Yoga for Joint Health

By Alyssa Brown and Lucas Bader MD

Yoga for Joint Health is a comprehensive step-by-step guide for using yoga and lifestyle modifications to promote joint health. This book is ideal for anyone interested in maintaining the health of their joints or reducing symptoms associated with joint injuries, such as pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Whether you are an All-Star athlete, or a couch potato looking to reclaim feeling good in your body again, this book can help you!

If you are ready to build strength, improve flexibility and overall well being, the twelve safely-designed yoga sequences in this book are waiting for you. The yoga classes in this book are ideal for any skill level. In addition to yoga classes, this book features four meditations to aid in the healing and maintenance of your joints. If you’ve tried supplements and pain pills but still feel discomfort in your joints, yoga may be the missing link to improve your joint mobility and reduce symptoms related to your condition.

This book will help you to:

• Understand your joint anatomy and why injuries occur
• Learn the science behind yoga and how it can improve joint health
• Practice safe yoga sequences, specifically designed to improve mobility
• Develop body awareness, practice mindfulness and promote healing
• Discover nutrition and lifestyle tips to support your joint health

This book can help anyone with an interest in joint health, pain management, yoga, improving athletic performance, mindfulness and wellness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543913873

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

WHY YOGA FOR JOINT HEALTH?

The idea for this book was born through a partnership between an orthopedic surgeon and a yoga instructor, who both share a passion for helping others improve the quality of their life and the health of their body.

Lucas J. Bader, MD is a joint surgeon and a practicing yogi who has seen first-hand the benefits that a yoga practice can have on improving mobility and joint health.

Alyssa Brown is a yoga instructor, certified health coach, and personal trainer who specializes in teaching clients how to infuse yoga and wellness practices into their daily life to optimize their health.

After attending Alyssa’s class, which always has a strong anatomic focus, Dr. Bader approached Alyssa about working together. They decided to combine their knowledge and write this book.

According to the CDC, over 54 million Americans have arthritis, and this number is estimated to increase to 78.4 million by 2040. The National Institute of Health reports that 1 in 10 Americans experience chronic pain. Research shows and the author’s experience verifies that appropriate daily movement, balanced nutrition, and wellness practices can help people to manage joint pain, treat joint disease, and reduce the severity of their symptoms. Aware of a solution and dissatisfied that so many people are struggling with some type of pain, mobility issue, or chronic form of joint dysfunction, Dr. Bader and Alyssa were inspired to develop a comprehensive guide on utilizing yoga to improve joint health and assist anyone suffering from joint issues.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

This book is ideal for a broad range of people. The valuable information provided in this book can benefit:

•Athletes or active persons looking to avoid an injury and stay healthy.

•Individuals with joint injuries or previous broken bones wanting support with healing.

•Individuals diagnosed with arthritis seeking tools to slow or prevent the progression of their condition.

•Sedentary individuals who are now ready to incorporate more movement and mindfulness into their life; this book will provide you with easy-to-implement practices to get moving and living well again.

•Medical providers interested in learning more about yoga for injury prevention, mobility improvement, and pain management.

•Yoga instructors, personal trainers, athletic trainers, and coaches looking for current research and yoga methods to improve the health of their clients, athletes, or students.

•Anatomy geeks who want to learn how yoga can maintain the health of their joints!

So, do you fall into one of those categories? Well, then you are in the right place! This book is ideal for ANYONE interested in feeling well and maintaining the health of their joints.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK:

Review the headers in each section of this book and read what interests you. Implement what will work for you and your lifestyle at this time, and sideline any information or tips that don’t seem accessible right now. You can always revisit any information in this book that doesn’t appeal to you at a later date.

Are you ready to start yoga now? Beginning on page 43 are the actual yoga sequences (aka yoga classes) that you can follow to begin improving the health of your joints right away!

THE HISTORY OF YOGA

Yoga, as it’s practiced in the West today, is a drastic departure from its origins over 5000 years ago. Yoga began as a series of scriptures, rituals, mantras, and songs used for spiritual devotion. The practices within yoga were intended to promote self-awareness, strip the self of the ego, and develop a connection with a higher power.

When yoga first came to the West in the late 1800s, the primary methods being taught were focused on breathing, mental focus (meditation) and positive thinking to develop a higher consciousness. Not until the 1920s did yoga asana, or the physical practice of yoga, emerge in the West. There were several yoga schools that taught asana (yoga postures) in the early 20th century in India. Some of the prodigal students of these yoga schools later traveled West and introduced physical yoga into the US. This is when forms of ashtanga and hatha yoga (the foundation of the popular forms of yoga in the US today) came onto the scene here in the States.

According to the 2016 Yoga in America Study (conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance), currently 36.7 million Americans practice yoga. This number has increased by 44% since 2012. Yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States and continues to grow. Why? Because it makes you FEEL better! In this book, you’ll learn the science behind this, as well as the yoga postures to promote good health.

YOGA FOR JOINT HEALTH

The most popular forms of yoga practiced today in the West are primarily based in hatha yoga. Students are led by an instructor and given a specific series of yoga postures (asanas) to be done in a specific sequence, each intended to prepare the body for the posture that follows.

