Well, this poses a challenge for yogis!
Yoga has a lot of flex appeal — it can increase strength, improve posture and lower the odds of developing chronic diseases.
But a triple-board-certified neurologist warns that some yoga poses can raise the risk of stroke, a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted.
“Ironically, certain types of yoga can be helpful in aiding motor recovery following stroke,” Dr. Jeremy M. Liff, a senior member of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery and a neurologist at Northwell Lenox Hill, told The Post.
“However, other yoga poses can potentially cause strokes by injuring the arteries that run from the neck to the brain,” he added.
A cervical arterial dissection is a tear in the wall of a neck artery. A stroke occurs when blood enters the damaged wall and forms a clot that travels to the brain.
Cervical arterial dissection is responsible for 1% to 2% of all strokes and up to 25% of strokes in young and middle-aged people, clinicians noted in a 2022 case report about a 63-year-old man who suffered arterial dissection after a yoga session.
People have experienced spontaneous carotid artery dissection — a type of cervical artery dissection — for a variety of reasons, “from hyperextension of the neck during yoga or alcohol consumption to violent coughing and vomiting or chiropractic manipulation,” researchers wrote in April in the Annals of Vascular Surgery.
Yoga poses that involve extreme neck extension or place weight and pressure on the head can be hazardous, particularly for those who are older or who suffer from cervical spine disease, Liff said.
Here’s a look at three yoga moves that have been linked to strokes.
Wheel pose
A 1973 case report — one of the first to document the potential for a stroke following yoga — revealed that a 28-year-old woman suffered a narrowing of her left vertebral artery and a stroke after doing the wheel pose.
The deep backbend, also known as upward bow or Urdhva Dhanurasana, is supposed to open the chest, shoulders and hips while strengthening the arms, legs, spine and core muscles.
Fish pose
The fish pose, also called Matsyasana, is a reclining back-bending move.
Physical therapist Susan Eaton said she ran into trouble doing an advanced version of the pose that added more weight to her head and neck.
“It’s a hyperextended neck pose that as a physical therapist I later questioned,” Eaton told NBC News at the time. “I had done this pose before, but this time I was uneasy, as though I knew I might be pushing myself to the edge.”
She suffered a stroke four days later, having torn her left carotid artery.
Hollowback handstand
Yoga influencer Rebecca Leigh said she was practicing the “pretty intense” handstand when her vision became blurry.
“This pose requires you to extend your neck, drop your hips back and arch your lower spine all while upside down in a handstand,” she noted.
She visited the emergency room two days later, when her right eye drooped and her pupils appeared to be two different sizes.
She had torn her right carotid artery.
“The doctor on staff said, ‘Well, you, my dear, had a stroke,’” Leigh said.
“We spent the next two days in the neurological intensive care unit while they tried to figure out why a healthy, happy, active, non-smoking, healthy eating, lifelong athlete of 39 years had just had a stroke,” she added.
You should consult with a doctor before starting any exercise regimen, especially if you have pre-existing health issues.
Over 795,000 Americans are expected to have a stroke this year, which can affect balance, vision and speech and cause drooping or numbness in the face.
High blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol can increase stroke risk, as well as poor lifestyle habits like cigarette use, inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption.
