Written by the Phoenix Rehab physiotherapy and hand therapy teams. Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H; hand, wrist and elbow sections by Nigel Chua, Principal Hand Occupational Therapist & Director, AHPC A1300362Z. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.
In US emergency department data, the trunk is the area most often injured in yoga, and sprains and strains are the most common injury.1 We also see wrists from downward dog, shoulders from chaturanga, necks from inversions and the sit bone from deep folds, mostly from one position held or repeated past what the tissue takes.
We send patients to yoga. It builds strength through range, it gets people down to the floor and back up, and many keep it up for decades. This page covers the handful of positions that load one area hard, and what to do when one of them starts to hurt.
The mat is the same in every studio. The body on it is not. Someone who sits at a desk in Raffles Place all day brings stiff hips and hamstrings to the evening class. They still reach the shape, and something else supplies the range. The lower back rounds in the fold. The knee twists in lotus. The wrist bends further in downward dog.
Hot classes add one more thing. The heat makes deep ranges feel easier, and the next morning tells you whether you went further than you could hold.
The yoga injuries we see are rarely dramatic. A wrist that aches in downward dog. A sit bone that hurts on the office chair. A neck that has been stiff since the inversions workshop. Each has a cause we can measure, and most people keep practicing while it settles.
The poses, and what they load
| Pose | What it loads | What it most often irritates |
|---|---|---|
| Downward dog, plank, arm balances such as crow and side plank | The wrists bent back under body weight, the shoulders | The back of the wrist, the carpal tunnel, the rotator cuff |
| Chaturanga | The front of the shoulder, the rotator cuff | Rotator cuff tendon, shoulder impingement |
| Headstand, shoulder stand, plough | The neck, under body weight or bent forward under load | Neck strain, a disc in the neck |
| Deep forward folds | The hamstring tendons at the sit bone, the lower back | High hamstring tendon, hamstring strain, low back strain, a disc in the lower back |
| Twists and one-sided hip openers such as pigeon | The sacroiliac joints, the hips | SI joint pain, the hip labrum |
| Lotus and half lotus | The hips in rotation, and the knee once the hip runs out | Meniscus tear |
Every yoga injury, by body part
Start from where it hurts. Each row links to the page that covers that injury in full.
| Where | Injury | How yoga usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | Pain on the back of the wrist (dorsal impingement) | Weight on the hands in downward dog and arm balances |
| Wrist | Carpal tunnel syndrome | Holding the wrist bent back for long periods |
| Shoulder | Rotator cuff tendon pain | Repeated chaturanga |
| Shoulder | Shoulder impingement | Arm balances |
| Neck | Neck strain or facet joint sprain | Headstand, shoulder stand and plough |
| Neck | Disc in the neck (cervical disc herniation) | Holding the neck bent forward under load |
| Lower back | Low back strain | Forward folds |
| Lower back | Slipped disc (lumbar disc herniation) | Folding forward with the back rounded under load |
| Hip and pelvis | SI joint pain | Twists and one-sided hip openers |
| Hip and pelvis | Pain at the sit bone (high hamstring tendinopathy, sometimes called yoga butt) | Deep forward folds |
| Hip and pelvis | Hip labral tear and hip impingement (FAI) | Deep hip bending |
| Thigh | Hamstring strain | Forcing a forward fold or the splits |
| Knee | Meniscus tear | Lotus, when the knee twists to make up for the hip |
Not on the list, or not sure which row is yours? That is what the first visit is for.
The common ones, in more depth
Wrists in downward dog and arm balances
Wrists and hands are seen by our hand therapy team.
What it feels like. Pain across the back of the wrist when you press into the mat. Or tingling and numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, during long holds or at night.
What is usually going on. Downward dog and plank hold the wrist near the end of its backward bend with much of your weight on it. The bones and soft tissue at the back of the wrist can pinch, covered in wrist pain. Holding the wrist bent back also raises pressure in the carpal tunnel, and the median nerve that runs through it can complain, covered in carpal tunnel syndrome.
What we measure. How far each wrist bends back, grip and pinch strength in kilograms on both hands, sensation in the fingertips, and how long you can hold a plank before symptoms start.
