Pilates and yoga injuries: too much range, not too little

Pilates and yoga are among the best things most people can do for movement quality, and we recommend both regularly. But they do produce injuries, and the pattern is counter-intuitive: it is usually the most flexible participants who get hurt, not the stiffest.

End-of-range loading

Both disciplines involve moving joints towards their limits and holding there. For someone with restricted range, that is exactly what they need. For someone naturally hypermobile, it means loading a joint beyond where the surrounding muscle can control it — which is how ligaments and joint capsules get irritated.

Hamstring attachment pain

Persistent pain right at the sit bone, worse with sustained forward folds and with sitting, is a common yoga presentation. It is usually a tendon attachment problem, and more stretching makes it worse rather than better — it needs loading, not lengthening. See muscular strains.

Necks and shoulders

Headstands, shoulder stands and repeated chaturanga load the cervical spine and rotator cuff in ways they are not habitually prepared for. Neck pain after inversion practice deserves proper assessment before continuing — our neck pain page explains what we look at.

Low back and repeated extension

Deep backbends load the facet joints and the posterior spine. People who sit all day and then perform repeated extension in the evening sometimes swing from one extreme to the other rather than restoring balance.

Hypermobility

If you have always been "the flexible one", the goal is control through range rather than more range. That reframing alone prevents a lot of injuries, and it is often the most useful thing we tell a yoga or pilates practitioner.

What a first appointment looks like

We start with what actually happened and what the demands of your sport are, then assess the injured area alongside the joints and muscles above and below it — because the painful structure is often not the limiting one. You get a diagnosis, a realistic timeframe, and a plan that accounts for your training and match schedule rather than assuming you can stop. If we think you need imaging or another practitioner, we will say so at that first visit rather than after six sessions.

Booking in

We are at 5/6-8 Langmore Lane, Berwick, with street parking directly outside and same-week appointments most weeks. Initial consultations are 60 minutes and $149, with private health rebates processed on the spot via HICAPS. No referral is required, and we also work with WorkCover, DVA and Medicare care plans where they apply.

Book an initial consultation at RISE Sports & Spinal in Berwick. Clear diagnosis, hands-on treatment, and a plan that actually gets you better.