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6 hours ago, Kit_L said:

I really like the style of that drawing, Mark; and that's the position I prefer in the bent-leg Cossack over the flat-foot one. I am not sure what your purpose was in posting it, though—would you elaborate?

Re. the numbness: walking should be fine, so please continue all movement that is possible and report back. 

Many thanks Kit, I will do that for sure.

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On ‎2017‎-‎07‎-‎16 at 0:11 PM, Jeremy said:

Thanks so much for the reply Kit. I wasn't sure how concerned to be so feel better about it now.

Yes, I do recall the position, it was deep in the central upper thigh running top to bottom, near the hip. It was painful when it happened but not too bad, nothing like a muscle tear. It was only after I stood up 5 minutes later that I realised most of my thigh was numb. Had a walk about today. Numbness unchanged. Hip flexor feels more tight today and inflamed so I'm going to lay off exercise for a few days - couldn't do morning tai chi this morning. Planning a sauna later. Hopefully it'll just go back to normal as you described!

Really appreciate the feedback and support, so thanks again.

As stated above, it sounds like you've irritated a nerve there. The femoral nerve is fairly deep, but the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve can sometimes get entrapped and/or irritated by other means, and is more superficial than the femoral nerve, passing over the sartorius muscle. It innervates the skin on the lateral part of the thigh. I suppose it might be possible to somehow irritate the femoral nerve with enough point-pressure. When I dry needle the iliopsoas muscle I palpate the femoral artery 2-3 centimeters below the midline of the inguinal ligament, place one finger lateral to the palpating finger to localize the nerve and then insert the needle right next to the finger (which is very close to the medial border of the sartorius muscle). With that sort of precise localizing needed to insert a thin needle, it's difficult to isolate any single structure in that area with something the size of a tennis ball.

If it's a temporary irritation due to pressure of some kind all the symptoms should resolve spontaneously...

Meralgia%20Paresthetica.jpg

 

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Thanks Jonas - I did actually have a look for some images, this one is great. Quite fascinating! The line of numbness matches the femoral nerve, but hopefully it'll clear quickly. Thanks again.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello Kit and everyone else,

I've been visiting these forums for quite some time now, and I'll start off by saying how grateful I am for the wealth of knowledge here, as well as the willingness by those who possess it to share.

I've been working with flexibility for a couple of years now and I've seen some amazing progress. I initially came across Kit's videos on Youtube while I was focusing on yoga, but it was only about 6 months ago that I decided to transition into a purely "stretch therapy" method of improving my flexibility. 

So, I recently purchased the "Master the Squat" series, as it seemed a good place to start. I am not yet up to doing the entire limbering set of movements every day, but certain movements - like the sumo squat - are already feeling comfortable enough to do frequently with little to no DOMS. 

When I do the L7 limbering movement (with or without the contraction), I feel no stretch on the outside of my hip. Rather, I feel a very strong sensation along the inside of my leg, localizing into a sort of "pinching" sensation near the adductor pelvic insertions. Now, it doesn't feel like bone on bone, but it does feel like a particular set of muscles are deciding very quickly that they're quite done with the movement. Similarly "boxing the compass" creates a strong localized stretching sensation right up near the groin on the inside of the leg when I focus on the tail-tuck. 

In fact, I have encountered similar problems with many exercises, where the intention is for the outer hip/piriformis to be stretched yet I end up feeling limitation in the front of my hips near the pelvis. (seated piriformis is an example). 

My question is this: has anyone else experienced a similar pattern of inflexibility? Many of the stretches on the Stretch Therapy YT channel, the MTS series, and the "how to sit for meditation" series feel like I'm connecting with the correct muscles, but on others, it seems like my adductors are refusing to get out of the way. 

Many thanks,
Joe

 

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52 minutes ago, Naldaramjo said:

but on others, it seems like my adductors are refusing to get out of the way. 

Or refusing to length in that position. No doubt that's exactly what's happening; all this takes time for the body to adapt to. My suggestion is to drop the movements which don't feel right for now, and concentrate on the others. 

And don't forget this one; in time, everything has to stretch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04jJsNuznWM&t=10s

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Hi Kit, 

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I've been occasionally doing fascial release with a softball in the areas surrounding the hip. There are certainly some tender/tighter areas, but other areas that are inexplicably quite loose. In some ways I feel very flexible, even to the point of making what I think is good progress in the pancake. However, in others, I feel like a complete beginner (for example, needing significant heel bolsters for balance in the squat due to this same length restriction in the adductors). 

