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Shoulder Pain With Yoga? Adjust your “Downward Dog”!

Last updated on September 8, 2020 By Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT 4 Comments

The bones and tendons of the arms are not anatomically equipped to bear the brunt of our weight. If they were, we would still be walking around on all fours. The yoga “downward facing dog” position places us “on all fours,” placing abnormal stress on the tendons of the rotator cuff as the shoulder joints are placed in an extreme, flexed position (take a look at the pose!).

In order to understand the nature of the strain imposed on the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder, it is necessary to understand a bit of shoulder anatomy. As seen in the illustration, there are two boney ridges on the head of the humerus, the lesser tubercle and the greater tubercle. These ridges often rub against the acromion that lies directly above them during specific activities such as downward dog. Rotator cuff tendons and the biceps tendon are also often irritated as they originate in this already cramped area.

If you are experiencing shoulder irritation from this yoga position, try rotating your hands outward slightly as they are placed on the floor. The outward rotation of the hands is accompanied by slight outward rotation of the head of the humerus. This rotation can partially clear the tubercles and tendons out of the way of the above-lying acromion.

Realize, however, that there is a limit to how much you can turn your hands out with a downward dog position before you are placing too much stress on the wrists. Try turning your hands out only slightly (10-30 degrees) and see if this lessens irritation.

Physical therapist Kira Davis talks with yoga instructor, Lisa Martinez. Lisa gives us some insight on what led to her beginning yoga and how’s she’s grown in her practice.

This basic idea can be applied to numerous other activities that involve placing of the arms in an overhead position. If you are performing push-ups, bench presses, or military style presses with weights and encounter shoulder pain, try rotating the hands and shoulders slightly outward.

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Featured Tagged With: Shoulder



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About Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT

Dan is a licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, license #PT2916. He has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dan specializes in sports medicine & upper extremity rehabilitation. He is a Certified Hand Therapist, certified by the American Society of Hand Therapists (initial certification date 11/6/2004, certification #1041100023). Dan has extensive continuing education in manual therapy from the Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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Discussion

  1. banana recipes says

    July 17, 2013 at 3:56 am

    This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep a
    reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved
    to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!
    ) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you
    presented it. Too cool!

    Reply
    • Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT says

      July 19, 2013 at 11:44 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. J v Staden says

    August 19, 2013 at 8:33 am

    I have unfortunately damaged my shoulders by holding a downdog position for too long. I suspect it might be damage to the tendons – if I do any downdog poses or work with my shoulders (scrubbing a floor) I experience pain for a day afterwards. The injury happened about 3 months ago. Should I be avoiding shoulder excercises and how long to shoulder tendons take to heal?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT says

      August 20, 2013 at 11:09 am

      Jean

      Downward dog position can certainly cause the supraspinatus tendon to rub up against the acromion portion of the scapula. I would certainly go and talk to a PT or doc about this, as it is entirely possible that you do not have ideal strength in the muscles that support your shoulder blades. Let’s make sure that you don’t have any weakness that is predisposing you to this type of problem.

      Depending on your age, tendon irritation can hang around for many months. I would avoid any exercise that involves bringing your arms overhead. Also no push-ups.

      Dan

      Reply

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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for Educational Purposes Only and is not designed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions. Answers to questions submitted are merely the opinion of the physical therapist and should not be taken as a prescribed course of action. Any advice given by the therapist must be cleared with the treating physician involved in direct patient care. The person posing the question absolves the responder of any liability in regards to opinions given. PhysioDC insists that all patients receive approval from a prescribing physician prior to starting a structured exercise program involving any of the exercises included on this site. PhysioDC.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com; proceeds from product sales help cover the operational & maintenance costs for the site.