A study revealed specific yoga poses had led to 29 types of bone injuries, including disc degeneration, vertebrae slippage and compression fractures
Your ageing editor has tried his hand at yoga. It was a voyage of discovery which uncovered a spine so inflexible a glass rod would favourably resemble an elastic band by comparison. So while the health benefits of this ancient art are undoubted, not all of it is for everyone, research from the Mayo Clinic in Maryland reveals.
In particular, folks with osteoporosis or ostopenia should avoid or modify their practise of certain yoga poses, such as “downward-facing dog”, “bridge pose” and the “supported headstand”, the study found.
A research team analysed the health records of 89 individuals who had sought treatment at the Mayo Clinic due to pain they thought might have been caused by yoga. What they discovered was that among the participants, specific yoga poses had led to 29 types of bone injuries, including disc degeneration, vertebrae slippage and compression fractures.
Most of the yoga positions which caused pain, or worsened existing pain, involved flexing or extending the spine which exacerbated pressure on discs and vertebrae, the authors said.
