Practice Point #43 - Hyperextension

I received a question from Anna Cowper-Canaux in France Their question is...

I have hyper-exending elbows and knees which means it's very hard for me to get enough grip and presence on my upper arms and thighs to work and stretch them. I find it particularly difficult to lift my thighs properly in standing poses. Having these loose, floppy junctions makes it hard for me to trust my body, which distorts very easily! I wondered, if you had any useful tips on how to work those two areas?

This is a common problem and I am so glad it has been asked.

For the legs, I would work with a brick under the calf placed at an angle as shown in the picture. This will stop you from pushing the knee back and hyper extending and will allow you the opportunity to properly engage the vastus medialis oblique muscle which is found above the right inner kneecap.

You need to learn to pull this muscle up to grip the thigh. After time and practice you will be able to remove the brick and engage this muscle. When this muscle works well you will no longer push the knee and hyper extend.

As for the elbows. I depends on the pose, but if we look at Adho Mukha Svanasana I would try either a below around the elbows and pressing the outer elbows to the belt or a block elbow on the inner elbows.

Either can work it depends on the body, try both and see what works for you.

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