I recently chatted with a physical therapist friend who told me something I had thought myself: that yoga-related back and neck injuries were keeping us in business.
This may seem counterintuitive to why people do yoga in the first place, namely to improve range of motion, strength, and flexibility -- all things we are told will decrease the likelihood of injury.
As with any fitness activity, yoga can involve certain risks, and can lead to injury. Here's why.
During yoga, you frequently put parts of your spine into greater degrees of flexion and extension than at any other time in your life. As with any new activity, you may not adequately prepare your body, and your enthusiasm may lead you to ignore warning signs that trouble is brewing.
Tips For Avoiding Yoga-Related Injury
Hydrate. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after yoga. Even slight dehydration will increase the likelihood of straining or even tearing a muscle.
Warm up. Before a class, take a brisk 10-15 minute walk. This will warm up your muscle groups and prepare them for the challenge ahead. This helps even before a ‘hot yoga’ class.
Build gradually. Don't go from zero to 5 classes a week. If you are new to yoga, work up to doing multiple classes, even if your enthusiasm may push you to do otherwise. An NFL team I worked with brought in a well-known yoga instructor to help with flexibility, and I cannot tell you how many low back sprains, neck strains, and groin pulls I wound up treating as a result of them pushing too much, too fast.
Listen to your body. If a new posture is painful, back off it. If you feel your discomfort is simply due to it being ‘new,' go gently. If pain continues, be sure you are approaching the posture with correct body mechanics (your instructor should be able to guide you.) If the pain persists, it may signal that something is wrong. See your doctor.
For more on this topic, check out a recent blog post on my other blog, Backwords.
Namaste.
Andrew Kirschner, D.O., is a board-certified physician with a private practice in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and a consultancy in Miami, Florida. He specializes in treating individuals and couples with musculoskeletal and back pain. To learn more about his practice, please visit BackTogether.org.
From: Clara P | 7/23/10 at 1:38 pm
Yes! Many people push themselves too quickly in yoga and end up with injuries, then sometimes erroneously believe that the injury was caused by yoga. A good teacher should know how to guide the student, but sometimes the student makes up his/her own mind. It's difficult in the West b/c the traditional guru/student relationship differs from yoga in a studio today - the student is really the customer and sometimes feels he/she can make the decisions as the customer, rather than listen to the teacher. At the same time, there are many teachers that have not studied for that long, and taken a quick course to become certified. The best advice is to seek out a teacher (and stick with one) qualified in the type of yoga you prefer, and ask about their history in study/teaching.
From: rsp2538 | 7/24/10 at 5:12 am
great! thanks for sharing!
From: Barabara | 7/27/10 at 6:17 am
Cases of Yoga injury are on a rise. We are devoting this week to help answer questions on Yoga injuries. If you or a friend is suffering from yoga related injury or want to know ways of avoiding, post your questions here. We would be more than happy to answer them.
http://www.facebook.com/yogaforbeginners