Yoga is Relatively Safe, Researchers Say

Participating in yoga is relatively safe, but know your limits, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) who conducted the first large-scale examination of yoga-related injuries.

According to the study, participants aged 65 years and older have a greater rate of injury from practicing yoga when compared with other age groups. Image credit: Janeb13.

According to the study, participants aged 65 years and older have a greater rate of injury from practicing yoga when compared with other age groups. Image credit: Janeb13.

Yoga is an encompassing activity and can refer to an array of physical and mental activities, including stretching, physical postures, breath control, and meditation.

Yoga is touted for its overall health benefits and mental well-being. Participants indicate indirect health benefits through improved physical fitness and reduced stress as well as direct health benefits such as reduced back and neck pain, arthritis, and anxiety.

The practice of yoga has become increasingly commonplace in American society, with the number of participants nearly doubling from 5.1% to 9.5% of adults in the United States from 2007 to 2012.

While the health benefits have been studied, the frequency of injury among yoga participants has not been well documented.

“Yoga injuries are relatively rare, and as you might expect, the incidence tends to rise with the age of the participant,” said study’s first author Thomas Swain, a research assistant in the UAB Center for Injury Sciences.

To estimates U.S. yoga-associated injury incidence and characterizes injury type, Dr. Swain and his colleague, Prof. Gerald McGwin, studied data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) compiled from 2001 to 2014.

“We did find that the injury rate is increasing over time, which may be a reflection of the increase in popularity of yoga, leading to an increase in inexperienced participants who do not take the necessary precautions to avoid injury,” Swain said.

“Yoga is harder and more demanding than some people believe,” added Prof. McGwin, Director of the UAB Center for Injury Sciences.

The authors found the overall rate of yoga-related injuries climbed to 17 per 100,000 participants in 2014, up from 10 per 100,000 in 2001.

The injury rate for older participants was higher. Those 65 and older experienced an injury rate of 58 per 100,000.

Individuals ages 45-64 saw an injury rate of 18 per 100,000, while those between 18-44 years of age had an injury rate of 12 per 100,000.

Overall, the researchers found 29,590 yoga-related injuries during the study period. Nearly half were injuries to the trunk, and sprains or strains accounted for 45% of all injuries.

“The incidence of fracture was highest in the older population, some three times higher than in the younger population,” Swain noted.

“For all injuries, the actual risk might be higher than our numbers show, as we surveyed results only from those who sought medical attention in an emergency department.”

“As with any sport or physical activity, it is important to be sure you are physically capable of the undertaking,” the scientists added.

“Talk to your physician before taking up yoga, be cautious, and recognize your personal limitations, particularly if you are over 65,” Swain said.

“You need a realistic view of your own abilities, and you need to understand that some poses might be too challenging and inappropriate,” Prof. McGwin added.

“A qualified, certified yoga instructor can help you with that assessment and is essential to a safe experience.”

The team also suggests that national standards for yoga instructor certification should be created and that safety and injury prevention information should be aggressively taught to all yoga practitioners.

The findings were published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine.

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Thomas A. Swain Gerald McGwin. 2016. Yoga-Related Injuries in the United States From 2001 to 2014. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 4 (11); doi: 10.1177/2325967116671703

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