered that to be normal (I've trained a lot of martial arts earlier in my life, as well as I'm used to working out so I know when things hurt "the right way").
    It's when I sit down and adjust my legs it hurts, as opposed to earlier where it just stretched. After a while the pain ceases.
    And I mean it hurts, like needles or other unpleasant things where pushed into my senews :?
  • aMattaMatt Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Ficus,

    Its pretty common to have those issues in the beginning of the lotus position. It sounds like your body isn't loosened up enough, and it would be good to do some pre-stretching. Check out this video if you can. The stretching exercises will help open up your hips, knees, ankles and the ligaments in your legs.

    If you can, consulting with a yoga instructor locally could also help. I bet there's one that could give you some pointers if the video doesn't do the trick. I've been using burmese, but have been preparing my body to use the full lotus for its wide open breath.

    Good luck!

    With warmth,

    Matt
  • edited June 2010
    Have you tried seiza?

    I used to sit cross-legged for about a year. While keeping a straight back was not a problem in that position, my knees always ended up twisted and hurting, especially after longer sessions. Don't even mention lotus. Then I discovered seiza (it's quite unusual in Thailand), which solved my problems. I use a small wooden stool for support and -voila- no more knee pain and the back can be kept perfectly straight.

    Cheers, Thomas
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2010
    I'm sorry, I don't think I made clear when I feel this pain. It's not as much during the meditation but a while after. I considered that to be normal (I've trained a lot of martial arts earlier in my life, as well as I'm used to working out so I know when things hurt "the right way").
    It's when I sit down and adjust my legs it hurts, as opposed to earlier where it just stretched. After a while the pain ceases.
    And I mean it hurts, like needles or other unpleasant things where pushed into my senews :?

    It sounds to me as if you would do well to have your spine and sciatic nerve checked out. There can be undiagnosed problems which only manifest after years, for example Spondylolisthesis.
  • ZenBadgerZenBadger Derbyshire, UK Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Don't persist if you are getting serious pain afterwards, see a doctor. Once your knees are knackered it's time for the surgeon's knife. You may have imbalances in your flexibility from martial arts or maybe uneven wear and tear on the joints that really need specialist diagnosis if they are giving you this much discomfort afterwards. I would recommend sitting in half lotus or tailor fashion and seeing if that alleviates the pain much, you may have overstretched initially and constant re-stretching isn't allowing time to heal. Otherwise, seiza using a bench and a thick zabuton is a very good way to sit as others have already mentioned.
  • lightwithinlightwithin Veteran
    edited June 2010
    ZenBadger wrote: »
    Don't persist if you are getting serious pain afterwards, see a doctor.

    I agree with this. If the pain persists, even after stretching exercises, I think it would be time to re-think the position you're sitting in and maybe even see a doctor.

    I have some pain in my hips and right calf too, so I am thinking that in time, I will be forced to just forgo the Burmese position and sit on a chair.

    Sitting Seiza would probably kill my knees, as I am on the heavy side, and I don't think I can find a wooden bench around here too easily.
  • ZenBadgerZenBadger Derbyshire, UK Veteran
    edited June 2010
    You could make a T-bench quite easily with two pieces of reclaimed wood. You need one piece around 12"-18" (depending on <ahem> "width of seat") long, 5-6" wide and 1" thick, another piece about 10" by 6" by 1" and a couple of right angled brackets. You cut the 10" piece so that the top edge slopes slightly (about 15-30 degrees) and join it to the middle of the seat-piece with the brackets.

    I made mine with stuff I found in a skip when someone was re-fitting a shop. I found two pine shelves and some brackets in there, asked the owner if I could have them and found that they were fascinated in what I was going to do. They were so fascinated that they asked me for a meditation reading list and instructions on making one for themselves.
  • Ficus_religiosaFicus_religiosa Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Thanks for all the good advice :) I do in fact have a table-set which must be disposed of, so I could use the pieces to make a nice bench..
    I don't think a doctor will be necessary. I have back-problems from a curved spine (like my father), but I never feel it anymore. Exercise and stretching has helped it stop. Once in a while I will get crick, but I've learned to just ignore it - after all it's just muscle pressing on nerves. I stretch and walk, and it ceases. It happens less than one time a year though.
    The pain in my knee stops after a while of meditating, and it doesn't follow me more than a couple of minutes after. It's, as I wrote, more when I've sat i lotus in all sessions for several days that it will hurt when I adjust my legs. "Hip" might be a bad selection of word, as it's more the inside of my thigh (I don't know what to call it in English).
    My concern is not that I have any conditions, but that I will eventually get some if I force my body too much.. Any thoughts? (and sorry for making myself sound more "sick" than I am, I find it difficult to explain this in English as I lack some specific medical terms)
  • lightwithinlightwithin Veteran
    edited June 2010
    My concern is not that I have any conditions, but that I will eventually get some if I force my body too much.. Any thoughts?

    Well, I'm just a beginner in meditation, but I've read about a condition called "meditator's knee" where your knee will give you pain after meditating in a cross legged position for a while. Other than that, I have also heard of people getting mild cases of "phlebitis" (painful inflamed veins) in their thighs or calves. But this is more rare according to what I read.

    I think the important thing, is not to force your body into doing something it doesn't want to, or isn't ready for.

    I agree that the lotus position is very versatile as it allows you to sit without any additions like a mat or zabuton, but if this is causing you pain and negative bodily reactions, then I'd at least think about the possibility of switching positions to a less demanding one.
  • Ficus_religiosaFicus_religiosa Veteran
    edited June 2010
    I have given in and I now sit in half-lotus until my legs are more used to getting twisted :) Instead of resting my palms in my lap, I tried to rest them on my knees yesterday. The combination of a good pillow, half-lotus and the new arm/hand position was very comfortable. I meditated for 20 minutes without feeling any pain anywhere, and sitting both completely erect and still. When I got up everything was fine too.
    Thanks for the help you guys :)
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