May 2026 Newsletter
Yoga Injuries in London: When a Healthy Practice Starts Creating Pain
In short: yoga can be extremely beneficial, but pain can develop when the body repeatedly moves into end-range positions without enough strength, alignment, recovery or awareness. The issue is not usually yoga itself, but how the body is organising the movement.
For many people in London, yoga becomes the place where they finally breathe, stretch, move and reconnect with their body after long hours at a desk, commuting, travelling, parenting, training, or carrying the weight of a demanding working life.
And for many people, yoga is genuinely helpful.
It can support mobility, strength, balance, breathing, body awareness, emotional regulation and a sense of inner steadiness.
But there is another side that is not spoken about enough.
Sometimes, a practice that begins as something healthy gradually starts creating pain.
As a chiropractor with a background in alignment-based yoga, rehabilitation, Activator Methods Chiropractic, clinical photobiomodulation therapy and insight mindfulness, I often see patients who are surprised that their pain may be connected to the very movement practice they believed was helping them.
This does not mean yoga is bad.
It means the body is asking for something more precise than simply “more stretching”, “deeper poses” or “pushing through”.
Why yoga can start causing pain
Many yoga-related injuries do not happen dramatically.
They are often not caused by one obvious accident. Instead, they build slowly through repetition, end-range loading, compensation, fatigue and a lack of clarity around what the body is actually doing in a pose.
A patient might say:
“My back feels worse after backbends.”
“My shoulder hurts in chaturanga or downward dog.”
“My hip feels pinched in pigeon pose.”
“My hamstring never fully settles.”
“My neck feels strained after class.”
“I thought I was doing something good for my body, so why am I in pain?”
These are common patterns.
The issue is rarely that someone is “bad at yoga”. In fact, many of the people I see are dedicated, and body-aware. The issue is often that their body has learnt how to achieve the shape of a pose without having the alignment, stability or tissue capacity to support it well.
In other words, the body can sometimes perform the posture without truly organising the movement.
Flexibility is not the same as freedom
In modern wellness culture, flexibility is often celebrated.
A deeper backbend, a lower split, a more open hip, a bigger twist, these are visually impressive, and social media has made them even more desirable.
But clinically, flexibility alone does not equal healthy movement.
A joint can move a long way and still be poorly supported.
A muscle can stretch easily and still be weak.
A person can look graceful in a pose while certain areas of the body are quietly overworking, compressing or guarding.
This is especially relevant in yoga, Pilates, barre, reformer Pilates and mobility-based training, where similar movement patterns may be repeated several times a week.
It is about whether the body can remain integrated, supported, responsive and clear while moving there.
Common yoga-related injuries I see in clinic
1. Repetitive spinal extension
Backbends can be beautiful and therapeutic when they are well organised. But repeated spinal extension can become irritating when most of the movement comes from a small number of areas, often the lower back or the base of the neck.
This can contribute to lower back compression, SI joint irritation, front-of-hip tightness, rib flare, neck tension, or a feeling of being “open” but unstable afterwards.
In alignment-based yoga, we look at how the pelvis, ribs, thoracic spine and shoulder girdle support the backbend. Without that integration, the lower back may keep taking the load.
2. Shoulder loading in plank, chaturanga and downward dog
Many shoulder problems in yoga come from repeated weight-bearing through the arms without enough shoulder blade organisation.
The person may be strong, but the shoulder may still be poorly supported.
Common signs include pain at the front of the shoulder, biceps tendon irritation, upper trapezius gripping, restricted external rotation, pain in side plank or chaturanga, a dull ache after practice, or loss of confidence in overhead movement.
The shoulder is not just a ball-and-socket joint. It depends heavily on the ribcage, thoracic spine, collarbone, shoulder blade, rotator cuff and nervous system tone. When the shoulder blade cannot glide, rotate and stabilise well, the shoulder joint often pays the price.
3. Hip compression mistaken for hip opening
Hip-opening poses are some of the most popular in yoga, but also some of the most misunderstood.
A deep hip stretch is not always a useful hip stretch.
Some people experience a pinching sensation at the front of the hip in poses such as pigeon, deep lunges, malasana, lotus preparation, or wide-legged forward folds. This may not be “tightness releasing”. It may be compression, irritation, or the hip reaching a structural limit.
The body may then compensate through the lower back, SI joint, knee or pelvic floor.
A good question is not simply, “Can I get deeper?”
A better question is, “Where is the movement actually coming from, and does the joint feel spacious, supported and safe?”
4. Overstretching and nervous system guarding
Many people stretch because they feel tight.
But sometimes the sensation of tightness is not only a muscle-length problem. It may be the nervous system creating protection.
