Continuing with articles related to the most asked questions from our patients, the topic of yoga comes up a lot. There is no doubt that research has shown that yoga has numerous benefits but can yoga cause any harm? From a more practical level, especially with injuries, we must approach yoga with optimistic caution.
I think of yoga similar to martial arts; there are different levels of understanding and movements. If you are a white belt (meaning you’re just starting), there is no point joining a class for black belts (most advanced moves), it’s a recipe for injury. Unfortunately, as a result, people think yoga is the problem when their back pain flares up after a yoga class, when in fact it was just their approach to it.
Therefore, we recommend that people start out having a few one to one sessions or joining a small yoga group – you can get good feedback and instruction to get the basics mastered quickly, most importantly without injury.
There is also the consideration of existing injuries. For example, if someone has a disc injury, bending forward with a rounded lower back repeatedly while this disc is healing might not be the best idea.
Benefit
- Helps improve your strength and endurance.
- Improves balance and stability.
- Helps to improve overall posture and body alignment.
- Promotes muscle relaxation and flexibility throughout the body.
- Reduces stress and improves mood.
Risks
- A study found that 21% of Yoga practitioners (people teaching yoga) suffered from injuries directly attributed to Yoga. It’s worth noting that out of all these injuries, only 1.9% were serious, most were minor. This also might be due to yoga practitioners having to take several classes which could lead to over-stretching-related injuries.
- People suffering from knee issues should be more careful as that same study found that people had a higher risk of knee injury (more specifically meniscal injury).
- A large proportion of poses require bending (flexion) of the spine, this could be problematic for people with disc problems.
There may be other situations where yoga might not be advisable but to keep this short we will leave it there. Needless to say, that’s why it’s always a good idea to speak to an Osteopath or Physio to see if yoga is a good fit for you.
Yoga can be both good and bad for musculoskeletal problems. The important thing is that you need to understand your specific condition/problem and then ask yourself if the yoga is helping it or making it worse.
January 19, 2021. Andrew Horide, Osteopath