Study looks at injuries caused by extreme poses, but you can avoid them and still find your Zen.

A new yoga study published by the Mayo Clinic suggests that some of those extreme poses on the mat could land you in the doctor’s office.

That feeling of “shanti,” a Sanskrit word that means peace, calm or bliss, could be disrupted the next time you try the “king” of all poses – the headstand – and others that can lead to injury, primarily in people with bone-loss conditions including osteoporosis and osteopenia.

A retrospective study of 89 patients with injuries primarily caused by yoga and seen from 2006-2018 revealed a collection of soft tissue injuries, axial non-bony injuries and bony injuries, including compression fractures.

The poses most to blame involved hyperflexion and hyperextension of the spine, the study said.

But as in anything, moderation – and sometimes modification – are key, according to an IU Health physician.

Dr. Shashank Dave, who specializes in neck and spine treatment at the IU Health Neuroscience Center and IU Health North Hospital, treats many patients with yoga injuries, especially in the spine clinic at North.

“A lot of patients I’ll ask, ‘when did you start noticing symptoms,’ and more often lately they’ll say they were doing yoga and went into an extreme pose and had pain almost immediately.”

That, he said, is where yogis should stop.

“Pain is really a signal your body is giving you that it is being pushed too far,” he said. “Poses might be uncomfortable, but they should definitely not be painful.”

The Mayo report outlined a lot of the injuries he sees in his practice – head, neck and spine. Injuries can also occur in the hips and hamstrings.

“Sometimes we ask people, especially if they’ve got arthritis in their hips, knees or shoulder, even if it’s not painful, to avoid prolonged ranges of motion,” he said, “like the hip going into this wicked outward rotation might not be good for the joint itself.”

Dr. Dave is a yoga lover himself. He carves out time three days a week to practice the physical movements, breathing exercises and meditation that help center him.

“The benefits for me are really grounding myself, grounding my body,” he said, in addition to reducing stress.

And as an enthusiastic runner, yoga also helps him maintain flexibility and thus prevent injuries.

But he took it too far once. He recalled taking a yoga class during his residency in which the teacher asked him and others to go into a full headstand. He did it, but “I remember walking away from that with neck pain that I did not have to begin with,” he said.

There’s an element of pride that can overtake caution in a class with motivated students and a demanding teacher, but instructors can suggest modifications or variations to poses that can be done comfortably and safely, he said.

When in doubt, consult your primary care physician, Dr. Dave said, and don’t think you have to give up yoga.

In treating patients with yoga injuries, which might include physical therapy, the goal is to get them back to whatever activity they were doing, albeit modified.

“We want them to be more functional and independent,” he said. “Obviously, they wanted to go to yoga for a reason, so we ask the therapist to walk them through what they should and shouldn’t do during class and to be open with the teacher.”

There may not be a lot of cardiovascular benefits to yoga, but the improvement in overall fitness and quality of life should not be underestimated, Dr. Dave said.

“We want patients to be as active as possible, and the benefits of yoga outweigh some of these risks. If it’s done in the right way, there are so many benefits.”

–- By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior journalist
   Email: mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Two nurses who work in the same hospital formed a special bond when one became a kidney donor for the other.

There’s one happy cat in this world. Her name is “Gracie.” Several months ago Gracie’s picture was posted on social media with a sign that read: “My owner needs a new kidney.” The post included a phone number where readers could call to be tested as a kidney donor for the cat’s owner, Cathy Woodard, a nurse in Lafayette.

The Facebook page caught the eye of a fellow nurse Tina Scott. Other than nursing the two women didn’t have a lot in common. Scott, the mother of two adult children is a 50-year-old grandmother who lives in the country with her husband of 28 years, Carl. Woodard, 32, has been married to Ross Woodard for six years and they have a dog named, “Dixie,” and a cat named “Gracie.”

Four years ago Woodard was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. In July of 2018 she was added to the transplant list. Her body was on a fast track to renal failure and in December of 2018 she began dialysis.

Through it all she remained positive – even naming her dialysis machine, “Perry.”

A month after she was added to the transplant list, Woodard began reaching out on social media in hopes of finding a viable kidney donor.

“My best option is to find a living kidney donor instead of waiting up to five years for a transplant from a deceased donor. I am O positive. I don’t feel sick. I don’t look sick. I work three, 12-hour shifts a week. I do dialysis at home. I am tired all the time, I have a decreased appetite, and sometimes my blood levels are low. It could be a lot worse,” Woodard wrote.

After two months she still had no responses to her posts. So she increased her posts and also posted in a few groups. Her posts ended up being shared well over 500 times. One of those shares caught the eye of Scott – a fellow nurse who helped orient Woodard when she started working in CCU.

In October, Woodard received a message from Scott saying she was being tested as a donor. “It started with a blood test, then more blood tests, heart tests, urine tests, more blood work. Finally, in December, she had her final meeting with the IU Health transplant team. Then we waited,” said Woodard.  

For years, Scott had identified herself as a donor on her license. When she heard about Woodard’s story she felt the need to act now.

“I go on faith. If something happened to my remaining kidney I hope someone would step up for me,” said Scott. “People asked me, ‘what if one of your kids needs a kidney?’ My response is, ‘what if they don’t.’ I could live to be 100 and not have helped anyone. Nursing has showed me that life can change fast so you have to make the most of it.”

A post on Scott’s Facebook page reads: “No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.”

