Why Do Your Wrists Hurt After Yoga Practice? (Doctor’s Explanation)

If you are looking for a great way to improve your overall quality of life, you may have thought about adding yoga to your routine. Yoga can help you increase your lean muscle mass and cardiovascular endurance and help you reduce your stress levels. At the same time, yoga can be a strenuous workout. You must protect yourself before, during, and after your yoga routine. One of the most common complaints about yoga is that their wrists hurt after practice. What are some reasons why your wrist might hurt, and what can you do to rectify the situation? There are a few essential points that you should keep in mind.

You Are Sore From Using Muscles You Do Not Usually Use

One of the most common reasons your wrists might hurt after performing yoga is that you are sore from using muscles you do not usually use. When you perform yoga, you will ask your body to hold certain positions that it may not be holding. As you place new muscles under stress, you will develop lactic acid in your body. The good news is that once you get in better shape, this lactic acid and soreness should begin dissipating. You should stretch after you are done with yoga to give your body a chance to get rid of the lactic acid that may have built up in your wrists. 

You May Have Developed Tendonitis

If you notice the pain daily, you may have inflammation in your wrist. Specifically, you may have information involving the tendon. Tendons connect muscles to bones. If you overuse your tendons, you could develop chronic inflammation. This is called tendonitis, and it could lead to wrist pain that persists long after you are done with yoga. You may want to give your tendons a chance to relax. It is not unusual for people to develop tendonitis if they try to use their wrist muscles too much too quickly. You need to ease into new activities to give your body a chance to adjust. 

You Might Have Swelling in the Carpal Tunnel

You might also have swelling in the carpal tunnel. People can develop carpal tunnel syndrome from yoga. For example, you may have inflammation that has developed in your wrist, which compresses the median nerve. Specifically, if you notice shooting pains traveling down your forearms into your wrists, this is a sign that you may have developed carpal tunnel syndrome. Even though many believe they need surgery to treat carpal tunnel, that is not always the case. You may want to reach out to a physical therapist to see if you can recover from this condition without surgery.

You Might Have a Bone Bruise

You might also have pain in your wrist from a bone bruise. You need to think carefully about how you are holding certain positions during yoga. If you are placing an undue amount of pressure on your wrist, you could start to develop a bruise on your bone. This is a tender, focused pain, and you may need to take some time off yoga to recover. You should reach out to a doctor to discuss reducing the pressure on your wrists, particularly in the bony areas. 

How To Prevent Wrist Pain During Yoga

Even though there are a lot of causes of wrist pain, there are plenty of ways to prevent wrist pain from getting worse. A few of the points you should keep in mind include:

  • Always take a few minutes to warm up before placing your entire body weight on your wrists.
  • Take some time to stretch to increase your flexibility and your wrists.
  • Focus on strengthening your core muscle to take some of the stress off your wrists.
  • Always even to a new activity. Take some time to build up your strength before you push yourself too hard during yoga.

You might be able to reduce your chances of developing wrist pain during yoga.

Protect Yourself While Doing Yoga

There are many reasons why your wrists might hurt after yoga practice, and you must take care of your body once you are done. Do not forget to stretch when you are done with yoga, and remember that you need to ease into this new activity. If you try too quickly, you could put an undue amount of stress on your wrist, leading to ligament, tendon, or cartilage damage. If you feel like your wrist pain impacts your overall quality of life, you need to reach out to your doctor to schedule an appointment. 

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