Yoga can help eliminate pain by boosting balance, strength, and flexibility, but for some individuals, certain yoga poses may induce undesirable tissue damage, causing more harm than benefit.1,2
Yoga injuries are usually mild and transient, and include ligament sprains and muscle strains.3,4 The knee is the most commonly injured body part in yoga (with over 40% of reported injuries), followed by the foot and thigh (with 26% and 19% of reported injuries, respectively).4
Rarely, more serious problems such as nerve injury, bone fractures, joint dislocations, head injuries, or concussions may occur. Repetitive strain to or overstretching of a body part is a frequent contributor to yoga-related injuries.2,4 Yoga injuries are typically more common in women and those with pre-existing conditions.4,5
Knee pain from the warrior 2 pose
In a warrior 2 pose, the back limb experiences a higher degree of torque and stress. This increased stress may cause soft tissue damage along the inner side of the knee due to excessive pulling of the patella (kneecap). Injury may also occur beneath the surface of this crucial bone, which can lead to degenerative changes over time.5
Beginners who overstretch during a pose or hold a pose for too long, or those with pre-existing knee disorders, may experience knee pain after yoga.
Hip pain from lunge, triangle, and pigeon poses
For some people, the deeper stances in the lunge postures of warrior 1 and warrior 2 may subject the hip joint to higher mechanical loading. This load can cause greater fatigue in the muscles that surround the hip joint (periarticular muscles). The increased muscle fatigue reduces the natural protective mechanism of the body to shield the joint from sudden trauma, resulting in pain.5 These risks may also occur with the crescent lunge, triangle, and pigeon poses.
The rotation of the hip during a triangle pose may result in higher loading and elicit pain in some people.
Individuals with hip pain, hip impingement, and/or osteoarthritis of the hip should consult a trained yoga instructor and use caution while performing these poses
Ankle pain from tree and warrior 3 poses
Mechanical loading of the ankle joint is high in single-leg yoga poses, such as the tree pose and warrior 3 poses. For this reason, it is recommended that anyone with a prior history of ankle injury or degeneration of cartilage in the ankle joint should be cautious when performing these poses to prevent further injury and pain.
Single-leg yoga poses, such as the tree pose, may cause ankle pain due to higher mechanical loading of the ankle joint.
Ankle pain may be experienced by beginners who overstretch the ankle and foot during a pose or hold a pose for too long, or those with pre-existing ankle and foot disorders.