Recreational yoga causes musculoskeletal pain in 10% of people – comparable to the injury rate of all sports injuries combined among the physically active population – and exacerbates 21% of existing injuries, University of Sydney research shows.
The findings come from the first prospective study to investigate injuries caused from recreational participation in yoga.
Yoga is an increasingly popular complementary or alternative therapy for musculoskeletal disorders, with millions of people practicing worldwide.
"While yoga can be beneficial for musculoskeletal pain, like any form of exercise, it can also result in musculoskeletal pain," said lead researcher Associate Professor Evangelos Pappas from Sydney University's faculty of health sciences, who conducted the study with Professor Marc Campo from Mercy College New York.
"Our study found that the incidence of pain caused by yoga is more than 10% per year, which is comparable to the injury rate of all sports injuries combined among the physically active population. However people consider it to be a very safe activity. This injury rate is up to 10 times higher than has previously been reported.
"We also found that yoga can exacerbate existing pain, with 21% of existing injuries made worse by doing yoga, particularly pre-existing musculoskeletal pain in the upper limbs. "In terms of severity, more than one-third of cases of pain caused by yoga were serious enough to prevent yoga participation and lasted more than 3 months. "The study found that most "new" yoga pain was in the upper extremities (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand) possibly due to downward dog and similar postures that put weight on the upper limbs.
"It's not all bad news, however, as 74% of participants in the study reported that existing pain was improved by yoga, highlighting the complex relationship between musculoskeletal pain and yoga practice.
"These findings can be useful for clinicians and individuals to compare the risks of yoga to other exercise enabling them to make informed decisions about which types of activity are best.
"Pain caused by yoga might be prevented by careful performance and participants telling their yoga teachers of injuries they may have prior to participation, as well as informing their healthcare professionals about their yoga practice.
"We recommend that yoga teachers also discuss with their students the risks for injury if not practiced conscientiously, and the potential for yoga to exacerbate some injuries.
"Yoga participants are encouraged to discuss the risks of injury and any pre-existing pain, especially in the upper limbs, with yoga teachers and physiotherapists to explore posture modifications that may results in safer practice," Pappas said.
Abstract
Background: Yoga is a popular complementary therapy for musculoskeletal pain. There are few studies however, that have examined the risks of recreational participation for causing musculoskeletal pain.
Objectives: To examine the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and recreational yoga participation.
Methods: This was a prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up. Data were collected via electronic questionnaires, one year apart. Outcomes included incidence and impact of pain caused by yoga and prevalence of pain caused, exacerbated, unaffected, and improved by yoga. Predictors included age, experience, hours of participation, and intensity of participation.
Results: The final sample included 354 participants from two suburban yoga studios. The incidence rate of pain caused by yoga was 10.7%. More than one-third of incident cases resulted in lost yoga participation time and/or symptoms lasting more than 3 months. None of the risk factors at baseline increased the risk for subsequent incident cases of pain caused by yoga.
Conclusions: Yoga can cause musculoskeletal pain. Participants may benefit from disclosure of practice to their healthcare professionals and by informing teachers of injuries they may have prior to participation. Yoga teachers should also discuss the risks for injury with their students.
Authors
Marc Campo, Mariya P Shiyko, Mary Beth Kean, Lynne Roberts, Evangelos Pappas
[link url="http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/06/30/the-yoga-paradox–how-yoga-can-cause-pain-and-treat-it.html"]University of Sydney material[/link]
[link url="http://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(17)30122-5/fulltext"]Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies abstract[/link]