How to Avoid Yoga Wrist Pain
Yoga offers a variety of challenging options that allow students to build strength and flexibility without placing pressure on the wrists.
Becca is the author of Teaching Yoga: Creative Cueing for Safer Mixed Level Classes. A long-time studio owner and teacher trainer, she now teaches online, blogs, and creates resources for other yoga teachers.
One of the most common complaints from new yoga students is wrist pain and soreness. Many have not done weight-bearing exercises on their hands before, and it takes time to build up strength. It is important to address wrist pain early to avoid it becoming worse and to prevent long-term issues. Of course, if you have any questions at all about your wrist pain, then make an appointment to see your doctor.
In this article, I’ll cover why yoga wrist pain occurs, how to prevent it, and modifications to common poses that place less pressure on the wrists. Those experiencing wrist pain can still practice yoga if they adapt their practice for awhile, allowing their hands and wrists to heal.
Why Yoga Wrist Pain Happens
The number one reason beginners experience yoga wrist pain is too many sun salutations and arm balances at the beginning of their journey. Students who push themselves too hard and do not listen to their body are also at greater risk for wrist injury.
Those who use their hands and wrists heavily at their jobs may also be a greater risk for pain, especially if their wrists are already stressed or inflamed.
Sometimes, starting a new physical activity can reactivate previous injuries. Those who experienced hand and wrist injuries in the past from a fall or sports may find those injuries sore and inflamed again.
Older students with arthritis in their hands, even if they are very fit, may not tolerate weight-bearing poses on the hands.
Even those students who have not previous had issues with their wrists may experience wrist pain in yoga or after class due to improper alignment. Dumping all the weight into the wrists, rolling to the outside of the hands, or turning the hands outward too much may all create issues over time. Check out my alignment suggestions below.
Watch Becca demonstrate modified Sun Salutations. Find more videos like this in the FREE video course based on her book Teaching Yoga.
Prevention of Wrist Pain in Yoga
Start Slowly
It is best practice for those new to yoga to start with a small number of Sun Salutations for the first month and notice how their hands and wrists feel before, during, and after class. Avoid trying the popular arm balances like Crow and Handstand for awhile and build up strength. Taking time to build wrist strength is easier than recovering from an injury.
Warm-up and Stretch
Some students need more wrist warm-ups than others. However, it is helpful for everyone to warm-up the hands and wrists before practicing poses like Downward Dog and Plank. Gentle work such as Cat/Cow and Bird Dog variations puts weight on the wrists but not too much. These poses are helpful to prepare the wrists for more challenging poses. Some students may need to arrive to class a little early and add in their own finger and wrist stretches. Circling the wrists, practicing reverse namaste, gently pulling the fingers back, and self massaging the hands may all help to reduce discomfort.
Proper Alignment for Weight-Bearing Poses on the Hands
Hands are placed shoulder-width apart or a little wider. Feel the line of energy from the fingertips all the way into the shoulder blades.
Place the hands with fingers pointing forward towards the front of the mat, or slightly turned out (but avoid turning them out too much to prevent pinching the wrists).
Spread out the fingers.
Press actively into all the fingertips and knuckles, to take some of the weight off of the wrists.
Press evenly into both sides of the hands (avoid rolling to the outside of the hands)
For those with less flexible shoulders, turn the shoulders out slightly, with the fingers following this small turnout in order to get the pointer finger and knuckle grounded onto the mat.
Remember to activate your core and engage your shoulders. Poses like Downward Dog and Plank are poses that need the entire body involved to avoid dumping too much weight into the hands.
Cross Train
This is especially important for those students who are working towards arm balances and flows with many Sun Salutations. Strengthen the wrists in other ways, such as weight lifting and hanging from a bar. Squeeze a therapy ball, practice resistance with a therapy band, or use light hand weights for targeted work.
Maintain Wrist Health off the Mat
Make ergonomic adjustments to the work space, reducing as much wrist strain as possible. Add in strengthening and stretching wrist exercises during your breaks throughout the day with light hand weights, balls, and therabands. Avoid carrying too many bags or boxes at once, by making additional trips.
Modify the Practice to Avoid Wrist Pain from Yoga
Using Props for Support
If the wrist irritation is minor, then using props for slight modifications or support may provide enough comfort to continue without exploring more modifications. Here are some examples of prop options:
Extra Mat
Double up and stagger the mats. Place the top mat so the heel of the hand is on two mats while the fingers and knuckles are on one mat. This may help for poses like Downward Dog and Plank. Roll or fold up an extra mat to lift up the wrists in certain poses, reducing the angle of wrist extension.
