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Author Pain and Injury Categories News, sciatica, sports injuries, sports injury, Yoga

Practicing Safe Yoga — 5 Tips to Avoid Injuries

Can yoga wreck your body? A recent article in the New York Times 1 argues that it can, quoting the increase of yoga-related injuries in recent years as the number of yoga practitioners has soared.

Indeed, the number of yoga injuries treated in emergency rooms or doctors’ offices rose to 5,500 in 2007, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The same year, the number of yoga practitioners reached an estimated 15.8 million. That pegs the number of injuries at 0.035 percent, or about 3.5 out of every 10,000 practitioners.

Can weight training wreck your body? Between 1990 to 2007, an estimated 970,000 weight training-related sports injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms, according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine. That’s an average of 57,000 injuries per year among an estimated 37 to 45 million practitioners, or roughly 0.12 to 0.15 percent, about 1.2 to 1.5 out of every 1,000 practitioners.

Can golfing wreck your body? In 2007, an estimated 103,000 of the nation’s estimated 26.2 million golf players visited the emergency room for golfing-related injuries, according to data from the Consumer Products Safety Commission. That’s 0.39 percent, or 3.9 out of every 1,000 golf players incurring an injury.

Any type of physical activity aiming to increase fitness carries with it a certain degree of risk. Pegged next to the injury rate of common physical activities like weight training and golf, however, yoga comes across as far safer than even a relatively innocuous activity like golf (ignoring for the moment that yoga is not just about fitness).

Exercise improves health by challenging the body, triggering changes that make the body stronger: increased muscle mass, stronger bones, greater flexibility, coordination and range of motion — depending on what is targeted. That is the core of what makes exercise work, but that is also what makes any type of exercise program carry some degree of risk.

As the above statistics indicate, however, making claims about the injury risks of yoga without backing them up by the relative percentage risk is at best poor reporting, at worst could discourage someone from trying yoga who might otherwise benefit from the practice.

Yoga has more than 50 well-documented health benefits according to Dr. Tim McCall, author of Yoga as Medicine. Numerous studies on yoga as therapy demonstrate that yoga offers not just effective stress management, but also is a useful complement in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, MS, heart disease, back pain and many more conditions. Physicians, for example Dr. Loren Fishman, have effectively used yoga in the treatment of numerous debilitating musculoskeletal issues, including rotator cuff tears, back pain, sciatica and much more.

*Safe Yoga Strengthens Bones

Weight-bearing activities have long been known to strengthen bones, which is why many of those who are at risk for osteoporosis are encouraged to begin a strength-training workout regimen. Yoga training, with its many positions that  put pressure on different body parts, can be considered weight-bearing and has shown the ability to build bone mass in scientific studies.

Science has proven that yoga can have a transformative effect on the body, resulting in everything from lowered blood pressure to disease prevention. Here are some of the many health benefits of yoga, as proven by science. 2 Read More

That being said, any type of physical activity that challenges the body should be practiced with awareness and caution. To help you develop the safest possible yoga practice, follow these five tips:

1. Adopt a beginner’s mind. You wouldn’t go into an advanced ballet or kickboxing class without working your way up through the basics first. Yoga may look comparatively more simple, but it’s not. Start with a series of yoga classes targeting beginners, which introduces you to the basics in a systematic way. Not all studios offer intro courses for beginners, so look around. Make sure you build a solid foundation of knowledge of alignment before you try your hand at more challenging classes like a rigorous Vinyasa flow class or a hot yoga class.

2. Learn to listen to your body. In any yoga class, your body, not the teacher, is the real guide to what is best for you. Listening to your body and honoring its signals is key to a safe practice. If something doesn’t feel right, ease out of the pose. If something feels like a strain, you’re pushing too hard. If your body feels like it needs a break, relax back in child’s pose.

3. Do your own pose, not your neighbor’s. For most of us, the mind tends to overrule the body. So if the person next to you gets her face all the way down to her shins in Paschimottasana (seated forward bend), by golly, you’re gonna get there too, no matter how much your hamstrings howl. However, yoga at its essence is about getting in tune with your body. The only right way to practice a pose is to practice it in the way that honors where your body is at, and not trying to force yourself into your neighbor’s pose.

4. Look for your intelligent edge. Look for the sweet spot in every pose. That is where you are challenging the body and yourself, but still staying completely within your comfort zone. Your intelligent edge is that place in the posture where you are feeling a soothing stretch and your muscles are working, but there is no pain, strain or fatigue.

