"My Knee Hurts When I Meditate,"said the patient. "I stopped for a while and it got better. But when I started meditating again, the pain came back."
"What position do you meditate in?"
"The
half-lotus."
"Ah. You have
'movie theater knee.'"
"Uh, okay..."
"It has to do with the patella. The kneecap. When you hold one position for some length of time, like driving or sitting in a movie theater - or meditating - it gets stiff and painful. The good news is, you didn't tear your meniscus or your ACL or any other ligament. I can give you some exercises to try at home. But you might want to try meditating in a different position."
The patient accepted the exercises. As I wound up the visit I couldn't resist adding, "I bet Buddha had painful knees."
The patient laughed. "After fifty years of doing this, I bet he did."
Labels: Medicine
posted by Dr. Alice at #