If someone is stressed, sleep-deprived, emotionally overloaded, hypermobile, injured, or recovering from pain, the body may create tone to feel safe.
In that case, aggressive stretching may not solve the problem. It may even increase guarding.
This is where breath, pacing, mindfulness and a more intelligent relationship with sensation become very important.
Not every sensation needs to be chased.
Not every edge needs to be pushed.
The London factor: busy bodies and limited recovery
In London, many people are living with a high baseline of stress.
They may work long hours, sit at a laptop, commute across the city, travel frequently, train hard, sleep too little, and then expect a 60-minute yoga or Pilates class to undo everything.
The nervous system does not always work like that.
If the body arrives at practice already braced, tired or overstimulated, it may not need intensity. It may need regulation, clarity and better sequencing.
For some people, the most therapeutic practice is not the deepest one.
It is the one that teaches the body how to feel safe, organised and present again.
Why body awareness matters more than the shape of the pose
A mature movement practice is not about collecting shapes.
It is about refining perception.
Can you feel where the weight is going?
Can you sense whether the breath is still available?
Can you notice when the jaw, neck, diaphragm, pelvic floor or hands start gripping?
Can you tell the difference between stretch, compression, effort, pain, fear and habit?
This is where my background in alignment-based yoga and insight mindfulness strongly informs my clinical approach.
Body awareness is not vague.
It is a skill.
When developed properly, it helps a person understand what their body is actually doing, rather than what they think it is doing.
In clinic, I often have to slow the patient down. Not because they are lazy or incapable, but because they have been moving too quickly to notice the foundation of the movement.
A pose, like a rehabilitation exercise, has a foundation.
If the foundation is unclear, the body will find a shortcut.
How I approach yoga-related injuries
When someone comes to clinic with pain linked to yoga, Pilates or movement practice, I do not usually tell them to simply stop forever.
Instead, I want to understand what movements aggravate the symptoms, what positions feel relieving, and whether the issue is mobility, stability, coordination, load, recovery, irritation, or nervous system guarding.
I also look at how the spine, pelvis, shoulder blades, hips and breath are interacting, and what the person is trying to achieve through their practice.
Treatment may include hands-on therapy, Activator Methods Chiropractic where appropriate, soft tissue work, rehabilitation exercises, movement re-education, postural awareness, clinical photobiomodulation therapy, and guidance on how to modify practice intelligently.
The aim is to help the patient build a more honest and sustainable relationship with their body.
What to do if yoga is starting to hurt
If your practice is causing pain, do not ignore it simply because yoga is “supposed to be good for you”.
Start by asking:
Does the pain appear during the pose or afterwards?
Does it settle quickly, or linger into the next day?
Is the discomfort sharp, nervy, pinching or unstable?
Am I repeating the same movement pattern too often?
Am I using flexibility to avoid building strength?
Am I forcing a range my body is not ready to own?
Am I practising from awareness, or from performance?
A useful rule is this:
A good practice should leave you feeling clearer, steadier and more integrated, not progressively more irritated, compressed or vulnerable.
When to seek professional help
It is worth seeking professional assessment if pain is persistent, keeps returning after practice, wakes you at night, causes pins and needles, numbness, weakness, sharp catching, loss of movement, or makes you feel less confident using your body.
It is also worth getting help if you feel you have to keep modifying everything yourself but never quite understand what the underlying pattern is.
Pain does not always mean something serious is happening, but it is information. The earlier you understand the pattern, the easier it is to change it.
Yoga can still be part of the healing process
Yoga is not the enemy.
Unconscious repetition is the problem.
Overstretching is the problem.
Forcing end range is the problem.
Using yoga as performance rather than awareness is the problem.
When practised with precision, humility and good guidance, yoga can be deeply therapeutic. It can help restore mobility, improve breathing, strengthen awareness, calm the nervous system and reconnect a person with the body.
But the practice has to evolve with the person.
What helped you five years ago may not be what your body needs now.
What looks impressive may not be what is most healing.
And sometimes the most advanced practice is learning to do less, but feel more.
Final thought
If yoga, Pilates, barre or mobility work has started to create pain, it does not mean your body is failing.
It may simply mean your body is asking for a more refined conversation.
Pain is often not a sign that you need to abandon movement. It is often a sign that the way you are moving needs more support, clarity and intelligence.
A healthy practice should not disconnect you from your body.
It should help you listen more deeply.
And when that happens, yoga becomes more than exercise.
It becomes a way of meeting the body with honesty, skill and care.
Dr Harvey Young
Holistic Chiropractor
Harvey Young Advanced Holistic Therapy
https://www.harveyyoungaht.com/
