The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Injuries › shoulder injury
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Hi, I’ve been doing hot yoga for about 4 months. For the past 2 years my right rotator cuff has been painful from computer use and knitting so I’ve given up knitting and cut back on computer use but not sure if the hot yoga is aggravating my shoulder problem.
I started seeing a chiropractor who said I could keep going to class but I’m just not sure if some of the poses are putting excess pressure on my rotator cuff. Over the course of the 4 months I have been going to class, the pain has increased steadily until I sought professional treatment for it.
Are there certain modifications I could do to help heal my shoulder instead of causing pain? I think having so many poses with arms over the head is bothering it, plus I probably put extra pressure on myself to do the postures as fully as possible when in class. I want to get the most benefit I can but without causing damage to my shoulder which might result in surgery.
I’ve read that many people actually heal this sort of injury by going to Bikram classes but it seems to be going the other way for me.
Any advice would be appreciated. I don’t want to give up my practice. I enjoy it otherwise and have received many benefits.
Thanks!
Joan
Hi Joan
I have a few questions for you! 😉
>> Do you try to straighten your arms when they are over your head?
>> Are you squeezing arms to head?
>> Can you tell me what your arms are doing when you’re standing in savasana?
>> Can you tell me exactly what you do with your arms when you’re lifting them over your head?Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
thanks for your quick response!
In answer to your questions, I try to follow the script very carefully. I do straighten my arms, lock my elbows and squeeze my arms to my ears. I’m not sure if I am trying to go too far back to keep my arms to my ears or if it is better to go as far back as possible.
By standing in savasana, do you mean the stillness between poses? I do stand still and I try to relax my shoulders as much as possible. I also study tai chi and one focus of that is to release the tension from your body, especially the shoulders and arms so I try to always be conscious of that, even in my daily life.
I read, I think on WebMD, that I should raise my arms at about a 30% angle toward the front of from my body, instead of holding them to my side and raising them straight out to the side and up. Do you think that is the best way? In Bikram, we raise our arms a lot so want to do it the best way for me.
Last week I only went to the studio one time, on Tuesday, and took the rest of the week off to ice my arm and shoulder and do some easy PT exercises. It is feeling better this morning and I’m going to go back to class and see how that affects it.
Thanks for the help!
Joan
Hi Joan
Can you please go and watch my free video called A Transformational Technique For Your Practice, For Your Life. You will scroll right down to the end of the page.
It’s actually 5 years old and probably in need of a revamp (and honestly, it could be shorter) but it contains the information that will show you how to stop this problem. Your issue is that you are overriding your body’s instincts to protect yourself. Every time you squeeze your head with your arms you are creating tension and stress and possibly more damage.
The video will show you how to lift your arms over your head safely. It will also show you that there is a particular way to stand in rest position between the standing poses so that you have efficient movement into and out of your poses.
When you have watched that you would probably do well to hunt around the forum for some Half Moon threads. Also head down to Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications where you will find threads on Shoulder and neck injuries and physical restrictions. I am positive you will find some great answers.
Come back after your hunt around and let me know how you go
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thanks so much, Gabrielle, I will go watch the video before class this morning!
And I will certainly look at the places in the forum you suggested and let you know how it goes.
Thanks again for your quick response. If I’d gone to class today and not watched the video, my shoulder would probably have been hurting again by this afternoon.
Joan
My advice is to make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. I had rotator-cuff surgery on my left shoulder two years ago, and I avoided surgery on my right shoulder. Both are healthy and strong now thanks to my doctor. When my shoulder started seriously bothering me, friends referred me to chiropractors, massage therapists, fitness trainers, physical therapists. Everyone had an opinion on fixing a hurt shoulder. I initially didn’t want to see a doctor for fear of being told I needed surgery. I read dozens of articles and forums on shoulder injuries. Finally, I made the decision to see a doctor. My doctor tried to fix it without surgery, but after a few weeks told me I needed surgery. It took a month to heal, and now I practice Bikram yoga four times a week and lift weights without pain. My advice is to go see a man or woman who actually went to medical school, who looks at shoulder X-Rays and MRI’s all week, who performs shoulder surgery at least a few times a week. If your fear is that the doctor wants to find an excuse to do an expensive surgery, that wasn’t the case with me. A year after my surgery, my other shoulder began to bother me, but the doctor looked at X-Rays and determined that it was strained, not torn, and advised me to stretch it and give it time. He was right, again.
Hi Brian
It’s great that you have had success! Every injury is different. I agree with you that there are times where one does have to see a doctor or specialist. You would be very pleased you have a physician that had a conservative approach.
For the record, I don’t condone either always going to a doctor or completely avoiding them. A hardline radical approach to just about anything can mean one closes oneself up to certain possibilities.
In the case of shoulders and rotator cuffs: There are principles of use that apply to everyone and that’s why the techniques that I offer and promote are ones that work. They are based on functional anatomy and solid physiological function and focus on creating and sustaining mindful awareness. They are also aligned with the outcome of the pose even if the so-called ‘ideal pose’ is not reached.
Going to a doctor or specialist is a great idea in order to establish a baseline. Whether or not one goes to a specialist there are still yoga teachers out there who have no idea how rotator cuff injuries can be avoided or healed. This is particularly those who follow the script to teach (or students who follow the scripted approach when being taught). Those common commands to lift arms; or squeeze head with arms; and to straighten arms; and charging forward; and so on and so forth are counterproductive to having good functional rotator cuffs. I always try to give a balanced approach and I can only go by what people tell me!
Joan, come on back and close the loop for us! Have you had success in paying attention to proper arm and shoulder function? Let me/us know what else I can help you with.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I’ve been meaning to come back to the forum and give an update. The video helped me a lot and I try to use the elbows in the back pocket even outside of class. I have been icing my shoulder every night and the pain has nearly gone away. I can still tweak it though very easily so I’m very careful with it.
Brian, I agree that it’s a good idea to check with an ortho doctor. I had an appt in fact with my doctor to get a referral but the pain started getting so much better, I cancelled it. I’m certainly not opposed to getting an MRI or whatever and even my chiropractor said I should if my shoulder didn’t improve.
Glad you had such a good outcome!
Thanks again to you both for the input.
Joan
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