Wedges
Some students find using a wedge helpful for poses on the hands, others feel it puts too much pressure on their knuckles, or they slide too much. I give these a very mixed review, and general recommend people try the blocks with handles first.
Yoga Blocks with handles
There are many different types of yoga blocks with handles or special grips that are marketed to try and solve the problem of yoga wrist pain. Sometimes these products work well for people, but not always. It depends on the irritation or injury. It is worth trying, but keep in mind that with most of these products weight is going on a smaller area of the hand, and may cause new issues over time. Some popular yoga blocks with handles are the Yoga Grips (https://a.co/d/auPXpHs) and the Wrist Buddy (https://a.co/d/hHstFcs).
Modifying Sun Salutations
Step back into a low lunge from Mountain, instead of jumping to Chaturanga. Then move to Dolphin, and forearm plank to building shoulder strength without placing pressure on the wrists.
Since Sun Salutations are a big part of popular vinyasa classes, wrist pain in yoga causes students to just quit practicing. This is a shame because there are so many ways to practice yoga without putting so much pressure on the wrists. Here are some options for still attending your favorite flow class but reducing the pressure on the wrists from Sun Salutations. Check out the video below that coves all these options!
Reduce the number of Sun Salutations
Choose to practice another challenging standing pose such as Half Moon, Big Toe Hold, or Warrior 3 while the rest of the class goes through their vinyasa (yoga teachers: offer this option to your students to create a welcoming environment)
Yoga Blocks with Handles
Try using the yoga blocks mentioned above for some or all of the Sun Salutations.
Remove Chaturanga Dandasana
Simply avoid doing Chaturanga Dandasana. Instead try moving from Downward Dog, to High Plank, and then use the knees to lower down to the floor. Practice Cobra or Sphinx instead of Up Dog.
Include Dolphin and Forearm Plank
Instead of practicing Downward Dog, Chaturanga, and UpDog, practice Dolphin (Forearm Dog), then walk the feet back to a Forearm Plank. Put the knees down and lower to the floor choosing Cobra or Sphinx instead of Up Dog. Although this modifications is a little awkward at first, most students work it out and gain a lot of shoulder strength while avoiding weight on the wrists.
Use a Chair
Although most people won’t use this option due to ego, it works quite well! If the student places their mat at the back of the room the chair won’t be in the line of sight of other students. The chair is only used during the Sun Salutations, by placing the hands on the chair seat for Downward Dog and Lunges. Updog may be possible by holding onto the sides of the chair. Check out my video covering Modified Sun Salutations below.
Modifications for Common Poses
Downward Dog
Dolphin (Forearm Dog), Stacked Mats, Yoga Blocks with Handles
High Plank
Forearm Plank, Stacked/Folded Mats, Yoga Blocks with Handles
Side Plank
Forearm Plank, Stacked/Folded Mats, Yoga Blocks with Handles
UpDog
Cobra, Sphinx, Stacked Mats, Yoga Blocks with Handles
Handstand
Forearm Stand (Peacock)
Crow/Crane
Stacked Mats or avoid pose. The forearm modification for this pose does not work for most students. Continue to strengthen shoulders with Dolphin and Forearm Plank while wrists heal.
Wheel (Full Backbend)
Bow, Camel, Rolled/Folded up mat against the wall to place the wrists on. Sturdy blocks placed against the wall at an angle for the hands. Practice over a large exercise ball.
Cat/Cow
These poses and many of their variations can be practiced seated and standing.
Don’t Let Yoga Wrist Pain Keep You from Practicing!
Once the wrists are inflamed it often take a few weeks or more to recovery. It is not uncommon for the recovery period to take a few months. If you are experiencing this now, try to be mindful and listen to your body. You can still actively practice yoga by focusing on other elements of the practice. Dive deeply into challenging standing sequences, improve your balance, work on your flexibility in the shoulders and hips, or learn about pranayama and meditation.
By taking time and slowly building up wrist strength students can avoid yoga wrist pain developing. Listening to the body is key. When the wrists start to feel even slightly inflamed use props or take modified versions of the poses to avoid long term issues. Make the practice your own. Yoga is for making our lives better, so we must practice in a way to support that outcome. ♢
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