Elbows and Down Dog

Questioner · 05-20-2003, 02:30 AM

There are many cases where a student is unable to straighten the arms, either as they raise them over the head, or as in down dog. In some the elbows bow outward (this appears to be an inflexibility in the shoulder rotation)? And in others the elbows bow inward (looks like a structural issue). In the elbows bowing inward, could this be at all similar to the situation of tibial torsion? And is there a different position/alignment that could be given to relieve the stress when trying to do down-dog? Does muscular strengthening help either of the situations? Thank you for all you do and all you are. Lots of love, T

Mukunda · 05-20-2003, 02:50 AM

Elbows are funny animals. To understand them you need to view them in neutral and also later in asanas. There are some unique features that I did not put in my Structural Yoga Therapy book. It is common for women to have a carrying angle, in that shape the lower arm angles laterally out from the torso when the arms are presented straight ahead of the shoulders (shoulder flexion) and you look at them from the front. This shape of bone structure tends to have weaker wrists and the elbows do not look straight in dog pose. Attempting to correct this alignment will cause more trouble. It is not a correctable feature as it is due to the shape of the bones at the elbow joint. But strengthening the arms will help them hold the pose more solidly.

Women also tend to have hyperextended elbows, this is revealed by looking at the arms from the side while in the last position. In this case the elbow will lock upward and the arms will make a line upwards from horizontal. This will show up in dog and cat pose as the elbows rotated so that the eye of the elbow (bend) is facing forward. This feature will be accompanied by weak biceps and triceps. This feature is not correctable either but it can be compensated for by learning not to lock the elbow and toning the weakened arm and shoulder muscles. The remedy for hyperextended elbow is don't lock the arm and learn proprioception to feel the sense of a slight bend in the arm especially in weight bearing poses. It is not uncommon for women to have both features. These features are very uncommon in men but I have seen them. Namaste Mukunda

05-20-2003, 02:30 AM	#1
Questioner Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 479	There are many cases where a student is unable to straighten the arms, either as they raise them over the head, or as in down dog. In some the elbows bow outward (this appears to be an inflexibility in the shoulder rotation)? And in others the elbows bow inward (looks like a structural issue). In the elbows bowing inward, could this be at all similar to the situation of tibial torsion? And is there a different position/alignment that could be given to relieve the stress when trying to do down-dog? Does muscular strengthening help either of the situations? Thank you for all you do and all you are. Lots of love, T

05-20-2003, 02:50 AM	#2
Mukunda SYTherapy Creator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Yoga Therapist and trainer Posts: 1,068	Elbows are funny animals. To understand them you need to view them in neutral and also later in asanas. There are some unique features that I did not put in my Structural Yoga Therapy book. It is common for women to have a carrying angle, in that shape the lower arm angles laterally out from the torso when the arms are presented straight ahead of the shoulders (shoulder flexion) and you look at them from the front. This shape of bone structure tends to have weaker wrists and the elbows do not look straight in dog pose. Attempting to correct this alignment will cause more trouble. It is not a correctable feature as it is due to the shape of the bones at the elbow joint. But strengthening the arms will help them hold the pose more solidly. Women also tend to have hyperextended elbows, this is revealed by looking at the arms from the side while in the last position. In this case the elbow will lock upward and the arms will make a line upwards from horizontal. This will show up in dog and cat pose as the elbows rotated so that the eye of the elbow (bend) is facing forward. This feature will be accompanied by weak biceps and triceps. This feature is not correctable either but it can be compensated for by learning not to lock the elbow and toning the weakened arm and shoulder muscles. The remedy for hyperextended elbow is don't lock the arm and learn proprioception to feel the sense of a slight bend in the arm especially in weight bearing poses. It is not uncommon for women to have both features. These features are very uncommon in men but I have seen them. Namaste Mukunda