How to Prevent These 7 Common Yoga Injuries

Photo by Elina Fairytale

Have you ever injured yourself while exercising? There’s something especially frustrating about hurting yourself while you’re actively trying to strengthen your body and mind. Thankfully, there are many ways to protect yourself from exercise injury. 

Although yoga is a gentle form of exercise, it is possible to hurt yourself while practicing it. Being mindful is the first step to protecting yourself from injuries while exercising. Follow these tips to enjoy the benefits of yoga injury-free. 

Can You Get Hurt Practicing Yoga? 

There are many benefits to practicing yoga, including improved flexibility, strength and endurance. Yoga can even help you to recover from an injury — for example, certain yoga moves can help you find relief from back pain. 

However, like any other form of exercise, you can injure yourself from practicing yoga. Types of injuries include muscle sprains and even broken bones. In fact, around 5% of people who fall after slipping may fracture or break a bone. 

5 Tips to Prevent Yoga Injuries

Because everybody is different, it’s important to pay attention to your body throughout your workout. If you feel pain or extreme muscle weakness, take a break or modify the move. Here are five tips to help you practice yoga safely: 

• Warm up slowly. When you warm up, your muscles and mind activate. If you try a challenging move before warming up, you’re more likely to strain your muscles and hurt yourself. Time spent warming up is never wasted. 
• Be aware of past injuries. Do you have a weak shoulder or a bad knee? Whether you’re currently healing from an injury or hurt yourself many years ago, it’s important to be aware of those areas during your yoga flow. Don’t put additional strain on past injuries.
• Modify yoga poses. If a particular pose is challenging for you, consider modifying it and working your way up to the original pose. Yoga is a personal journey that helps you become stronger by challenging yourself within safe limits. 
• Work with a qualified teacher. Although many people teach yoga, not everyone understands proper form and safety. Find a qualified teacher, and you’ll be much less likely to injure yourself during yoga class. 
• Try a new kind of yoga. If you’re struggling with a certain type of yoga, why not explore another kind? Different kinds of yoga focus on different goals. You may find that another type is much easier on your body. 

There are several kinds of injuries that can occur when you’re practicing yoga. Keep reading for tips on preventing each type. By paying attention to your body, you can protect your muscles and bones while experiencing the many benefits of practicing yoga. 

1. Knee Injuries

Some yoga moves put pressure on your knees — consider Warrior poses, for example. Although these poses help to strengthen your core, legs and back, they can be hard on your knees. Twisting your knees can cause damage to your muscles and ligaments. 

To avoid injuring your knees, you should be careful anytime a move asks you to reposition your weight. Make sure you are balanced and your core is engaged before you move. Don’t push yourself if you’re already tired — let your muscles rest and try again later. 

2. Hamstring Strains

Moves with deep forward bends, like Downward Dog, can cause hamstring strains. Your hamstring is made of three muscles on the back of your thigh. When you bend forward to touch your toes, you can feel these muscles stretching and becoming tight. 

It’s possible to injure your hamstring if you don’t warm up properly or move too quickly. The best way to protect your hamstrings is to ease into and out of forward bends. Remember that a stretch should be gradual, not forced. 

3. Hip Injuries

Many yoga moves focus on opening up your hips, which can be wonderful for your health. However, overstretching your hips can strain your hip flexors. You should be mindful of your hips during Warrior and Pigeon poses. 

To protect your hips while doing yoga, ease into each stretch slowly. Know the difference between an activated muscle that’s stretching and pain that’s signaling something is wrong. Stretching should feel gradual and relaxed, not sharp or sudden. 

4. Lower Back Injuries

Yoga targets your core, which includes the muscles in your lower back. If you don’t do yoga moves properly, you can strain your back muscles. Some yoga moves that can exacerbate or cause back strain include forward bends and backbends. 

To protect your back, move very slowly after an injury. Always keep your core tight, activating your stomach muscles to help protect your back. If a move feels like it’s straining your back, stop doing it. You can use a modification or wait until your muscles recover before trying it again.

5. Shoulder Injuries

Yoga poses that push upward from the ground may aggravate shoulder injuries. For example, Downward Dog and Chaturanga both use your shoulders to support your body’s weight. Although you can use these moves to strengthen your shoulders, they can also cause injury if done incorrectly. 

Always ensure your shoulders are activated and pulled back away from your ears before completing these moves. If the muscles in your shoulders feel any sharp or sudden pain, stop until you discover what’s going on. 

6. Wrist Strain

If you do Planks, Crow pose or Upward Dog, your wrists might feel the pressure. If your wrists aren’t strong, it’s important to take these poses slowly. Be intentional about every movement and stop if your wrists begin to hurt. 

With time, your wrists should become stronger. However, yoga poses that put pressure on your wrists can cause strains or fractures if you have weak wrists, overuse your wrists or experience carpal tunnel syndrome. Pay attention to how your wrists feel and take every motion slowly. 

7. Neck Injuries

If you practice a form of yoga with headstands, you should pay extra attention to your neck. Putting too much strain on your neck can cause pain and lead to serious injury. Some yoga moves that can strain your neck include doing a Headstand or Plough pose. 

To protect your neck, always keep your shoulders relaxed back and down away from your head. Check in with yourself to make sure nothing hurts and that you have good range of motion in your neck after completing a pose. If your neck feel stiff or hurts, stop doing the move until you know what is going on.

Practice Yoga Safely

Yoga can help you build strength, improve your flexibility and straighten your posture. However, you can hurt yourself doing yoga if you’re not intentional about your movements. Notice your body’s signals during a yoga flow, and always take time to rest and recover afterward. 

By creating healthy workout habits, you can avoid potential exercise injuries. However, you should talk to your health provider before doing yoga if you have past injuries. If you injure yourself, always prioritize healing completely before returning to yoga practice.