Interestingly, I received an article from the American Council on Exercise recently with the heading Common
Yoga Injuries and How to Avoid Them. For many years I have had concerns about some of the exercises
that are performed during yoga routines. Many of the movements are not natural and as a result force
people into bad positions. This can lead to overstretching of certain areas and injury. It is a combination of
the aforementioned and the long duration of each yoga movement that is contributing to these negative
physical issues. In my opinion, Yoga should be completely avoided by people that have osteoporosis. This form of exercise
involves a lot of twisting of the body and trunk flexion. These movements will significantly increase the risk
of fractures to those that have osteoporosis.

Dr. Jefferey Halbrecht, board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in arthroscopic surgery and sports
medicine and former medical director for the Women’s World Pro Ski Tour seems to agree. Dr. Halbrecht is
calling on the fitness industry to take action to combat the mounting number of yoga-related injuries being
observed across the country.

Many yoga-related injuries are chronic, the result of microscopic trauma happening over time due to
ongoing repetition of poor technique (Gerard 2007). Generally, I am not a big fan of yoga and, when asked
by my clients about this form of exercise, I usually try to dissuade them. I find that the basic stretching
routine that I have designed is safe and effective. It has never resulted in injury to my clients. I do not
recommend that you include yoga in your osteoporosis fitness program. This form of exercise tends to
overstretch muscles leading to over-elongated muscles. Make sure that you incorporate proper stretching
techniques into your osteoporosis flexibility training program and avoid stretches that increase the risk of
fractures.

The following are the most common injuries resulting from yoga classes: shoulder girdle/rotator cuff,
hamstring tears, lower-back strains, damaged knee joints and wrists, soft tissue inflammation of the pelvis
and gluteus muscles (Gerard 2007).

References: Gerard J. ACE Fitness Matters; article Common Yoga Injuries and How to Avoid Them, 2007