Do you have wrist pain while doing yoga? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one experiencing this. In fact, wrist pain during yoga is the most talked about problem in the yogi community.
The wrist is one of the weakest parts of the body and is very prone to injury. When practicing yoga, you will be very susceptible to wrist pain because in yoga there are many poses that put pressure on the hands and wrists. This is very common if you practice strong forms of yoga like vinyasa or ashtanga.
Although yoga poses put a lot of pressure on your wrists, this is your chance to strengthen your wrists. If you’re new to exercise, this soreness is sometimes temporary and should improve over time.
Certain yoga poses that are not performed properly can also lead to injury and chronic wrist pain. When the wrist is injured, it can put stress on all soft tissues, especially tendons. This condition is most common when you practice plank and hand-balancing poses like banana plant or crow pose.
With movements where the wrist bears the full weight of the body, you need to give your body a certain amount of time to adjust to the wrist and balance between strength and flexibility. Before doing this, you can apply the following tips to limit wrist pain when practicing yoga:
Wrist pain Usually occurs when practicing hand balance poses like crow pose
1. Warm up gently before putting all your weight on your wrists
It sounds simple, but in reality, a lot of people ignore this advice. Warming up is extremely important, the older you or already have wrist problems, the more you need to warm up.
Warm-up exercises not only help lubricate joints, but they also help relax adjacent muscles, improve local blood flow, and prepare the body for physical stress. Classic sun salutations are a great way to warm up your body and wrists before performing poses that require strength in these two areas.
2. Strengthen and stretch the muscles around the wrist
A strong wrist is a supple, flexible right wrist. When the muscles around the wrist joint are balanced, you greatly reduce your risk of sprains, strains, or fractures. Slow and controlled hand balances like the simple crow are a great way to build strength and flexibility in the wrists.
3. Evenly distribute body weight
Avoid putting too much pressure on the palm or fingers. Instead, distribute the force evenly across the entire hand, from the palm, fingers to the knuckles.
4. Spread your fingers wide and place them firmly on the floor
When performing hand-balancing poses, spread your fingers wide and imagine yourself “grabbing the floor lightly (though without flexing your fingers). The hands need time to adjust to weight changes when performing balance movements. Spreading your fingers apart and placing them firmly on the floor is essential to building sensitivity and protecting the wrist.
Spreading your fingers wide and placing them firmly on the floor is a way to prevent wrist pain during yoga
5. Strengthens abs
If your abs are weak, you’ll tend to shift your weight forward and inadvertently put a lot of pressure on your wrists. Strengthening the abs will cause other major muscle groups to work and coordinate better in planks and hand balances. From there, you will avoid the risk of wrist pain.
6. Listen to your body and slow down
One of the most important causes of wrist injury and strain is overtraining. Most wrist injuries in yoga classes happen because students want to do all the poses and exercises perfectly right the first time. However, you should listen to your body and remember that wrists take time to adapt to new challenges.
7. Strengthens in the shoulders and chest
When the shoulder joint’s mobility is limited due to tightness in the surrounding tissues, it affects the way we place our hands on the floor and affects the wrists. To avoid this situation, you should do exercises to make your shoulders and chest more flexible such as cow face pose, camel pose and fish pose.
Strengthens shoulders and chest to prevent wrist pain during yoga
8. Shoulder and chest stretch
The lack of flexibility in the shoulders and chest puts a lot of pressure on the lower joints. When practicing hand balance movements and powerful poses such as crocodile pose, downward facing dog, do not rush to do it, especially for beginners. Instead, you need to do some variation of these moves to get used to and practice more exercises that strengthen the shoulders, arms, and chest.
9. Raise your hand if necessary
People with weak, sensitive wrists or a history of wrist problems should use aids such as a towel or small pillow under the hand. With just a little support, you can perform yoga poses without affecting the wrist.
Reference source
10 Tips on How to Prevent Yoga Wrist Pain and Strain https://www.arhantayoga.org/blog/10-tips-how-to-prevent-yoga-wrist-pain-and-strain/ Access date: October 20, 2020
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.
