Omm ... Ouch!

 

Many people believe yoga is a source only of healing and never harm. Glenn Black, a yoga teacher for 40 years, has a cautionary tale: “In India, a yogi came to study at Iyengar’s school and threw himself into a spinal twist. I watched in disbelief as three of the man’s ribs gave way – pop, pop, pop.” He goes on to say, “Never do headstand, shoulder stand, or plow.”

Black should know, he had spinal fusion and has screws in his lower lumbar spine to stabilize herniated discs and spondylolisthesis. How did his injuries come about? Black explains, “Yoga. Extreme back bends, and twisting coming up from my hands on my ankles. I overstretched my ligaments and destabilized my spine.”

You may want to think twice about these “impressive” yoga poses … and some of their associated injuries!

Thoracic outlet syndrome – compression of nerves passing from the neck into the arms

Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine

Retinal tears – increased eye pressure causes the delicate retinal tissue to pull away from the back lining of the eye.

Cobra Pose

Cerebral damage – hyper-flexion of the neck wounds the vertebral arteries, producing clots, swelling and constriction

Wheel Pose

Horner’s syndrome – disruption of a nerve pathway from the brain to the head and neck which causes constricted pupil, drooping of the upper eyelid, absence of sweating of the face, and sinking of the eyeball into the bony cavity that protects the eye.

Hero Pose

“Yoga foot drop” – nerves are deprived of oxygen below the knee causing difficulties walking and climbing stairs, foot drags while walking

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

Strains, sprains, and dislocations – overstretching that causes muscle damage and torn cartilage. 

 

Injuries happen to yoga teachers, too. Some teachers have practiced downward-facing dog so strenuously that they have torn their Achilles tendon. Many yoga teachers have had to have hip replacement surgery and “bad backs” are also common.

Yikes! Black goes on to say, “The vast majority of people should give up ‘yoga’ altogether. It’s simply too likely to cause harm.”

Don’t give up, yet! In yoga, like running, the vast majority of injuries are caused by “overdoing” it. Many people simply rush through a series of postures just to say they’ve done them – similar to runners adding “junk” miles just to add X number of miles to their training logs. Also, many people push themselves past stabbing pain in a yoga pose because they don’t want to be seen as weak, or inflexible - similar to runners tying to run through pain so they won’t seen as a “wimp.” Many people become frustrated with their bodies for “not keeping up” with their expectations so they overdo it to the point of injury.

Most people have underlying physical weaknesses or problems that make injury all but inevitable. Instead of practicing yoga poses for a specific range of motion that makes sense for their body, they attempt to force their bodies to do what the teacher’s or classmates’ bodies are doing.

You need to be aware of YOUR body and not push past your God-given limitations!

Black explains, “Most people have a limited view of yoga and approach it as a physical discipline, … Awareness and consciousness are no longer emphasized, and yoga somehow became relegated to physical exercise. It is a myth that it's safe to do asana without awareness and consciousness.”

Five Ways to Avoid Yoga Injuries ...

1. Be willing to get in touch with your body and accept its limits.

2. Move with care, listen to your pain signals. Sharp, stabbing pain? Stop! Be willing to adapt poses, use props or skip poses.

3. Be in the present moment; focus on what you can do now, not what you used to do, or what you think you should be doing a month from now. Your practice will change over the years – that’s normal, that’s natural.

4. Have goals, but be realistic and honor your body. Don’t expect to do too much too soon when learning a new pose. Pushing your body to new extremes will undoubtedly cause injury.

5. Balance yoga with the rest of your lifestyle. If you are already performing high-intensity activities such as running, swimming, cycling, etc., choose a gentle or restorative practice to avoid injuries. If you are basically sedentary, begin with chair, restorative or gentle practices and then, over time, move into a more active hatha or vinyasa practice.

References:

Broad, W. J. (2013). The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards. Simon & Schuster.

Burkhardt, Laura. 10 Ways to Get Real About Your Body’s Limitations & Avoid Yoga Injuries. Yoga Journal. January 10, 2018

Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D, Wardle J, Dobos G, Lauche R. Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jul 29;19(1):190. doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7. PMID: 31357980; PMCID: PMC6664709.

Fromberg, Eden. Glenn Black Responds to New York Times Article on Yoga. Huffpost. January 12, 2012.

McCrary, Meagan. Inside My Injury: A Yoga Teacher’s Journey from Pain to Depression to Healing. Yoga Journal. May 7, 2018.

Sfeir JG, Drake MT, Sonawane VJ, Sinaki M. Vertebral compression fractures associated with yoga: a case series. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2018;54:947-51. DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.18.05034-7

Swain TA, McGwin G. Yoga-Related Injuries in the United States From 2001 to 2014. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. November 2016. doi:10.1177/2325967116671703