Yoga injuries on the rise

More and more people have been taking up yoga in recent years -- and their rate of yoga-related injuries has also climbed, a new study finds.

Between 2001 and 2014, almost 30,000 Americans visited the emergency department for yoga-related sprains, fractures or other injuries, according to the report.

It’s a small number compared to how many people practice yoga, researchers said, and the odds of a serious injury are low.

However, the study found that the rate of ER-treated injuries increased over time: from about 9.5 for every 100,000 yoga participants in 2001, to 17 per 100,000 in 2014.

The figures reflect only injuries serious enough to warrant a trip to the emergency department. There’s no way to count all yoga-related injuries, which would more often be managed in doctors’ offices or left untreated, according to Thomas Swain, one of the study authors.

Still, no one is trying to scare people off their yoga mats.

“Overall, yoga appears relatively safe,” said Swain, a research assistant with at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Beyond that, there are potential gains, he pointed out. Studies have tied yoga to health benefits ranging from lower blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate, to improvements in depression, anxiety and sleep problems. (Medlineplus)