Middle Split Queries - Knee Pain in Frog & Restricted Hip ROM

Hello!
I've been doing the middle split stretch series for about 10 months (with some inconsistencies in training at the start), and have made pretty huge progress. That being said, there are a few recurring issues that I really want to sort out. 

1. Left knee pain. I get pretty consistent pain throughout this series, particularly distal patellar of my left knee - this is evident especially in the frog stretches (both the static hold and the 90 sec frog rocks). This pain is specific to that left knee and to that single point in the knee; the aching pain also persists for a bit after I get out of the stretch. 

2. Hip restriction in:

a)diamond frog. I'm really struggling to progress further on the diamond frog stretch. I feel that if I try and press my feet down harder, my right hip comes off the ground: my left always remains pressed down hard, but my right seems to try to come up if I push in this stretch, regardless of whether I'm lying flat or propped up on my elbows. 

b) Then my left hip is extremely problematic in the supine flares. It feels almost like it gets 'stuck' (for want of a better word) if I try and bring it wide, and it makes a really loud, horrible clunking noise if I force it to move through that ROM (It’s so loud that it’s audible from the other room when I’m doing the series). This hasn't improved at all during the past 10 months. 

Thanks so much for your help, I look forward to your replies!

Cheers, 

Ana

Hi James, i'll try to help you with my experience

-the patellar pain can be due to a hard surface where you perform the exercise and it is enough a little bit of difference between the 2 hips mobility that one knee it is placed differently. for personally the pain regards the right knee where I had a knee surgery.

-how much proficient are you in the butterfly?

-it is the range of motion painful? remember that it is a specific active exercise, you will gain some range of motion here of course but you need to show much more passive flexibility in order to improve. so it is normal. consider that if I can perform a perfect front split passively the I can perform only the 70% of this range of motion ACTIVELY.

Hi Alessandro,

In terms of the patella pain, it shouldn't be due to the surface - I'm doing the series on carpet and I'm using a yoga mat on top of that. I have had a knee injury previously, but that was about 6 years ago, and this stretch series is really the only thing that hurts it. That leads me to think that the pain is due to some muscular tightness, maybe in my adductors? I'm not sure

I'm not great at the butterfly: I feel like my feet are in fairly close to my groin, but my legs aren't flat on the ground and I struggle with 'pulling them down'. I also have really terrible mobility leaning forward and getting flat, as it feels like my back is really tight. 

For the supine flares, it's painful at the point at which the hip catches and clunks, and that's pretty much as soon as I come out of that 90 degree range, so I have almost no mobility in this exercise, and it's not improving as I continue in the series. It seems pretty pointless to just move my left leg straight up and down, because it's not enhancing my mid split at all. 

Cheers,

Ana

Is your left quad naturally tighter than your right?

If you try to reduce the speed on the flares the pain sensation changes? it is the work symmetrical?

the knee injury can be a problem if it is enough important on the joint range of motion. what type of injury did you have?

Nope, my right quad is normally tighter, and reduction of speed on the flares doesn't help at all. I don't think I can move much slower than I am and it sounds like my hip is about to fall off haha. It's highly unsymmetrical: my right range is quite good, my left is almost non-existent - but only in the flares. In everything else my left side is probably slightly better than my right. 

It was pretty minor: just some inflammation of the popliteal tendon and a cortisone injection (once in 2011, twice in 2014) from repetitive strain while training with the military. 

Your injury reflects your problem especially when you work on bent knee exercise. Another important factor it is that the cortisone tends to reduce the elasticity of the tissue involved, probably the pain you are feeling it is a deep stretch sensation over a scar/restricted tissue. maybe a myofascial manipulation can be useful here.