leg pain in meditation

[mddrill]

I have been getting leg pain during meditation in my upper calf/inside of my knee. I sit Burmese style. the pain happens on the inner leg, not the outer. it feels like intense pressure, I wonder if it has something to do with the sciatic nerve?

I tried doing butterfly stretches before sitting, which helped, but then I started getting pain in my hips during the butterfly stretches

I cant sit seiza because I have a bad ankle. and I would rather sit on the floor than in a chair, it feels more stable and easier to keep my back straight. its harder to concentrate in a chair


Any advice would be helpful,
Matt

[Reibeam]

This question might be silly, but does it effect the pain to switch which leg is on the inside or outside?

Also, the height and type of cushion you use may effect how your leg and knee are being torqued. For me the rectangle ones can put pressure on the bottom of the thigh and create a pain elsewhere in the leg. I used try to sit burmese style and my legs always went to sleep if my cushion was too low. It took some practice, but once I could sit half lotus on a round buckwheat cushion most of the pain problems went away.

[明安 Myoan]

I also sit Burmese style. Here are several things I do to help ensure it's comfortable:
* alternate which leg is on the inside between sessions
* lean forward on your cushion while you bend your inmost leg in a very natural and comfortable way, not overstretching it, then settle back onto the cushion, merely rotating your leg instead of trying to bend it more to get into position.
* keeping your back straight with the pelvis tipped slightly forward will help keep everything aligned and free from tension.
* Finally, most important for me, think in terms of opening your pelvis into a very wide, settled base. The hips can become quite flexible. I think sometimes too much emphasis gets placed on the legs instead of the hips, which play an important role.

I hope that helps.

[Reibeam]

I also sit Burmese style. Here are several things I do to help ensure it's comfortable:
* alternate which leg is on the inside between sessions
* lean forward on your cushion while you bend your inmost leg in a very natural and comfortable way, not overstretching it, then settle back onto the cushion, merely rotating your leg instead of trying to bend it more to get into position.
* keeping your back straight with the pelvis tipped slightly forward will help keep everything aligned and free from tension.
* Finally, most important for me, think in terms of opening your pelvis into a very wide, settled base. The hips can become quite flexible. I think sometimes too much emphasis gets placed on the legs instead of the hips, which play an important role.

I hope that helps.

[dharmagoat]

I have been getting leg pain during meditation in my upper calf/inside of my knee. I sit Burmese style. the pain happens on the inner leg, not the outer. it feels like intense pressure, I wonder if it has something to do with the sciatic nerve?

It may be due to stress on the knee itself, in which case this could be alleviated by putting something under the knee to support some of its weight. I sit Burmese style too, and will do this for a while whenever I restart sitting after a lapse of more than a couple of weeks.

Alternating legs is a good idea too. Balancing the strain this way helps to prevent possible twisting of the pelvis or spine.

If the problem is due to weight on the sciatic nerve, I have found that moving the cushion as far back as possible and sitting on its front edge minimises the pressure on the site of the nerve. It helps to have a cushion that is can be moulded to shape but is not compressible, like a buckwheat cushion or perhaps a rolled-up blanket or towel.

[mddrill]

Thanks for your answers. the reason I cant switch legs is because my left hip is much more flexible than my right for some reason (which may have something to do with the pain in my right knee). so it feels really awkard to have my right leg on the outside and my right knee wont touch the ground.

[DGA]

Does the pain behind your knee arise only during meditation, or is it persistent throughout your day? Does it come up if you sit in seiza positition, or if you climb stairs or crouch down in a squat position?

[mddrill]

Does the pain behind your knee arise only during meditation, or is it persistent throughout your day? Does it come up if you sit in seiza positition, or if you climb stairs or crouch down in a squat position?

the pain only comes up when I meditate

[DGA]

It might even be your trousers causing a bind. You can test this hypothesis by sitting in a pair of shorts that don't get close to the knee, or if you have some solitude, your underwear. If that solves the problem, then it's a matter of finding the right pair of pants to wear for practice, or a skirt if you happen to be female.

[Kaccāni]

its harder to concentrate in a chair

Praise the chair who offers that practice