THE HIDDEN RISKS OF YOGA
Excess effort and poor technique may do more harm than good
It took a few hours for the pain to set in, but when it did, Geneviève Proulx, a Montrealer who has been doing yoga for decades, knew it would be awhile before she’d be taking another yoga class.
A hands-on adjustment by her instructor while Proulx was in the middle of a pose resulted in a two-week layoff from yoga and several days of discomfort.
Turns out Proulx’s experience is far from unique. According to a study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, yoga doesn’t always live up to its reputation of helping bodies in need of a little TLC.
While there are a number of studies documenting the power of yoga to diminish back, neck and joint pain and no shortage of yogis boasting improved posture, strength, flexibility and balance, there’s another side of yoga that has the potential to do more harm than good.
Keep in mind that most of the scientific evidence related to yoga’s restorative powers are from studies performed in controlled conditions with small groups of people following a well-defined practice.
But that’s nowhere near the real world conditions of millions of Canadians who put their trust in the staff at local yoga studios with little knowledge of the training or experience of the instructor leading the class.
It doesn’t help that, with so many different yoga practices and instructor certification programs, it’s difficult to judge an instructor’s level of competence.
Eager to find out more about the types of injuries sustained in yoga classes, the authors of the study — who hail from Boston, New York and Sydney, Australia — reviewed the published literature on the topic.
They were surprised to find reported yoga-related injuries ranging from 2.4 per cent annually to a lifetime injury rate of 21.3 per cent, which suggested there is room for further investigation.
They sent out a questionnaire to several thousand participants asking for volunteers to report their yoga habits and any related pain.
A followup questionnaire was mailed out a year later, with the final sample numbering 354 recreational yoga practitioners.
The respondents were overwhelmingly female, an average age of 45.7, had close to 10 years of yoga experience and practised three hours per week on average.
The majority (86.7 per cent) reported pain in at least one body part with many (65.8 per cent) saying yoga improved their discomfort.
However, 10.7 per cent claimed yoga was the cause of their pain, with one-third saying the pain kept them from doing yoga for more than three months.
Over half of those injured indicated it happened during a class. Another 21 per cent stated that yoga made their existing pain worse.
Back and neck pain were most likely to be relieved by yoga, while the wrists and hands were the most common sites of injury, according to the study.
As for the poses most likely to cause injury, there were no red flags on any specific movements to avoid.
“Poses associated with pain first noticed during class appeared to be typical of standard yoga participation,” noted the authors.
The authors referenced other studies suggesting headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position, half lotus position, forward bends, backward bends and handstands have been previously noted to increase the risk of injury.
According to a survey of yoga teachers, excess effort, poor technique and inadequate instruction were additional causes of injury — a sentiment many yoga enthusiasts themselves agreed with, admitting that “ego-driven” performance was often at the root of their injuries.
“Participants may overexert themselves, take a class that is too advanced or try to attain a position they are not prepared for,” the study’s authors stated.
Perhaps it’s the inherent belief that yoga is good for the body that makes people feel they can safely push their limits. But, like any other form of physical activity, asking the body to do more than it’s capable of can result in discomfort, pain and injury.
Injury rates in yoga are comparable to those in other forms of exercise.
Proulx’s injury occurred during a twisting pose, which can be challenging when taken to extreme limits. Even though yoga is a slow-moving, deliberate practice, the joints and muscles can still be under considerable stress, especially if technique and proper alignment are lacking.
“The risks for traumatic, acute injuries may be small, but participants should participate conscientiously to improve or avoid musculo-skeletal pain,” said the authors. “Those with existing pain should be even more careful. Indeed, 20.9 per cent of participants in the current sample reported existing pain that was exacerbated by yoga participation.”
So, while yoga remains a good option to ease some of the aches and pains that set in over time, it’s not a cure-all. Nor is it without risk. So leave your ego at the door and listen to your body.