Yoga has been proven to increase muscle strength, balance and flexibility as well as mental calmness and physical vitality.
This systematic review sought to synthesize existing evidence on the efficacy of yoga compared with active and inactive controls for improving physical function and HRQoL outcomes in older adults without specific clinical conditions.
Flexibility
Yoga is an increasingly popular exercise practice that can increase balance, flexibility and strength. Originating thousands of years ago in Eastern culture, its practice has now spread globally as a worldwide lifestyle trend that generates billions of dollars each year.
Yoga utilizes stretching exercises to increase flexibility. While the practice can be challenging and require patience and persistence to yield results, there may be certain forms of yoga which could prove too intense for certain individuals and lead to muscle injuries.
Some forms of yoga involve movements with extreme positions involving large degrees of spinal flexion and extension, which may put those with reduced bone density at risk, including those suffering from osteopenia or osteoporosis, in danger. These poses can result in injury.
A 2019 study discovered that practicing yoga helps older adults regain flexibility more slowly and improve balance more significantly, meaning adding yoga as part of a fitness regime may prove beneficial to people of all ages and physical capabilities.
Range of Motion
Yoga’s stretching and movement techniques increase range of motion (ROM) in muscles and joints. This greater range of motion may ease back and joint pain while strengthening muscles that support your spine – potentially alleviating any backache you might be experiencing as a result.
An individual’s normal range of motion (ROM) depends on both age and gender; for instance, according to one CDC study, knee joints typically flex between 133 degrees and 153 degrees – anything short of this means there is limited ROM.
Though yoga typically improves range of motion (ROM), an overzealous participant or instructor could overstretch the body, potentially leading to injury. Tendons, myotendinous junctions and fibrocartilages (the connective tissues surrounding muscles) are commonly injured areas – although initial strain symptoms might not show themselves right away they could develop into muscle or joint pain or even injury over time. Although less than 1 percent of injured yoga participants discontinue practice altogether due to injuries sustained while participating in yoga practice; nonetheless there have been reports about individuals experiencing severe injuries while participating in practice despite it all.
Posture
Yoga postures promote proper spinal alignment, enhance breathing techniques and strengthen musculoskeletal structures such as bones, ligaments and joints. Furthermore, many practitioners believe yoga to increase mental clarity while decreasing stress levels.
Studies indicate that people who regularly attend yoga classes tend to have better balance than people who don’t do yoga. Balance is an intricate system involving proprioception (feeling where one’s feet touch the ground); vision; and the inner ear/vestibular system which informs our brain where our head is in space.
Yoga stretching movements, when performed incorrectly, can result in injuries to muscles and tendons when performing some poses incorrectly. Stretched areas could become stressed out leading to inflammation and injury; injuries due to repetitive movement tend to be minor while extreme positions can strain body parts over time at their weakest points, potentially leading to full-scale injuries – this is why beginners should work at their own pace.
Pain
Yoga practice can provide relief by relieving tension and inflammation, stretching stiff muscles and joints and encouraging fluid movement patterns. Furthermore, practicing yoga may improve posture and increase strength.
Yoga can be dangerous when taken to extremes or performed incorrectly. Just like any exercise regimen, yoga may result in injuries to the back. Rotating hips while performing poses could result in cartilage damage due to rotation.
Yoga can also harm when practitioners forcefully or quickly move into poses without gradually warming up first, like weightlifting or running. Doing yoga this way risks straining muscles and ligaments as well as leading to injuries; whereas when done slowly and mindfully with proper body mechanics in place, yoga is an excellent way to relieve and prevent pain.