What you can do now. Ask your teacher for a variation. A wedge or a folded mat under the heel of the hand, fists, or forearms all reduce the bend. Spread the load through the fingers and the knuckle of the index finger. Tingling that wakes you, or numbness that stays, is worth assessing, and our hand therapists can make a custom splint that holds the wrist straight at night.
The shoulder in chaturanga
What it feels like. Pain at the front of the shoulder at the bottom of chaturanga or pressing up out of it. An ache lifting the arm overhead, and at night lying on that side.
What is usually going on. Lowering into chaturanga loads the front of the shoulder hard, and more so when the elbows flare out or the shoulder dips below the elbow. Repeated through a flowing class, it adds up on the rotator cuff tendons.
What we measure. Rotation strength on each side, how deep you can lower with control, and overhead range.
What you can do now. Lower from the knees, or stop higher with the elbows tucked along the ribs, for a few weeks. Take fewer flows per class. Cuff strength work outside class carries over to the mat.
The neck in headstand and shoulder stand
What it feels like. Neck pain and stiffness after inversions, sometimes into the shoulder blade. Some people get pins and needles, numbness or pain down one arm.
What is usually going on. In headstand the neck carries part of your body weight through the top of the head. Shoulder stand and plough bend the neck forward under load. A neck strain is the common result. Arm symptoms point to an irritated nerve root, sometimes from a disc, covered in cervical radiculopathy.
What we measure. Neck range in every direction, which positions reproduce it, arm strength, reflexes and sensation, and the shoulder and upper back strength that takes weight off the neck in a headstand.
What you can do now. Leave out inversions until the neck moves comfortably, and use supported versions such as legs up the wall. Pain, numbness or weakness down an arm needs a doctor soon.
The lower back in forward folds
What it feels like. Low back pain bending forward, sitting, or putting on socks. In some people, pain or pins and needles below the knee.
What is usually going on. When the hamstrings are short for the fold, the lower back rounds to reach the floor, and holds that rounded position under body weight. Most of it is a strain that settles, covered in lower back pain. Pain down the leg with pins and needles is a disc or nerve root, covered in slipped disc. Pain low on one side after twists is often the SI joint.
What we measure. Hip bend with the knee straight and bent, the fold that brings it on, nerve tension tests, and back endurance.
What you can do now. Bend the knees in folds and hinge from the hips. Keep walking. Pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication are a decision for your doctor or pharmacist.
The high hamstring: pain at the sit bone
What it feels like. A deep ache at the sit bone. Sitting on a hard chair, driving, deep folds and lunges all bring it on.
What is usually going on. The hamstring tendons attach to the sit bone. In a deep fold the tendon is pressed against the bone and stretched at the same time, and repeated deep folding can irritate it (proximal hamstring tendinopathy). A sudden pull in the back of the thigh while forcing a fold or the splits is a hamstring strain.
What we measure. Pain through a graded set of bridges and hip hinges, hamstring strength on each side, and how long you can sit before it starts.
What you can do now. Stop stretching into the sit bone for a few weeks. Stretching tends to aggravate this tendon. Sit on a cushion, bend the knees in folds, and start loading the tendon with bridges and short-range hinges.
The knee in lotus
What it feels like. Pain on the inner knee getting into or out of lotus. Sometimes catching, locking or swelling.
What is usually going on. Lotus asks for a lot of outward rotation at the hip. When the hip runs out, the knee twists to get the foot onto the opposite thigh, and the inner meniscus takes the load.
What we measure. Hip rotation on each side, knee range, tenderness along the joint line, and a deep squat with a twist.
What you can do now. Sit cross-legged or in half lotus with a block under the knee, and stop pulling the foot up with your hands. A knee that locks or swells needs a doctor.
Return on tests, not dates
The full pose comes back when the measures say so. The usual tests:
- Wrist. A plank held for 30 seconds without pain, wrist bend within 10 degrees of the other side, and grip within 90% of the other hand.
- Shoulder. 10 controlled lowerings to chaturanga with the elbows tucked, and rotation strength within 90% of the other side.