5. Pick the right teacher and approach. When it comes to practicing and teaching safe yoga, it’s not a one size fits all. Yoga teachers vary in approach, style, experience and training. If you’re young and fit, you will be able to handle a wide range of yoga styles and classes. On the other hand, if you’re a 50+ year old male with super tight hamstrings just starting out, it may be better to start with individual yoga sessions with an experienced teacher. The same thing applies if you have any injuries or physical limitations you’re working with. Let your teacher know before the class, and don’t be shy to ask if the class will still be suitable for you. If the teacher isn’t able to offer specific feedback related to your condition, that’s a good indication the teacher might not a good fit for you.

For more by Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D., click here.

For more on yoga, click here.

“A safe return to an active lifestyle after a sports injury, depends on early diagnoses and treatment. Knowing when to see an injury & pain doctor is an important step in this process. Many yoga injuries (pulls or strains in the neck, spine, low back or hamstrings.) including overuse injuries, can happen over time and often have subtle symptoms.” Say’s Dr. Michael Monfett with Skyline PMR in The financial district of New York City (FiDi).

Resources:

1. www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/yoga-wreck-you-body_n_1190661.html
2. www.jenreviews.com/yoga/

Author Pain and Injury Categories News 0 comment

NY Workers Compensation Reforms

In 2007, the New York Legislature unanimously passed sweeping reforms to the states workers compensation laws. Included among the reforms was a requirement that insurers deposit the present value of permanent partial disability awards into the New York Workers Compensation Aggregate Trust Fund. Injured workers will then be paid by the trust fund instead of by the insurance company.

The reform is definitely a boon to injured workers. Prior to the change, insurance companies generally decided how and when a workers’ compensation settlement would be paid. Further, if the insurance company went out of business or became insolvent before the entire award was paid, the injured worker could be left in the lurch.

Insurance companies have not been keen on the provision, since it requires them to pay an entire award up front instead of spacing payments out over months or years. In the wake of the reforms, insurance companies challenged the law, arguing that it is unconstitutional and that it was being unfairly applied to past awards.

In a recent unanimous decision, New York’s highest court disagreed with the insurance companies and upheld the law. Raynor v. Landmark Chrysler The leading case on this issue involved a man who had suffered an on-the-job back injury prior to the 2007 reforms.

However, he did not receive a determination of permanent partial disability until 2008 — nearly three years after his initial injury. When the judge ordered the insurance company to deposit the award in the trust fund, the insurer balked, arguing that the new rule shouldn’t be applied to worker injuries that occurred before the reforms were passed. The Court of Appeals disagreed. It found that the legislature intended all awards to be deposited in the trust fund, regardless of when the initial injury occurred.

The company also made several challenges to the law’s constitutionality. Namely, it argued that it violated the Due Process, Equal Protection, Contracts and Takings clauses of the United States Constitution. The court found these claims to be largely without merit. It noted that the insurance company had plenty of opportunities to contest the award and that depositing the award into the trust fund is not akin to the government unjustly taking the insurance company’s property.

Further, it noted that the law did not impair the insurance company’s ability to enter into a contract, stating that “at most, the carrier’s contract has become less profitable — not a substantial impairment.”

Author Pain and Injury Categories News 0 comment

Colin Hoobler: Shoulder exercises take time to master

Dear Colin: I’m 33 years old and tired of having shoulder pain. After nine months and multiple tests (MRI, X-ray), my doctor diagnosed me with “impingement syndrome” and referred me to physical therapy. It helped a little, but the worst part is the 20 exercises I’m supposed to do at home. The PT says all of these exercises are required for me to get better, but I simply don’t have the time (or desire) to do them all. Is this customary and, if so, how do most people succeed in PT? The time commitment seems ridiculous.
— Larry, McMinnville

Shoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems medical providers see and usually doesn’t spontaneously resolve without the right form of physical therapy (Spine 2005; The Rheumatologist 2006).

Not being involved in your care prevents me from providing specific treatment advice, but shoulder impingement syndrome is when the relatively small space between the top of your upper arm bone (humerus) and your shoulder blade (scapula) is too small to allow adequate space for tissue between them when moving your arm out to the side and/or above your head. There are multiple possible causes, which may include muscle weakness (Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 2006), abnormal bone anatomy (Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 1983), tightness of muscles and/or ligaments (American Journal of Sports Medicine 1998) and/or posture (Manual Therapy 2005).