As yoga has gained popularity in the United States in recent years, it’s also piqued the interest of researchers around the world, seeking to understand the physiological and psychological benefits of a regular yoga practice for joint health. Research in recent years has shown yoga to be beneficial for the following:

Later in the book you will learn how yoga achieves these amazing health benefits!

BASIC FUNCTION AND ANATOMY OF THE JOINTS

The primary purpose of the joint is to permit easy and efficient movement. From a design perspective, joints limit the amount of energy the body needs to expend to achieve graceful motion. In the harsh environment of our ancestors, joints made sprinting away from hungry animals and running toward life-sustaining food, infinitely easier. Well-functioning joints optimized the likelihood of survival and prosperity. In more modern times, properly functioning joints help us to enjoy many of the pleasures in life. Whether it’s hiking your favorite trail, tending to your garden, playing a sport, or dancing the night away, healthy joints are essential for quality of life.

THE STRUCTURE OF A JOINT

The joint is a complex structure with many pieces that exhibit unique, but overlapping design and function.

Listed below is a brief description of what makes up a joint.

Cartilage: Smooth exterior at the end of the bones that possesses shock-absorbing properties. Cartilage efficiently distributes force throughout the joint and provides a low-friction surface for fluid movement.

Subchondral bone: Area of bone just beneath cartilage. Healthy subchondral bone supports the joint’s cushioning characteristics and contributes to cartilage nutrition.

Synovium: The thin layer of tissue surrounding the joint. Synovium releases a special type of liquid called synovial fluid. Synovial fluid lubricates the joint, feeds nutrients to the joint, and removes joint toxins.

Tendon: Connects muscle to bone and insert near the joint. Tendons allow the force generated by muscle contraction to be transmitted to the joint to initiate and sustain movement.

Ligament: Connects one bone in the joint to another bone in the joint. Ligaments contribute to joint stability and help ensure a smooth arc of motion.

Meniscus: C-shaped, cushion-like material in the knee joint. The meniscus acts as a shock absorber and knee stabilizer.

Fat pad: Small area of fat deposits around the joint. The fat pad releases inflammation-promoting immune cells and pro-inflammatory substances.

Intervertebral disc: The disc is located between the bones that stack up to make the spinal column. The intervertebral discs are effective shock absorbers and contribute to spine stability.

TYPES OF JOINT INJURIES AND DISEASES

TYPES OF JOINTS

There are three kinds of joints in the human body: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial. An easy way to understand the difference between them is to assess their degree of movement.

Fibrous joints have no movement. Examples are the joints between the different bony parts of your skull. Fibrous joint are very important for in protecting vital organs, like your brain!

Cartilaginous joints move a little bit. An example is the pubic symphysis, which is a joint between the two halves of your pelvis. The pubic symphysis can be sprung upon during childbirth, leading to chronic pelvic pain. Cartilaginous joints are critical for stability.

Synovial joints move all over the place and are best illustrated by the joints in your shoulders, arms, hands, hips, legs, and feet. The synovial joints are necessary for efficient movement and are a prime target for yoga therapy. The hip joint is example is a ball and socket joint that can move in six different directions: forward, backward, toward the body, away from the body, and in and out rotation.

TYPES OF JOINT INJURIES

There are many different ways a joint becomes injured. In general, when an injury does occur, it is categorized as either acute or chronic. During acute injuries, some type of trauma occurs, and suddenly or a few days later you experience pain, swelling, stiffness, or weakness. It’s usually easy to recall the specific triggering event such as a fall, a slam, or a twist. In a chronic injury, symptoms tend to come on gradually and are episodic, with periods of intensity and periods of relative calm. Often, you don’t even remember when you first started having symptoms or even what might have caused the injury in the first place. Commonly, an acute injury suggests a healthy structure has been injured, while a chronic injury indicates an unhealthy structure is incapable of self-healing. Below are brief explanations of various joint injuries:

Cartilage injury: An acute cartilage injury can occur anytime cartilage is struck by the opposing bone. The figure below illustrates an acute cartilage injury, in which the undersurface of the kneecap bangs against the thigh bone. This causes a divot in the cartilage. In chronic disease, such as arthritis, cartilage becomes very disorganized and loses its ability to grow and repair itself. The result is cartilage with diminished shock- absorbing properties and a rough, jagged surface. Joint pain, stiffness, weakness, and swelling are frequent symptoms of cartilage injury.

Subchondral bone injury: An acute subchondral bone injury occurs when a bone breaks near the joint. This type of injury often accelerates the degeneration of the joint and leads to arthritis. In the later stages of chronic joint disease, subchondral bone becomes thickened and rigid, compromising the joint’s ability to properly cushion and distribute joint forces. Excessive subchondral bone formation is often referred to as bone spurs, as shown in the graphic below. Common symptoms of subchondral injury include pain, stiffness, weakness, and swelling.

Synovial injury: Injury to the synovium causes acute and chronic inflammation. The synovium houses many inflammatory cells and pain receptors; therefore, irritation can cause debilitating pain. Chronic synovial inflammation is a cardinal feature of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis. Characteristic findings of synovial injury are swelling, pain, stiffness, and weakness.

Tendon injury: Tendon injury involves some degree of tearing of the tendon. Tears can be partial or complete. Tendons are constructed like rope, with individual strands weaved together. When individual strands of the tendon fray, it is referred to as a partial tear. When the rope is completely