- Neck. Full, comfortable neck range and no arm symptoms for two weeks before inversions return, building up from supported versions.
- Back and sit bone. Sitting for an hour without pain at the sit bone, and single-leg bridges on a long lever counted within 90% of the other side.
- Knee. A full squat and cross-legged sitting without pain before lotus.
This is Stage 4, Return & Perform, of The Phoenix Recovery Protocol. Pain is the first thing to leave. Strength is the last to train and recover.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
Is this normal?
Usually expected: muscle soreness after a new class or a longer hold, on both sides, easing over 24 to 72 hours, and a stretch felt in the middle of the muscle while you are in the pose.
Worth getting checked: pain at one spot, on one side, that is there at the start of the next class, that makes you skip a pose, tingling or numbness, or pain still there after a gentler week.
When to see a doctor first
- Call 995 for chest pain, collapse or fainting, or confusion or slurred speech in a hot class. Also for a sudden, severe headache during or after an inversion, or a fall from a headstand followed by neck pain with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs. Do not move someone with a suspected neck injury.
- Go to the emergency department now if back pain comes with numbness between the legs or new problems passing urine or stool, or if a shoulder looks out of place.
- See a doctor the same day for a pop at the sit bone with bruising down the back of the thigh, which can be a hamstring tendon tear, or new weakness in an arm or a leg.
- See a doctor soon for tingling or numbness in the hand that wakes you or does not go, pain spreading down an arm or a leg, a knee that locks or swells, or night pain that does not change with position.
Questions people ask
What are the most common yoga injuries?
In US emergency department data, the trunk is the area most often injured in yoga, and sprains and strains are the most common injury. Physiotherapists also see wrist pain from downward dog and arm balances, shoulder pain from chaturanga, neck pain from inversions, and pain at the sit bone from deep folds.
Why does my wrist hurt in downward dog?
Downward dog holds the wrist near the end of its backward bend with much of your body weight on it, which can pinch tissue at the back of the wrist. Tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers points to the carpal tunnel. A wedge under the heel of the hand, fists or forearms all reduce the bend.
What is yoga butt?
Yoga butt is a common name for proximal hamstring tendinopathy, an irritated hamstring tendon where it attaches to the sit bone. It aches with sitting on hard chairs, driving, deep folds and lunges. Stretching tends to aggravate this tendon, so the usual approach is to stop stretching into it and load it with bridges and short hinges.
Can I do headstands with neck pain?
Leave out inversions until the neck moves comfortably, and use supported versions such as legs up the wall. In headstand the neck carries part of your body weight. Pain, numbness or weakness down an arm needs a doctor soon, and a fall from a headstand followed by arm or leg symptoms needs a call to 995.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
If it eases week by week while you use a variation for the pose that aggravates it, you are on the right road. Bring the pose back in steps: supported first, then shorter holds, then the full version. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.
2. It has stopped improving
It settles when you skip the pose and comes back the next time you try it. You have moved your mat to the back row, you drop to your knees for every chaturanga, or you set up each class around one wrist. That pattern is usually a strength and load problem, and rest alone rarely changes it. It is worth measuring. If it has been months, the Stalled Recovery Review is three visits over three weeks with the same therapist.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
Hip arthroscopy, a lumbar microdiscectomy, knee surgery or a carpal tunnel release each has a shape, with protected weeks before deep ranges and weight on the hands come back. See the Hip Arthroscopy Recovery Program, the Lumbar Microdiscectomy Recovery Program, hand therapy after surgery, physiotherapy after surgery and the recovery programs. All of it runs on the four stages of The Phoenix Recovery Protocol.
Next step
Find out which stage you are in
Pain is the first thing to leave. Movement and strength are the last things trained back, and most people stop before that part is done. One Assessment and Treatment is a single 45-minute appointment at $230, nett, no GST. Your therapist finds what is limiting the pose, treats it in the same appointment, and you leave with your current stage and a written plan.
Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.
Related reading
Sources
- Swain TA, McGwin G. Yoga-related injuries in the United States from 2001 to 2014. Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4(11):2325967116671703.
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