A Tip for Helping to Correct Alignment in Hyperextended Elbows and Knees in Yoga

Aligning the bones accesses their inherent strength so that yoga poses ultimately require less muscular effort to maintain. For example, in our last post we gave a tip on using the big toes to correct the tendency for the pelvis to drift back in standing forward bends and one-legged standing poses like Warrior III. This correction brings the leg bones upright and perpendicular to the floor, which better supports the body weight. Aligning the bones in this manner also has the benefit of increasing joint congruency and spreads the joint reaction forces more evenly across the articular cartilage. Conversely, engaging the muscles that align the bones has been demonstrated to have a protective effect on the joint cartilage.

Dog Pose showing the direction of force through hyperextended elbows vs aligned elbows.

Hyperextending the knees or elbows in yoga poses can be disadvantageous because it misdirects the forces that create the form of the asana. For example, if the elbows are hyperextending in Dog Pose, then the force of the hands pushing into the mat is angled inward. Ideally this force should be directed through the long axes of the forearm bones, humerus, and shoulders and then through to the trunk and pelvis. Aligning the bones of the arms helps to create the proper form of Downward Facing Dog. Pressing the body back in this manner then synergizes the stretch of the muscles at the backs of the legs. 


Hyperextending the elbows also has other undesirable effects, such as potentially overstretching the capsule at the front of the joint and concentrating the joint reaction forces abnormally. I will go over the various causes of hyperextended joints in a future post, but for now . . .

On to the Tip . . .

Attempt to drag the hands towards each other
to engage the elbow flexors.

Warm up first with several Surya Namaskaras (Sun Salutations). Then take Dog Pose. Relax the triceps and, with the hands firmly fixed on the mat, gently attempt to drag the palms towards one another. This engages the elbow flexors—the biceps and brachialis muscles—and bends the elbows to counteract hyperextension. Keep the elbow flexors engaged with this cue and then gradually dial in contraction of the triceps to straighten the elbows. The biomechanical term for working in this manner is “co-contraction” or “co-activation.” This concept of simultaneously engaging an agonist/antagonist muscle group is discussed in detail in the Mat Companion series. Click here to see how to use co-contraction to correct hyperextended knees—and a quick tip on using the big toes to refine this action.

Co-contraction of the elbow flexors and extensors.

If you’re teaching this to a student who is hyperextending their elbows, demonstrate the technique first, and then talk them through it. You can also have your student try it with the knees on the floor first—like a modified Child's Pose. This takes the weight off the hands, making the cue a bit easier to access.

A key to integrating these cues into your yoga is to try them once or twice to align the bones in the pose, and then use them again the next time you practice. This trains proprioception and muscle memory so that within a few sessions, practitioners can engage the muscles directly without attempting to drag the hands towards one another. The cue remains as a resource, however, and can be used to refine the movement. This is true for accessing nutation, engaging the tensor fascia lata to stabilize the knees, using the accessory muscles of breathing to augment the diaphragm, and so on. Once used several times, these techniques become automatic.

Here’s the Anatomy . . .

The biceps brachii muscle has a long and short head. The long head originates from the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula—a small protrusion of bone at the top of the shoulder socket. The short head originates from the coracoid process of the scapula—a beak-like extension of bone at the front of the shoulder. Both heads combine into a single tendon that inserts onto the radial tuberosity of the radius bone of the forearm. The biceps acts to flex the elbow and supinate the forearm and to flex the shoulder forward. In addition, it acts to adduct and internally rotate the humerus. The long head of the biceps also aids to stabilize the humeral head in the shoulder socket.

The brachialis muscle originates from the distal half of the front of the humerus and inserts onto the ulnar tuberosity, also known as the coronoid (crown-like) process at the front of the elbow. It acts to flex the elbow.

The triceps muscle has three heads. The long head originates from the infraglenoid tuberosity on the bottom part of the shoulder socket. The medial head originates from the back (posterior) part of the humerus, below the radial groove. The lateral head originates from the back part of the humerus above the radial groove.  All three heads combine into a common tendon that inserts onto the olecranon process of the ulna (at the back of the elbow). The triceps acts to extend the elbow. The long head also adducts and moves the arm backwards and can aid to stabilize the scapula.

An excerpt from "Yoga Mat Companion 1 - Anatomy for Vinyasa Flow and Standing Poses".

An excerpt from "Yoga Mat Companion 4 - Anatomy for Arm Balances and Inversions".

Thanks for stopping by. See you for the next post when we’ll discuss a practical application of satya, the second of Patanjali’s five codes of ethical behavior. Also note that volume two of our free interactive e-book will be available with the next post! Be sure to tell your friends about our blog and visit us on Facebook for your free poster and Anatomy for Yoga Tips and Techniques, Volume I e-book.

Namasté,

Ray and Chris