Keeping your shoulders safe: How to prevent impingement in your yoga practice
(Global Heart) If you have ever felt a sharp pinch or a dull ache when reaching your arms overhead during a Sun Salutation, you might be experiencing shoulder impingement. While yoga is meant to create space in the body, certain repetitive movements can actually do the opposite if we aren’t careful with our alignment.
What exactly is shoulder impingement?
To understand impingement, imagine the anatomy of your shoulder. You have the head of your upper arm bone (the humerus). And you have a bony part of your shoulder blade called the acromion. Between these two bones sit your rotator cuff muscles—the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor—along with small, fluid-filled sacs called bursa that act as cushions.
When you lift your arm above shoulder height, that space gets smaller. If the humerus bone presses too hard against the acromion, it pinches the tendons or the bursa. Over time, this friction leads to inflammation (tendonitis or bursitis), making movement painful and restricted.
Common “pinch points” in your flow
Many classic yoga poses require us to bring our arms high above our heads. If done with a “collapsed” shoulder or poor rotation, these poses can become problematic over time:
- Sun salutations: Specifically, the transition from Mountain Pose (Tadasana) into a Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), which often involves a large sweeping motion of the arms over the head.
- Extended side angle pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana): Where the top arm reaches long over the ear.
- Extended arms in child’s pose (Balasana): When reaching the arms far forward on the mat with active extension.
- Half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana): Whether in the standing balance or the lateral side stretch, the arm is extended high above the shoulder line.
- Gate pose (Parighasana): A deep lateral stretch where the arm is extended over the head.
How to protect your joints
The good news is that you don’t have to stop doing these poses. You just need to tweak how you get into them. Here are two effective ways to reduce the pressure:
- Change your path (The forward plane). The first method to reduce pressure is to eliminate large, sweeping “lateral” arm transitions. In sun salutations, try lifting your arms straight up through the forward plane (in front of your face) instead of sweeping them out to the sides. By keeping your arms in your peripheral vision as they move up. There is significantly less pressure on the head of the humerus.
- Focus on rotation. The greatest risk of impingement occurs when the arm is high above the shoulder and internally rotated (with the palm facing forward or away). If a posture requires your arm to be overhead and in line with your neck, like in extended side angle or half moon, take note of your hand position.
Pro tip: Turn your palm inward, toward your body. This creates an outward rotation of the humerus. As a result, the head of the humerus to be pulled naturally downward and away from the acromion. They not only creates more space in the joint but also encourages your shoulder blades to slide downward, away from your ears. This helps balance the shoulder girdle and relieves pressure on the neck.
Listen to your body
Yoga should be about vitality, not “pushing through” a pinch. If you feel persistent pain, it is always a good idea to chat with a healthcare professional to see what’s going on under the surface. By staying mindful of your alignment, you can keep your shoulders strong and mobile for years to come.
Source: Global Heart
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