Yoga teachers are needing hip replacements in their FORTIES because they force their joints into unnatural positions, physiotherapist warns
- Physiotherapist Benoy Matthews said he sees yoga teachers in their early 40s
- Some are unable to walk more than 30 feet and others need joint replacements
- He said people are built differently and shouldn’t force their joints too far
Yoga teachers are permanently damaging their hips by pushing them into unnatural positions over and over again, a leading physiotherapist has warned.
Benoy Matthews, a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, said he regularly sees instructors in their 40s who have serious problems.
He said that although yoga is known to be good for the joints, people repeatedly forcing themselves into set positions is having disastrous effects.
Some come in unable to walk further than 30 feet, while others need full hip replacements to try and repair the damage.
British physiotherapist Benoy Matthews said instructors are struggling to tell the difference between joint stiffness and damage and are pushing their joints too far (stock image)
‘We all know about the health benefits of yoga – I practise it myself,’ he told the BBC. ‘But, like anything, it can cause injury. We can’t put it on a pedestal.
‘What’s achievable for one might not be achievable for others. People tend to do the same set positions, rather than what’s achievable for them.
‘Ego might mean them trying to take a position “all the way” to the end when they should just stop where it’s comfortable.
‘Just because the person next to you can reach all the way doesn’t mean it’s necessary, or desirable, to do the same.’
Researchers in Australia say yoga injuries among young women are on the rise because of ambitious poses being promoted by influencers on social media.
A Queensland-based study last year looked at 66 cases of yoga injuries and found 10 per cent of them were serious enough to require hospital admission.
Most of them occurred in women aged between 20 and 39.
Betul Sekendiz, a lecturer at Central Queensland University, said an increase in injuries far outstrips the number of people doing yoga, which has only risen by 5.5 per cent in the same timeframe.
Instead she believes it has something to do with the amount of influencers performing yoga on their social platforms and people wanting to copy them.
The majority of poses seen on Instagram, for example, are unassisted headstands which shouldn’t be attempted until the participant is well stretched.
The CEO of Yoga Australia, Shyamala Benakovic, said that people wouldn’t get the same benefits from yoga if they were pushing their body beyond its capabilities.
‘The whole premise of yoga is to be able to understand your body and mind and work with that to bring awareness to the limits your body can take and then work from there,’ Ms Benakovic told ABC.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK alone do yoga, and the NHS says it’s a safe and effective way for many people to become physically active.
It improves flexibility, strength and balance and can be beneficial for people with high blood pressure, heart disease or stress, according to the health service.
But it involves some ambitious positions which could be damaging to people’s joints if they’re rushed into or done too often.
Mr Matthews said people’s bodies form differently so certain positions may be easier for some than others.
He has specialised in hip and knee joints for the last eight years and has been a physio for more than two decades.
He says he now treats four to five yoga teachers each month, with most of them in their early 40s.
And the main source of their problems is being unable to tell the difference between stiffness and pain caused by injury.
‘People confuse stiffness and pain,’ Mr Matthews added. ‘If there is a pinching or blocking feeling in the groin, it shouldn’t be ignored. You have to know your limits.’
A professional adviser at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Pip White, added: ‘Yoga is a fantastic activity for people to do, with lots of benefits for your health and general wellbeing.
‘However, as with any form of exercise, it’s important to do it safely and in this case, also understanding your own limits, as we are all built differently.
‘Yoga is not about being in competition with anyone else. If you stay aware of your abilities and practise within your own limits, you will gain all the great benefits this practice has to offer.’
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