Musculoskeletal Injuries in Yoga

Abstract

While yoga has been widely studied for its benefits to many health conditions, little research has been performed on the nature of musculoskeletal injuries occurring during yoga practice. Yoga is considered to be generally safe, however, injury can occur in nearly any part of the body-especially the neck, shoulders, lumbar spine, hamstrings, and knees. As broad interest in yoga grows, so will the number of patients presenting with yoga-related injuries. In this literature review, the prevalence, types of injuries, forms of yoga related with injury, specific poses (asanas) associated with injury, and preventive measures are discussed in order to familiarize practitioners with yoga-related injuries.