Here's How to Use Yoga to Prevent Injuries

By Asheesh Gupta, M.D., The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics

All patients are different, and as medical professionals, it is our responsibility to look beyond the “cookie cutter approach” to medicine to find the best course of treatment, customized to each patient’s background, level of activity, general health and more. Not all patients are willing or able to undergo surgery, and with technological advancements, there are often other options, whether through minimally invasive procedures, injections or just modifying activity to deter pain. But what about injury prevention as a treatment option?

When my wife experienced a tear in the labrum of her hip, we explored our options: surgery, physical therapy and other non-operative treatments. We learned throughout this process that certain muscle groups in her hip were weak, which led to an imbalance and asymmetry compared to her unaffected side. My wife mentioned the injury to her yoga instructor, and the two ultimately landed on using yoga – rather than traditional physical therapy – as a way to treat the injury and strengthen her hip muscles over time. In recent months, my wife has made impressive progress in building strength, and her pain has decreased significantly.

Most people are only familiar with yoga as a way to gain strength and flexibility – and not as a way to preserve the active lifestyle they love. But working with local yoga instructors, I have discovered that there is an opportunity to help athletes of all levels to build strength and remain active when injured – or even to help prevent injuries altogether.

We learned that we can utilize various modifications to traditional yoga positions for patients who have an existing injury but want to remain active and build strength. For example, if you have bursitis of the hip, you can initially use blocks when stretching the IT band in some of the poses to safely perform the position. We’ll also instruct participants on how to progress and advance the position over time.

On the other hand, athletes can employ more challenging yoga positions and modifications to gradually build strength in specific muscle groups. This is especially beneficial for high-intensity athletes, such as those who participate in CrossFit, who may need a lower-intensity workout on off days to maintain strength and activity, while allowing ligaments and joints to heal and stretch. We can even target specific muscle groups where a weakness should be addressed, such as those around the knee joint, to prevent injuries such as an ACL tear.

With this foundation, we developed a three-part Healthy Movement series covering hip, shoulder and knee strengthening exercises. In partnership with yoga instructor Jessica Sandhu, we deliver a brief explanation of the anatomy and mechanics of each joint, providing an opportunity for patients to truly understand the potential for injuries. We already hosted one very successful workshop, and the final two sessions will be held at Georgetown Yoga on the following dates:

• May 20 at 1:30 p.m. – Healthy Movement: Knees
• May 21 at 1:30 p.m. – Healthy Movement: Shoulders

While physical therapy is designed for acute injuries, yoga strengthens the muscles for long-term care and injury prevention. Moving forward, I see yoga continuing to gain popularity as a long-term, preventative activity that can be performed in conjunction with physical therapy.

Asheesh Gupta, M.D., specializes in hip arthroscopy and sports medicine at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, Nova Orthopedic & Spine care center in Woodbridge, Virginia.