HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Dec. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — More and more Americans have been taking up yoga in recent years — and their rate of yoga-related injuries has also climbed, a new study finds.
Between 2001 and 2014, almost 30,000 Americans visited the emergency department for yoga-related sprains, fractures or other injuries, according to the report.
It’s a small number compared to how many people practice yoga, researchers said, and the odds of a serious injury are low.
However, the study found that the rate of ER-treated injuries increased over time: from about 9.5 for every 100,000 yoga participants in 2001, to 17 per 100,000 in 2014.
Plus, the figures reflect only injuries serious enough to warrant a trip to the emergency department. There’s no way to count all yoga-related injuries, which would more often be managed in doctors‘ offices or left untreated, according to Thomas Swain, one of the study authors.
Still, no one is trying to scare people off their yoga mats.
“Overall, yoga appears relatively safe,” said Swain, a research assistant with the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Beyond that, there are potential gains, he pointed out. Studies have tied yoga to health benefits ranging from lower blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate, to improvements in depression, anxiety and sleep problems.
Swain’s colleague on the study, Gerald McGwin, is himself a yoga practitioner.
McGwin, who directs UAB’s Center for Injury Sciences, said he started yoga on the advice of a doctor, to help with a running injury.
What he discovered was that his “hot” yoga class was vigorous and challenging.
And that, according to McGwin, illustrates one point for people who are looking for an appropriate yoga class: There are different styles of yoga, and it’s important to know whether you’re walking into an intense class packed with advanced poses, or a slower-paced, gentler class.
Going in with the appropriate mindset is also key, McGwin said.
As yoga becomes more mainstream, some people may approach it with the same “competitive” attitude they have in sports or other types of exercise.
Share this Post