Can Yin yoga really make cartilage stronger

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janebakxyoga
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Bonaire & Europe

Can Yin yoga really make cartilage stronger

Post by janebakxyoga »

Hi Bernie,
I have a question. I'm just a little confused due to the different things I read and the knowledge that (I think) I have and how to understand it all.
As far as I learned ligaments have no blood supply, so they can't really heal themselves. Cartilage has no blood supply so it can't heal itself. But then I read somewhere: Chondrocytes in the articular cartilage proliferate and secrete extracellular matrix to maintain and sustain the cartilage.
I'm just wondering if tissue can't heal itself, then how is it that there are cells in that tissue that can maintain and sustain the tissue. And why can't those same cells heal the tissue after it is damaged? How can Yin yoga (or the stress we place upon the tissue) make the tissue stronger, if it has no blood supply and it can't heal itself??
I know, this goes quite deep, but after doing your TTC I'm more and more intrigued in how it all works. And I also teach TTC's so I want to understand it completely as I'm sharing the info with my students.
Thank you so much in advance for answering.
Best regards,
Jane
Jane Bakx Yoga
www.janebakxyoga.com
Bernie
Posts: 1292
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Post by Bernie »

Hi Jane

First, let's dispel the notion that cartilage can't heal. All tissues can heal! If not, we would all be dead. How cartilage heals is different than how muscles heals and it is true that most cartilage does't have an innate blood supply, but they still get nutrients. These diffuse into the cartilage via the surrounding bone or the synovial fluid. (Occasionally, such as in the vertebral discs, blood vessels will grow into the cartilage, but this is a sign of pathology, not health.) So, yes - cartilage can and does heal.

You are correct, there are cartilage making cells within the cartilage called chondrocytes. These are similar to fibroblasts or osteoblasts in that they secrete the fibers and fluids that make up the tissue, and stiffer materials are laid down along these fibers to create the stability needed. A key to healing then is to stimulate the chondrocytes. Some researchers have found that cyclical stresses work really well: stress, rest, stress, rest.

A section in the open access book Biomechanics of Cartilage and Osteoarthritis states:
  • Mechanical loading within a physiological range is necessary to maintain joints in a healthy state. During normal daily activity articular cartilage is exposed to a range of mechanical forces during joint movement. Peak forces across the human hip and knee joints have been shown to reach 4 and 7 times body weight, respectively, during normal walking [10,11]. In vivo, mechanical loading is applied cyclically and the cells within cartilage, chondrocytes, are exposed to a composite of radial, tangential and shear stresses [12]. The effects of mechanical load bearing on the development and microscopic structure of the articular cartilage have been studied in some detail [13]. Elevated loading increases cartilage thickness, causes hypertrophy of the superficial zone chondrocytes, and increases the amount of intercellular matrix [14-17]. In normal human joints, load-bearing areas of the cartilage are thicker with a higher proteoglycan concentration and are mechanically stronger than non-load-bearing regions of the same joint [18-20]. Increasing weight-bearing of joints, in a variety of animal models, leads to elevation of proteoglycan content within articular cartilage [15,16,21-23]. In contrast, removal of load bearing leads to a reduction in proteoglycan content [13]. In a dog model, immobilization of a joint by placing a leg in a cast leads to cartilage atrophy, loss of Safranin O staining, and a decrease in its uronic acid content [21]. These changes are reversible on remobilization. Mechanical regulation is also an important factor for chondrogenesis and has been involved in the development of cell-based therapies for cartilage degeneration and disease [24].
You can read the rest at your leisure.

Basically, research has found that cyclical stresses of cartilage with periods of stress between 1~4 seconds, with some rest before the next stress, works best. This is not what we do in Yin Yoga, but we could adapt our practice a bit if our intention is to work the cartilage. Say, use 2 minute holds, rest (or do another pose) for 2~5 minutes, then come back and do the first pose again for 2 minutes. For example: Butterfly for 2 minutes, then Swan on one side for 5, then back to Butterfly for 2, then the other side of Swan, then a third visit to Butterfly for 2 more minutes. I showed you what I did for my the meniscus in my knees: 1~2 minute stresses in Vajrasana, with 1~2 minute rest and the repeat. I found this helped my knees a lot.

As always, theory is lovely, but what is important is your experience. For me, 2 minute holds with rest, seem to work.

Cheers
Bernie
janebakxyoga
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Bonaire & Europe

Thank you

Post by janebakxyoga »

Thank you, dear Bernie, for always taking the time to respond in such a detailed way. I will read through it all carefully and take it all into mind when I teach my next teacher training. Thanks again, Jane
Jane Bakx Yoga
www.janebakxyoga.com
Bernie
Posts: 1292
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Re: Can Yin yoga really make cartilage stronger

Post by Bernie »

Hot off the press: Many yinsters know about piezoelectricity...the tiny currents of electricity created when we stress our tissues (tension or compression). Well, here is an interesting studyfor all the kneedy people (people with knee issues): University of Connecticut researchers have regrown knee cartilage by generating piezoelectricity through bending implanted membranes, at least in rabbits.
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