Could Yoga Exacerbate Musculoskeletal Pain?

Although often considered an effective pain relief option, yoga itself is also associated with potential musculoskeletal pain, according to the results of a recent study.

The researchers conducted a prospective cohort study with 1 year of follow-up. The 354 participants, all of whom attended 1 of 2 suburban yoga studios, filled out electronic questionnaires gathering information on musculoskeletal pain, where the pain occurred, and the severity of the pain.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Overall, 10.7% of the participants reported experiencing musculoskeletal pain associated with their yoga practice, with more than a third of cases resulting in pain that lasted more than 3 months or loss of yoga participation.

Upper extremities pain, including shoulder, elbow, and hand pain, were the most common, and about 21% of individuals with pre-existing musculoskeletal injuries reported exacerbation of these injuries with yoga participation. However, roughly 74% of participants with preexisting pain reported improvement with yoga participation.

“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,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Campo M, Shiyko MP, Kean MB, et al. Musculoskeletal pain associated with recreational yoga participation: A prospective cohort study with 1-year follow-up [published online June 2, 2017]. J Bodyw Mov Ther. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.05.022.