Caution Yoga aficionado, Yoga can do more harm than good if practiced while having an existing injury. Researchers have warned that Yoga when done during an injury can aggravate the pain and even worsen it further. Usually, Yoga is used to reduce aches and pains, but doing it while having an injury can aggravate the problem even more. A recent study has concluded that Yoga causes musculoskeletal pain in 10 per cent people and furthered any existing injury by 21 per cent, usually the pre-existing musculoskeletal pain in upper limbs.
The study has suggested that in terms of severity, more than 1/3rd of cases of pain caused by Yoga were serious enough to dodge yoga for three months. Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia concluded that Yoga practitioners should be persuaded to discuss the risk of injury and pre-existing pain, especially in upper limbs, with Yoga teachers and their physiotherapist to know the Yoga asanas that can be done during an injury.
It can aggravate musculoskeletal pain in existing injuries
Lead researcher Evangelos Pappas said that while yoga can be beneficial for musculoskeletal pain, like any form of exercise, it can also result in musculoskeletal pain. 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.
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However, as 74 per cent 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 exercises enabling them to make informed decisions about which types of activities are best.
Pappas stated that the pain caused by yoga might be prevented by careful performance and the participants should tell their yoga teachers of injuries they have prior to the participation.The study is published in the journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
(With ANI Inputs)
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