YMCA Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with osteoporosis attends your yoga class. Which category of movements requires the most modification or avoidance?
- Gentle hip openers in a reclined position
- Deep spinal flexion and high-impact movements (Correct answer)
- Pranayama and breath-focused practices
- Savasana and restorative poses
Correct answer: Deep spinal flexion and high-impact movements
Deep spinal flexion increases vertebral compression fracture risk in osteoporotic individuals, and high-impact loading must also be avoided.
Question 2: Which cue best helps students protect the knee joint during Chair Pose (Utkatasana)?
- Let the knees drift inward to deepen the squat
- Keep knees aligned over the second toe and avoid knees passing the toes excessively (Correct answer)
- Lock the knees straight for better quadriceps activation
- Rotate knees outward as far as possible
Correct answer: Keep knees aligned over the second toe and avoid knees passing the toes excessively
Tracking the knee over the second toe and limiting excessive forward travel reduces valgus stress and compressive forces on the knee joint.
Question 3: What does 'proprioception' refer to in the context of yoga injury rehabilitation?
- The ability to breathe deeply during challenging poses
- The body's sense of its own position and movement in space (Correct answer)
- The flexibility of connective tissue around a joint
- The cardiovascular response to sustained asana practice
Correct answer: The body's sense of its own position and movement in space
Proprioception is the sensory feedback system that allows the body to detect joint position and movement, which is often impaired after injury.
Question 4: A student recovering from rotator cuff surgery asks about returning to Downward Dog. What is the most appropriate guidance?
- Allow full practice immediately if pain is absent
- Recommend medical clearance and gradual load progression starting with supported modifications (Correct answer)
- Avoid all weight-bearing on the arms permanently
- Replace with unsupported headstands to strengthen the shoulder differently
Correct answer: Recommend medical clearance and gradual load progression starting with supported modifications
Post-surgical return to practice requires medical clearance and a progressive loading approach to avoid re-injury to healing tissue.
Question 5: Which muscle group is most important to strengthen to prevent anterior knee pain (patellofemoral syndrome) in yoga practitioners?
- Hip flexors and calves
- Quadriceps, especially VMO, and hip abductors (Correct answer)
- Hamstrings and gastrocnemius
- Tibialis anterior and peroneals
Correct answer: Quadriceps, especially VMO, and hip abductors
Strengthening the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and hip abductors improves patellar tracking and reduces patellofemoral stress.
Question 6: During a yin yoga class, a student reports numbness in the feet during Dragon Pose (a deep hip flexor lunge). What should the instructor do?
- Tell the student to ignore it as it is a normal sensation in deep stretches
- Ask the student to exit the pose, as numbness may indicate nerve or vascular compression (Correct answer)
- Encourage the student to hold the pose longer to allow the sensation to pass
- Suggest shifting more weight into the pose to 'open up' the area
Correct answer: Ask the student to exit the pose, as numbness may indicate nerve or vascular compression
Numbness indicates potential nerve or vascular compromise, which requires the student to exit the pose immediately to restore circulation and nerve function.
Question 7: What is the role of eccentric muscle contractions in yoga-based rehabilitation?
- They are avoided because they cause delayed onset muscle soreness
- They help rebuild tendon and muscle strength by loading tissue during lengthening (Correct answer)
- They are used only in cardiovascular yoga styles
- They focus on shortening the muscle under resistance
Correct answer: They help rebuild tendon and muscle strength by loading tissue during lengthening
Eccentric loading—resisting force as a muscle lengthens—is a proven rehabilitation tool for rebuilding tendon resilience and muscle strength.
YMCA Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation 3
A student with osteoporosis attends your yoga class.
Which category of movements requires the most modification or avoidance?