Elbow pain and yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

I have been doing yoga in some form for the past 8 years, but last year after discovering I have hypermobile joints, found Anusara yoga and my practice went to a whole new level with a new awareness of my alignment. I practice at home usually 5-6 days a week 1 hour a day. I have recently started going to a studio, but only a few times a month.

About 1.5 months ago I started having some mild elbow pain on my right side. I already keep my elbows slightly bent to keep from hyperextending and thought I was being careful with my shoulders on my back and keeping my hands and wrists in alignment. But I guess not because this pain has not gone away and seems to be getting sharper. Since its the lateral side and worsens with wrist extension, I am guessing tennis elbow, at the very least I have for certain irritated some elbow tendon. I am feeling quite bummed about the whole thing. The pain is not severe but it is at the point of concerning me. Pain is telling me something is off, and with my hypermobility things going off is easy. Its been easy to ignore so far because it doesnt always hurt when I am doing poses, its after that I notice my elbow hurting.

I am also thinking it could be related to wrist pain. My wrist on the same side often feels jammed after doing arm balances. Bakasana kills my wrists. Handstand does too. I mindfully keep my fingers extended and try to push down into my palm during these but still have the jam feeling. My thoughts on that always go back to my hypermobility, things move around, my hands and fingers are bendy. Oddly enough parsva bakasana is easier for me, actually any of the bent elbow poses. I was doing eka pada koundinyansana 1 last week without feeling much discomfort.

So now that I have blathered on for a long time it really comes down to this- Will yoga cause tennis elbow? Will wrist pain translate to elbow pain? Any advise on alignment or tips to right this are appreciated. I have not seen a dr. regarding this yet, I will if it worsens. Do I need to back off my practice altogether for awhile? I am trying to tone it down already, no more arm balances, plank on my elbows, no armed cobra. I dont want to stop my practice, its hard to ignore that little voice of ego that tells you to push through it. I have some hip issues that respond to action, they flare up when I don’t practice for awhile so I’m trying to sort out what needs movement and what doesnt.

Thank you for reading this and for any advise!

Namaste, Ana

#2

Hello Ana,

The post is a bit perplexing for me on two counts. The first is that you are doing an Anusara practice and while I do not teach or practice in that style I’m a bit surprised to hear bakasana is part of that practice. The second is that with this Anusara practice which has “taken you to a whole new level” you’ve not at all mentioned a discourse with your teacher about the physical issues you’re manifesting.

I cannot tell you how to practice asana as you are not my student. What I can tell you is that poses that are weight-bearing on the upper extremities require that the upper and lower arm bones be aligned. That is difficult to do when the student has it in both consciousness and body to “bend” the elbows. The action given to a hyper-mobile student should ONLY bring the bones into alignment, it should not take them out of alignment in the opposite direction.

Connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) are secondary support structures and are enlisted when muscle fails. In asana we obviously do not want the action of the pose to transcend muscle (into tendons) any more than we want a hot room to deceive us into believing our innate range of motion is to be ignored. So “yes” if muscle is failing, be it from weakness, overtaxing, or lack or integrity in posture, the connective tissue can be compromised.

Generally speaking, when one of my students has a pose which “kills their wrist” I’ve not done my job. That job, in this case, would be to progressively prop the student so that they could get benefit from that pose without pain in the joint. The most extreme end of that would be having the student do some other pose that gives similar effect but does not compromise the wrist. There should never be sharp pain in a joint, ever!

In Adho Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Dandasana, Ashtanga Namaskar, Sarpasana, Bhujangasana, Vasisthasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana you can use a wooden wedge wrapped in a mat remnant. Placed properly this will reduce the wrist extension. If this is not helpful (profoundly) then I’d suggest trying the GripItz handles or using a pair of dumbbells.

Avoiding Adho Mukha Vrksasana and Pincha Mayurasana is completely sensible. Though I no longer practice or teach Bakasana it too would fall into this category.

That covers what not to do.
What TO do falls into the therapeutics category and for that I’d actually have to have you in class in Bellevue.

gordon

#3

Thanks for your reply!

I say that Anusara took me to another level because prior to that I was not practicing with careful awareness to my alignment, and learning to do so has made a huge difference for me. I still have much to learn though, and having hypermobility makes it more difficult to always be aware of everything. I have not talked to a teacher about it yet mainly because up until this past week I was really hoping they pain was nothing serious and I could work it out on my own. Just in the last few days I decided I needed to listen to my body a little closer on this and start actively dealing with it. I am planning on discussing it with a teacher next time I get into class.

I am curious as to why Bakasana would not be part of an Anusara practice. I have had a couple different Anusara teachers present it during a class. I have never heard that it should be avoided.

When you say “That is difficult to do when the student has it in both consciousness and body to “bend” the elbows.” are you referring to my slightly bending my elbows in poses? Wouldnt doing so be bringing my bones into alignment? When I hyperextend I am compromising my joints and bringing the bones out of optimal alignment. I have a feeling I am not fully understanding. Is it because since I have to microbend I would be lessening the stability of the pose that one who could safely lock their elbow would get?

Thanks for the tip on the wedge block, I am going to go get one and see if it helps.

Namaste, Ana

#4

Hello Ana,

You are welcome for the reply, of course.

I understand now what you were saying relative to your level and practice. I personally prefer students cultivate relationship with me as a teacher (as I offer it) so that they are letting me know what the pose feels like ESPECIALLY when that feeling is pain in a joint. However I’d not like that to go so far as every student telling me when every muscle is contracted and lengthened to the point of discomfort:-)

I think you’ve placed my bakasana comments out of their initial context. They are two points. The first is that this pose is typically associated with power, flow, yinyasa practices. I simply was not aware it was incorporated into Anusara. If it is, then it is.

The second is that this pose is not to be avoided. It is to be avoided FOR YOU with THIS ISSUE until your wrist is not in pain during the posture - along with the other two poses I mention. I did not say this pose is to be avoided and I want that to be perfectly clear to every reader.

Relative to elbows, a (hinge) joint is bent when the two bones comprising that joint form an angle (≥≤ than 180?). A joint is not bent when the bones are aligned. For the hypermobile student there should be an action in the arms that brings the upper and lower arms bones into alignment. The would be not bending them one way and (for the hyper mobile) not bending them the other way. “Bending” or “microbending” is a gross (rather than fine) teacher instruction which is best used as a last-ditch effort to communicate to the student when all else fails.

#5

Thanks for clarifying. I see what you mean with the elbows now. What I was calling “bending” my elbows really is just straightening my arms. Or not hyperextending. When your default to straightening your arms is hyperextending being told to bend a bit can be very helpful to integrate that action.

I also see where I misunderstood your comment about bakasana and most certainly I will be avoiding it until this has healed and my wrists are strengthened.

Being able to sound off on this has been helpful to me and has given me things to consider when I have a chance to talk to a teacher. I did a restorative practice yesterday with an extended meditation and savasana and it helped clear my mind and give me some perspective with this. Pain and injury can ultimately be a excellent teacher since it forces you to slow down and be more humble in your practice.

Thanks again, Ana