A STRONG, flexible body, a calm mind, and increased concentration are what you ill reap when you practice yoga. However, yoga, when done improperly, can give you pulled muscles and aching joints.
Yoga-related injuries occur because students are not strong of flexible enough, are not doing the poses correctly,, have an exiting physical condition that is made worse, or have pushed themselves far beyond their capabilities.
Common injured points include the neck, shoulders, wrists, lower back and knees. Pulled muscles usually occur in the hamstrings and lower back.
Injuries can either be acute or chronic. Acute injuries happen right then and there, like know “snapping” while doing the lotus pose. Chronic injuries happen over time and are the result of repetitious microscopic trauma due to poor technique.
Here are some general tips to prevent yoga injuries.
Neck
The plow, shoulder stand and head stand are the most risky poses for the neck. Beginners should not do these poses, and even intermediate students should only do them under the careful supervision of an experienced instructor.
The plow and shoulder stand force the natural curve in the neck to flatten, and can irritate the spinal nerves or push a disk out of alignment Roger Cole, yoga research scientists and instructor, recommends putting a folded blanket under the shoulders to relieve pressure on the neck.
The headstand is actually safer, but only if you use arms and shoulders to carry most of the weight of the body. But if the head and neck carry most of your weight, the disks and vertebrae and compressed.
Shoulders
People who cannot straighten their arms over their head are at risk of shoulder injuries because they have “round” shoulders that are rotated inward. This misalignment can cause pinched nerves or irritated tendons. If you have “rounded shoulder syndrome,” concentrate on stretching your chest and upper back muscles.
Wrists
To reduce injuries to the wrists, spread your fingers in poses like downward dog or prank. Root the balls of your fingers into the floor, especially the ball of the index finger and the pad of the thumb. This activates the arches of the hands, improving stability and buoyancy in the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
Lower Back
Incorrectly performed forward bends, backward bends and twists can hurt the lower back. Elongate the spine before bending to maximize disk space between the vertebrae. Bend forward by tilting the pelvis bones at the hip joints, not by pushing or pulling on the spine. Bend backwards by lifting the chest and pushing the hips forward to prevent overworking the lower back.
When twisting, do not use your arms to bind you into the pose until your core muscles have done the actual twisting first. During upward facing dog and cobra, initiate the movement with your upper back muscles before pushing against the floor with your hands.
Knees
If you don't have flexible hip joints, you can change the knee joint when you try to maneuver your feet and ankles into the lotus.
Specifically, you can tear the medial meniscus (cartilage on the inside part of the knee) and overstretch the lateral collateral ligaments (connective tissue at the outside part of the knee). Don't do the lotus if you have a prior history of knee or ankle injuries.