The key to overcoming shoulder impingement syndrome (as well as many other causes of shoulder pain) is a thorough physical examination to find out the specific cause(s) of impingement. For example, a weakened rotator cuff can allow your upper arm bone to move excessively upward during certain arm motions, thus compressing sensitive tissues and causing pain. There are four rotator cuff muscles, so it’s important to identify which of the four should be targeted so you don’t waste time doing exercises for muscles that aren’t impaired. Tightness of the chest muscles is also a common culprit and must be carefully screened for in the examination (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2002).

When prescribed appropriately, physical therapy exercises and stretches have been shown to significantly reduce pain associated with shoulder impingement syndrome. However, a common mistake is prescribing too many exercises that can quickly sap anyone’s motivation to follow through with a program.

Prescribing exercises for any condition should always take safety and effectiveness into consideration. A great physical therapist will choose exercises that effectively strengthen multiple muscles simultaneously to reduce the time requirement. The only potential drawback is that these more effective exercises require more time to learn to do correctly. A great example is the prone arm press, an exceptional shoulder exercise that safely strengthens the rotator cuff, upper middle back muscles (rhomboids, middle and upper trapezius), back of the shoulders (posterior deltoid), neck (upper trapezius) and lower back (paraspinals).

Important things to note:

1. Very little weight is needed;

2. Tightness in your shoulders and chest will make the exercise more difficult;

3. Keep your head completely still, and;

4. Keep your head, chest, shoulders and arms close to the ground but don’t touch it.

Sets and repetitions should be established by your physical therapist.

With any rehabilitation, try to keep an open, honest dialogue with your physical therapist to help facilitate success. If you’re told to do a program that takes more time than you’re willing to commit to, it probably will be a waste of time.

Author Pain and Injury Categories News 0 comment

Worker injured on break entitled to workers comp benefits: Court

ALBANY, N.Y.—A car salesperson injured while driving to retrieve spaghetti dinners on a break is entitled to workers compensation benefits, a New York appellate court ruled Thursday.

The claimant in Richard Potter Jr. vs. Paolozzi Imports Inc. suffered an injury while driving his personal car after receiving a supervisor’s permission to leave work briefly.

Mr. Potter was returning to his worksite after retrieving two spaghetti dinners when the accident occurred, court records show. A finance manager where he worked had purchased the dinners as part of a fundraiser sponsored by a football team that Mr. Potter helped run on a voluntary basis.

No interruption of employment

A workers comp judge found that Mr. Potter’s injuries arose from his employment and awarded him benefits. In October 2010, a workers comp board affirmed the judge’s finding, and Paolozzi Imports appealed.

But the 3rd Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division agreed with the workers comp board.

The appellate court cited case law finding that short breaks are so closely related to job performance that they do not constitute an interruption of employment, and another finding that benefits are awarded on the theory of an employer’s control of the employee during off-premises activity.

In this case, the appellate court said it found substantial evidence supporting the board’s determination that claimant’s short break did not constitute an interruption of employment.

Author Pain and Injury Categories News 0 comment

Court reporter can receive workers comp benefits for on-the-job aneurysm

ALBANY, N.Y.—A court reporter’s brain aneurysm should be presumed compensable because she collapsed at her high-stress job, even though there were no witnesses, a New York court has ruled.

The New York State Unified Court System failed to prove that Vanessa Richman’s ruptured aneurysm was unrelated to her work, according to a unanimous decision last week from an appellate division of the New York Supreme Court.

Ms. Richman was found unconscious at work in August 2007 and diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm, according to court records. The injury left Ms. Richman unable to communicate.

A medical expert for the Unified Court System argued that Ms. Richman’s condition should be considered non-work-related. But a workers compensation law judge awarded benefits to Ms. Richman, and the decision was upheld in 2010 by the New York Workers’ Compensation Board.

Compensability presumed

The appellate court affirmed the workers comp board ruling on Thursday. The court said that New York workers comp law presumes compensability when “an unwitnessed or unexplained injury occurs during the course of the affected worker’s employment.”

The ruling also said that the medical expert was “evasive” when asked whether Ms. Richman’s ruptured aneurysm could have been caused by job-related high blood pressure.

“The record establishes that, prior to claimant’s collapse, she was under considerable stress at work and her workplace was loud and overheated,” the ruling reads.

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