I have lumps in both feet that I have had diagnosed some years ago as ledderhoses disease and have been advised to leave things as they are for as long as possible. I have been doing bikram yoga on a fairly regular basis for the past 12 months and have noticed that the lumps have increases in size quite dramatically. I was not sure if this was just a coincidence but many of the postures are done on tip toes and I felt this could be aggravating my problem. I was very interested and dismayed to read that you had been advised not to do yoga.

I do yoga stretches and poses where my feet remain flat on the floor only. I do not take lessons now, did years ago.

I do take T'ai Ji lessons. I would recommend this excercise and Ji Gong (warm ups prior to it) the positions are far less stressful for the feet. I wear my NB walking shoes with my orthotics that have special places sunken for my nodules to sink into so there is not that much pressure on them. And as most of you may have read I could not probably walk without my cream treatment with all the bad weather we get around here.

So stretching and posing but no tip toes, that does pull the ligaments/tendons and put undo stress on the fibromos.

I do the warriors pose and the side pose with hand extended before I go for a walk, then stop in the grass and do my T'ai Ji in good weather every day outside, bad weather, inside. Also arm stretches hands touching on diagonal behind back I can still do.

For me yoga has too many things like having to get off the floor using hands which I cannot do and leaning against the wall using finger tips, again can not do. All the things using fingers and flexed feet in yoga are out for me having both LD and DD.
But I have taken what I can from the form and use it daily.

You could just try skipping the exercises where they rise up on their toes or point the toes in any form and hold, and do the others, I don't see why you couldn't, the rest is not much different than walking on your feet. There is a lot of sitting and lying down in yoga you will just have to take each exercise as it comes and wear your walking shoes this will prevent you from pointing your toes.

Then again if your Dr say no......maybe tell him you will wear your orthodtics and walking shoes and skip the toe pointing and he may change his mind. :)

Loonsong

Edited 01/05/11 08:04