ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2019
Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Yoga for fatigue in people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Individual-Based Strategies to Reduce Nurse Burnout: An Umbrella Review.Journal of nursing management · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of in vivo stretching regimens on inflammation and its relevance to translational yoga research.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Exploring young women's experiences of a mindful yoga intervention for depression in the Netherlands: Qualitative analysis of positive and negative effects.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Comprehensive review on the benefits and physiological basis of yoga.World journal of methodology · 2026Review
- Efficacy of an Online Yoga Module in Alleviating Premenstrual Symptoms of Working Women in India: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2025Article
- Return to yoga following anatomic or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.JSES international · 2025Article
- Consensus-Based Recommendations for Yoga as Adjunct Therapy in Eating Disorder Treatment: A Delphi Study.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Therapeutic role of yoga in hypertension.World journal of methodology · 2024Review
- Prescribing Yoga for Mental Wellness: Need for a Nuanced Approach.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2024Article
- Yoga as a Complementary Therapy for Cancer Patients: From Clinical Observations to Biochemical Mechanisms.Complementary medicine research · 2024Review
- Yoga, a mindfulness therapy to prevent PTSD as to encompass athletes' performance.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- [Yoga as an intervention for chronic pain].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Review
- Prevalence of late and long-term effects of cancer (treatment) and use of complementary and alternative medicine in Norway.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Article
- Psychophysiological Adaptations to Yoga Practice in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Topical Review.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Kundalini Yoga for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease: A Preliminary Randomized Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- What helps older people persevere with yoga classes? A realist process evaluation of a COVID-19-affected yoga program for fall prevention.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Therapeutic role of yoga in neuropsychological disorders.World journal of psychiatry · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile yoga is increasingly used for health purposes, its safety has been questioned. The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to analyze yoga-associated adverse effects and their correlates.
methodsA cross-sectional anonymous national online survey among German yoga practitioners (n = 1702; 88.9% female; 47.2 ± 10.8 years) was conducted from January to June 2016. Participants were queried regarding their yoga practice, i.e. yoga styles used, length and intensity of yoga practice, practice patterns, and whether they had experienced acute or chronic adverse effects of their yoga practice. Independent predictors of acute or chronic adverse effects were identified using multiple logistic regression analyses.
resultsAshtanga yoga (15.7%), traditional Hatha yoga (14.2%), and Sivananda yoga (22.4%) were the most commonly used yoga styles. 364 (21.4%) yoga users reported 702 acute adverse effects, occurring after a mean of 7.6 ± 8.0 years of yoga practice. The most commonly reported yoga practices that were associated with acute adverse effects were hand-, shoulder- and head stands (29.4%). Using Viniyoga was associated with a decreased risk of acute adverse effects; practicing only by self-study without supervision was associated with higher risk. One hundred seventy-three participants (10.2%) reported 239 chronic adverse effects. The risk of chronic adverse effects was higher in participants with chronic illnesses and those practicing only by self-study without supervision. Most reported adverse effects concerned the musculoskeletal system. 76.9% of acute cases, and 51.6% of chronic cases reached full recovery. On average 0.60 injuries (95% confidence interval = 0.51-0.71) per 1000 h of practice were reported, with Power yoga users reporting the highest rate (1.50 injuries per 1000 h; 95% confidence interval = 0.98-3.15).
conclusionsOne in five adult yoga users reported at least one acute adverse effect in their yoga practice, and one in ten reported at least one chronic adverse effect, mainly musculoskeletal effects. Adverse effects were associated with hand-, shoulder- and head stands; and with yoga self-study without supervision. More than three quarters of of cases reached full recovery. Based on the overall injury rate per 1000 practice hours, yoga appears to be as safe or safer when compared to other exercise types.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.