I hurt a shoulder muscle - continue or take a break?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I usually do one of two light sets of poses that take about 30 minutes per set. My routine is from the book Stretch and Surrender by Annalisa Cunningham.
I slightly hurt a shoulder muscle yesterday, i beleive doing an arch. The one with palms and feet on the floor and back arched backwards.

Is it better to continue practice and work around the arch pose and the muscle pain, in other words take it a little bit easy, or is it better to lay off entirely for a day?

I dont really want to take a break unless i have to, as yoga seems to help keep my ibs in control.

#2

Hello “More Luck”,

Sorry that you were not so lucky :frowning: doing the wheel pose (chakrasana, urdhva dhanurasana, upward bow). That is the pose I think you are referring to, although I am not familiar with the series by Annalisa Cunningham. Is this really the pose we are talking about?

Please take it easy for a day or two, or even 4 - 6 weeks, depending on the severity of your injury. This is the sensible thing to do, both from a yoga and a western point of view. Yoga implies non-harming - to feel no pain in an asana. Western medicine would have you do the RICE protocol, where R stands for rest. Your muscle is asking for some recovery time. Your muscle will tell you when it wants to get back into action (or when it wants to see a doctor).

It does not mean that you cannot do yogasana. You can do poses that do not stress your shoulder. Many of the poses that would stress your shoulder can be modified so that they don’t.

Reflecting further on your question, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with it. For example, if you are doing this advanced wheel pose, you would have been able to answer the question by yourself. And if you do yogasana for ibs, then I am surprised that wheel pose would be part of your routine. It is a “heating” pose, whereas you might want to calm down inflammation. In fact, it would be possible to taylor a routine specifically for ibs. Maybe this is just “my” problem, or we are talking about a different pose. On the other hand, you may want to explore these issues, either on this forum or with an experienced yoga teacher.

I’m wishing you a speedy recovery.

#3

Thank you for your answer. Yes that is the pose, tho it doesnt look much like that when i do it. It really isnt a severe injury, just a strain. So i will take your advice and take it easy for a day or so and go lightly for a bit on the shoulder stress. I do the whole routine for ibs and flexiblity reasons, that one pose is just a part of the whole. I do include most of the asanas recommended for ibs. thanks again.

#4

With injuries, definitely take a break.

If you must keep practicing, use poses that don’t involve your shoulder.

It really is OK to take a break. Healthy practice should not be compulsive.

#5

Urdhva Dhanurasana is not a pose for beginners. As with many, if not all, of the poses where the arms bear body weight, the student must know how to keep the humerus properly oriented to the shoulder joint in order to maintain a safe and healthy asana practice.

Additionally, coming into that pose mandates that both the shoulders and frontal groins be open otherwise the spine must compensate for the ego of the practitioner and bear the brunt of the pose.

Once an injury is sustained a seasoned practitioner would continue their practice (of course) but perhaps not do asana OR modify their asana practice in such a way as to not do any weight bearing on the upper extremities.

In the larger picture of course, our body and its ease, or lack thereof, merely expresses something deeper. Sadly, too few of us take the injury opportunity and look inside to find out what communication about our living is being sent from our spirit. Without that listening there can be no sound response other than an accidental one.

#6

Shoulders are complex and while the Doctor will probably recommend rest, a shoulder specialist is the person to tell you what you can and can’t do. Sometimes a shoulder specialist will put you on strong painkillers and give you specific exercises to do, where other times they will get you to rest it.

While the views of the experienced are handy, to know what you should or shouldn’t be doing, the right advice is that from the shoulder specialist.

#7

This presumes a belief in the paradigm of allopathic medicine, doesn’t it Mike?

#8

That’s very Seattle :slight_smile: