Stretching too far?

Tips for new yogis to avoid injuries.

Yoga is known for its many mind-body benefits: It releases tension, prevents injury, creates more flexibility, adds strength and balance, and calms the mind. So, it's hardly surprising that yoga practice among American adults increased 50 percent between 2012 and 2017, according to a report released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, yoga was the most commonly used non-mainstream health approach among U.S. adults, with 9.5 percent of adults practicing in 2012 and 14.3 percent practicing in 2017. What these new yogis may not be aware of is that, despite its reputation as a gentle, low-impact practice, yoga carries risks. The practice can exacerbate carpal tunnel syndrome, add instability to joints, and contribute to strains, sprains and tendinitis. A study published in 2016 in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine reported that there were close to 30,000 yoga-related injuries seen in emergency rooms from 2001 to 2014, and that injuries per 100,000 participants grew from a rate of 9.6 percent to 17 percent. Most injuries were to the upper body and constituted strains and sprains. The greatest injury increase was in people age 65 and older. When it comes to overuse, yoga usually doesn't cause the injury but can exacerbate it, says Bobby Chhabra, an orthopedic surgeon with the University of Virginia Health System. For example, wrists that spend the day in an extended position at a keyboard and then are forced to extend even further in some yoga positions can be particularly vulnerable to tendinitis and carpal tunnel. People with arthritis also need to be extra cautious when it comes to yoga, because arthritic joints "can really flare up during yoga and result in a week to 10 days of pain," he says. And another group that should be extra cautious are yogis with hyper-mobililty, which means their joints are very flexible. "You don't want to have mobility without stability," says Chris Estafanous, a physical therapist in the District. "That increases your risk for injury." This particular group needs to work on the strength part of yoga, not the deep stretching, he says. This doesn't mean yoga is out for these groups. It does mean you should be careful about choosing a class and teacher.