I'll give that exercise a try tonight and let you know how it feels. 

Would it be better to post this kind of information in the "work out logs" section? 

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1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

In some ways I feel very flexible, even to the point of making what I think is good progress in the pancake. However, in others, I feel like a complete beginner (for example, needing significant heel bolsters for balance in the squat due to this same length restriction in the adductors).

As do we all! Perhaps there is that one magical being who is perfectly loose in every area, but the rest of us have both loose and tight bits :) Nothing to worry about. Be aware of it and work on the tight bits more than the loose bits. In time the gap will shrink.

1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

Would it be better to post this kind of information in the "work out logs" section? 

Your initial question was perfectly fine here. Updates as responses would not be unwelcome, but perhaps a workout log would be more fitting. You can of course feel free to update a log as often or as seldom as you like, and logs are helpful both to yourself (accountability, perspective, etc.) and others!

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53 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Your initial question was perfectly fine here. Updates as responses would not be unwelcome, but perhaps a workout log would be more fitting. You can of course feel free to update a log as often or as seldom as you like, and logs are helpful both to yourself (accountability, perspective, etc.) and others!

Perhaps this is a good idea...it would keep me accountable, too. I love mobility and stretching, but I do tend to focus more easily on those movements at which I am already quite proficient. 

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3 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

for example, needing significant heel bolsters for balance in the squat due to this same length restriction in the adductors

May we see a pic.; far more likely to be ankles, not adductors, bun an image will confirm.

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Got a photo! As an aside, my heels are propped up by War and Peace and the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. I'll admit that my ankles could improve, but the most immediate restriction I feel to moving my centre of gravity forward enough to lower my heels is in my hips. 

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,
Joe

20181127_201218.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

Hello, quite new to the forum but I've been trying to following along with the Master series for quite some time. Just haven't been very consistent with it haha. I'm attempting to do the Master the squat series as a sort of reboot of my efforts. Currently having issues with E1A, for the life of me I can't seem to get this one right, not sure if it's the angle of the video or just ignorance on my part. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

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7 hours ago, QuentinB said:

Currently having issues with E1A, for the life of me I can't seem to get this one right, not sure if it's the angle of the video or just ignorance on my part. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Quentin, welcome to the forums! Glad to hear you've rebooted your efforts :) As for your issue, you haven't actually told us anything about what it actually is, so I don't think anyone will be able to give you specific advice. If you're not sure and are just having trouble in general, you might want to post a form check (we have a Form Check area) and hopefully somebody will be able to spot something.

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Quentin, E1A is wall standing calf, isn't it? Please make sure you listen carefully to the spoken explanation; if I have got the ex. number right, this is not a complicated exercise.

The most significant mistake is to not make, and then not hold, the arch-off-the-floor position while you move the hips forward. And if that is not the problem, externally rotate the whole leg in both the hip and ankle joints—this winds up a major fascial chain and makes this movement very strong.

And if this is not sufficient, please do take @Nathan's advice and post images or a link to a YouTube-hosted video and someone will comment (always kindly!).

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@QuentinB: no, honestly, I do not understand how using a plain wall makes balancing everything harder. Can you please use your phone to make a video of what you are doing; shoot it from the side, post on YouTube (free to join) and post the link here?

The external rotation must happen before you move into the stretch itself. When you rotate the leg externally, neither the hip nor the ankle moves—it is pure external rotation of the leg inside both joints. Once wound up (and you will know this has worked because your arch will be lifted, which you can see and feel), you hold that and only then move the hips forward. If you run out of hip movement, reposition the stretching leg's foot further back, and try again.

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@Kit_L Here's a vid of me doing the stretch https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ibTne6vUzBKHcN5fQpaVeK-Lc58HkIVy/view?usp=sharing 

I think I'm closer to getting it right, pretty sure I got my wires crossed yesterday and was turning the hips and leg the opposite direction lol. Outside of my confusion with this one exercise all the others have been great, especially the cossack squat and piriformis stretches. My ultimate goal for limbering up the body is to be able to sit double lotus eventually, I can't now but I used to be able to a long time ago.

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Re. Lotus:

May or may not be a great use of your time, even if you are a meditator. Happy to discuss. I do explain why in the text description of this YT clip.

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  • 1 month later...

We use Yoga bolsters, because they are the firmest. One of THESE should be fine.

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  • 5 months later...

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