Yoga, Hypermobility and Anxiety: How They Relate

May 10, 2017•4 min read

Understanding Joint Hypermobility: A Hidden Disorder

Joint hypermobility is a common but often undiagnosed connective tissue disorder. Several studies have linked hypermobility to stress-sensitive psychosomatic disorders such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic migraines, and fibromyalgia. It may also be associated with eating disorders and addictions. According to one study conducted in 2012 with 72 participants, people with diagnosed joint hypermobility are up to 16 times more likely to have panic or anxiety disorders. In another study, 70% of hypermobile patients had some kind of anxiety disorder compared to 22% of the control group. Several studies since then have yielded similar results, showing that if you're hypermobile, you're more likely to have anxiety, and if you have anxiety, you're more likely to be hypermobile.

The Link Between Hypermobility and Anxiety

My thoughts are that yoga fuels hypermobility by glorifying it. Try to find a stock photo of yoga online, and you're hard-pressed to find one where the yogi isn't extremely hypermobile. By doing this, we are creating a negative feedback loop for anxiety, where people think yoga is helping their anxiety and depression, but for a large percentage, it’s really making it worse. Since many of them practice 3-5 days a week and stretch in between, it's similar to any other negative feedback loop.

Yoga's Role in Exacerbating Hypermobility and Anxiety

Hypermobility is three times more common in females than males and affects up to 15% of the population as a whole. There are many variances on the scale of hypermobility, but I’m betting that 50% of the yogis in an average class fall somewhere on the spectrum.

The Hypermobile Yogi: A Common Scenario

Here's what I think often happens: A hypermobile girl in college goes to a yoga class with a friend while depressed. Maybe not clinically depressed, but let’s say her boyfriend just broke her heart, or she’s homesick. All the downward-facing dogs and chaturangas are tough, but when they get to full wheel, she nails it. She feels like a kid again and gets an ego boost from her friend, or even worse, the teacher praises her natural ability. She continues to go and then signs up for teacher training. She’s hooked and won’t realize the joint damage and increased anxiety until she’s in her 30s or 40s, and by then, it's often even more difficult to reverse.

Debunking Yoga Myths: Is It Really Helping?

Now, I know I'll be accused of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." I also realize there aren’t many yoga teachers glorifying joint hypermobility (JHM) on purpose, but in the land of "juicy assists," it’s hard to think otherwise. I can't say that I've worked with a ton of hypermobile yogis, but the ones that I have worked with do report high levels of anxiety. My guess is that as this trend continues, I will see more of them in my clinic. My first recommendation to a yogi like this would be to slow down and find a yoga teacher that sets very strong boundaries for your movements—a teacher who won’t let you go to end range and understands biomechanics.

Effective Yoga Practices for Hypermobile Individuals

You may also be thinking that surely there are studies that disprove this. I looked and found plenty, but when really looking into the abstracts, here’s what I found:

In studies that had the best reduction in anxiety, it was mostly pranayama (breath work) and meditation that were helpful.
Some of the best findings on modern postural yoga were in studies with veterans and male prisoners. In one study, only the men received benefits. (Men are less likely to be hypermobile 3:1)
Most of the studies were done with people who had no yoga experience and likely weren’t exercising at the time. (Of course, you feel better if you’re not moving much at all and then start)
Very few long-term studies were done, and most were only about 8 weeks. (Not long enough for hypermobile people to go deep into that pattern)
Many of the studies lacked a control group.
No studies mention hypermobility.

The Need for More Research: Yoga, Anxiety, and Hypermobility

The meditative aspects of yoga are amazing for your brain, and there are studies that support this. However, to my knowledge, there has been little research on the effects of power or vinyasa yoga on anxiety or hypermobility, much less one combining the two. Modern postural yoga is often touted as a way to reduce stress and anxiety.

Test Your Hypermobility: The Beighton Score

If you think you might be hypermobile, you can try this test and see where you rank:

http://hypermobility.org/help-advice/hypermobility-syndromes/beighton-score/

Final Thoughts: Balancing Yoga and Hypermobility

If you're thinking, "I'm hypermobile, but I still want to do vinyasa because it's fun," I get that. Yoga and life should be enjoyable! I also think it’s important to have this knowledge and know that the link between modern postural yoga and anxiety reduction is shaky at best. If you're hypermobile and still want to practice vinyasa, I recommend finding a good strength coach or Pilates teacher to help balance out your practice.

Drop me a line if you have any questions!