A Foot To Stand On- how asana helped my recovery
Have you ever had a foot fracture and wondered how yoga can help? As a physical therapist, I see patients all the time and offer them yoga poses to help facilitate their healing and gain their range of motion back from various injuries or living a sedentary lifestyle. After a fall this year, I was able to use my advice on myself as I maneuvered through weeks of rehab. It gave me a greater understanding of how I have used yoga as a healing modality for others and how I used it for myself over the last several weeks of recovery, not just in terms of physical recovery but also in terms of emotional recovery. Yoga has always taught me something and continues to do so. Sometimes, the lessons are easy, and sometimes, the lessons are complex, but yoga is always there to guide me.
On Easter weekend, my family and I traveled to Athens, Ohio, to our farm. We had recently renovated the house and were looking forward to spending Easter weekend together in our new/old place. Still, as yoga says, expectations are the mother of all suffering. Still, when we examine our expectations, they can be the mother of teaching and learning—and the long-awaited family Easter weekend turned into several months of learning because, on Sunday evening, I missed the last step coming down the stairs and ended up in the emergency room with a foot fracture. For the last several months, while my foot has been healing, it has allowed me to examine my expectations of how I want this body to move in asana and throughout my daily activities. Since I have been rehabbing from this foot fracture, transitioning out of a boot, and gradually easing back into Asana, I have gained an even greater appreciation for my feet and Asana. It has also required me to be patient and forgiving.
This injury has made me slow down and focus on balance and strength and the range of motion (ROM) required to transition in and out of poses. For the ankle, that ROM includes dorsiflexion/DF (toes towards shin), plantar flexion/PF (pointing toes downward), and DF/PF of the toes. Lacking mobility in one joint can place increased strain on surrounding joints.
Let’s look at adho mukha śvānāsana (downward-facing dog); the downward-facing dog is often used as a transition between other poses. Even on my hands and knees, I struggled to get onto the ball of my left foot, so I kept the tops of my feet down against the floor. The use of props has been beneficial and has allowed me to use asana as a healing modality during my recovery. Placing a strap around the forefoot and passively pulling toward the shin (while seated) can help one gain more ankle DF. Gradually make it more active by activating the anterior shin muscles along with that extra pull from the strap. You can gently rock back towards the heels once you can comfortably tuck your toes under you; this provides an excellent stretch for the plantar fascia (myofascial tissue of the sole of the feet). Being in a boot for ten weeks, I felt the tightness of the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon and calf muscles (after all, they are all connected). ;)
I found that using another prop, such as a blanket or bolster, and placing it under the heels before you press back into a downward-facing dog provided an excellent “shelf” for the heels, especially if your heels cannot reach the floor. As you gain more DF of the ankle, you can lessen the thickness of the blanket under the heels. Remember that it is okay to continue using the props; that’s what they are there for.
When you transition from hands and knees to a downward-facing dog, first make sure you are joint-stacked the upper extremities: hands/wrists and elbows right under the shoulders, fingers splayed with either middle or pointer fingers parallel to each other. The knees can be around 3 inches behind the hip pointers, and the feet are a hip distance apart.
Activate the core by drawing the belly towards the spine, but keep the spine elongated.
Lift the knees off the floor and lift the sitting bones towards the ceiling. If this puts too much strain on the lower back, you can initially keep a slight tuck of the tailbone. Activate the quadriceps to straighten the knees, being mindful not to hyperextend or lock the knees. Begin to press the heels towards the floor. Pressing firmly with the arms as if you are pushing the floor away from you. You should feel the triceps, deltoids, and trapezius muscles fire, but try not to allow your shoulders to shrug. Keep the head between the arms in a neutral position with the drishti (gaze) between the feet.
You should feel a nice stretch in the backs of the hips (gluteals), thighs (hamstrings), and calves (gastrocnemius and soleus). A suggestion would be to “pedal” the feet and periodically pause with knees slightly bent, as this will provide a nice stretch to the soleus. Keeping the knees straight will give a nice stretch to the gastrocnemius. This asana will also create some space in the soles of the feet. Enjoy this asana and breathe. Although this may seem like a “basic” asana, it activates the whole body, elongating and contracting muscle groups at the same time. Since it is weight-bearing, it is also beneficial for our bone health. Ultimately, this asana can improve our posture and promote stability and stillness in the mind and body, thus reducing stress.
As you practice, spend extra time in this pose to feel its benefits. Don’t rush through this “transitional movement,” as it is much more potent than one realizes.
In-healing,
Linda Conway