When the women learned they are a match, Woodward celebrated by ordering kidney-shaped cookies to share with the fellow nurses at their Lafayette hospital.

On Feb. 22 Woodward was in OR under the care of IU Health Dr. William C. Goggins. Scott was in another OR nearby under the care of Dr. Chandru P. Sundaram. The surgery was a success and four days later Woodard was released to go home.

Throughout her hospital stay Woodward offered daily updates on social media and even life reports.

After her transplant she wrote: “My life has been a roller coaster for the last year. From being at stage 5 kidney disease, being evaluated for transplant, placed on dialysis at home – this is the best news ever. Thank you all so much for your thoughts, your prayers, but most of all for sharing my posts about a donor. God has been with me through all of this by keeping me patient, calm, and as healthy as I could be for my disease. February 22nd is the start of a better life. I will forever have a special bond to my donor.”

— By T.J. Banes, Journalist, IU Health.
   Reach Banes via email tfender1@iuhealth.org.

On
May, 9, 2015, Mitch Piotrowski was heading home with his family to Flora after
spending the evening in Lafayette celebrating his daughter’s 15^th
birthday. He and his family came upon a wreck at SR26 and SR75. Piotrowski
pulled over to help. He remembers there being a lot of smoke but that is about
all he remembers. Another passing vehicle hit him and the man he was aiding,
sending Piotrowski 20 feet into the air, landing in a ditch 75 feet from the
road. 

Indiana University
Health LifeLine received the call at 10:33 pm, arrived on the scene at 11:05 pm
and performed lifesaving measures on Piotrowski. By 11:54 pm, Piotrowski was at
IU Health Methodist being treated for a lacerated kidney, three broken ribs, a
broken arm, a broken jaw, a broken orbital and head injuries.

Recently,
Piotrowski reached out on Facebook to thank the team who saved his life. IU
Health LifeLine made arrangements for him to be reunited with Dawn Jones, the
nurse who saved his life that night.

The two were
finally connected on Sunday, March 3 at the IU Health LifeLine hangar at Purdue
University Airport. Piotrowski was accompanied by his wife, Mary Jo and his
daughter Mary Beth. Many tears were shed and many hugs were shared. Piotrowski
and his family cannot say thank you enough.

“I don’t
take anything for granted these days,” stated Piotrowski. “I appreciate
everything IU Health did to save my life. You now have an entire family loyal
to IU Health for all our healthcare needs. Life is truly something to be
celebrated.”

The West Central
Region is lucky to have an established IU Health LifeLine critical air and
ground transport stationed at the Purdue University Airport. It allows the critical
care team to respond to accidents in our rural areas quickly, providing
life-saving measures. Patients can be transported quickly and safely to the
hospital best suited for their needs. 

Following the death of actor Luke Perry, it’s important to know the signs and risk factors for stroke.

The sudden death of actor Luke Perry this week from a reported massive stroke has left many people perhaps wondering if this could happen to them.

Perry, star of TV’s “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Riverdale,” was just 52 years old.

Stroke can strike anyone at any time, according to Dr. Jaison Grimes, who practices at the IU Health Neuroscience Center and IU Health Methodist Hospital, among others.

It’s a scary thought, he acknowledges. While he’s not privy to any underlying conditions that could have played a role in Perry’s death, he said the most common risk factors for stroke include obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. The two major types of stroke are ischemic, caused by a blood clot, and hemorrhagic, caused by a ruptured blood vessel. Ischemic strokes account for 80 percent of all strokes.

Symptoms of stroke include trouble walking, speaking and understanding, as well as paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg.

But there are no obvious early warning signs, Dr. Grimes said. If you wake up one morning and your arm is numb, that might just be the result of having slept on it wrong. But if that numbness hasn’t worn off within 15 minutes, you could have a problem, he said.

That’s when the acronym FAST comes into play: Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time to call 911.

Look in the mirror – is your face drooping? Raise your arms – does one move slower or drift down? Is your speech slurred? If you can answer yes to any or all of these signs, call for help.

“We know outcomes are better for treating stroke when folks make it to the hospital within three hours,” Dr. Grimes said.

Treatment is a clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) delivered intravenously.

“If that doesn’t take care of it, we’re able to go in and retrieve clots with neuro-interventional radiology,” he said, “improving outcomes even more.”

Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65, but it can happen at any age. Dr. Grimes said he’s seen pediatric stroke patients, as well as some in their late teens and 20s.

“Unfortunately, here at IU Health we see young folks come in with stroke all the time.”

Strokes need not be fatal. The earlier that treatment begins, the better the outcome, though there may be some lingering disabilities that can be addressed through physical, occupational and speech therapy.

The bottom line, Dr. Grimes said, is to lower your risk of stroke through diet and lifestyle changes, and pay attention to your body. “Don’t ignore symptoms.”

-– By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior journalist
   Email: mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
   Photo by Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0]

Something wasn’t right. Fleurette “Flo” Lewis knew she needed to trust her motherly instincts. It was just a couple weeks before Thanksgiving when she was on her way to work at 7:45 am and her phone rang.

It was a call no mother wants to get. It was her 14-year-old daughter on the phone. Lewis’ oldest daughter, LaTavia “Tavia” Livingston, 17, had fallen down a flight of stairs.

“She called me screaming. ‘Tavia fell down the stairs and hit her head.’ I was a couple miles from home and I whipped across four lanes of traffic, did a U-turn and told her to call 911,” said Lewis.

By the time she got home her daughter had a knot on her forehead and her face was swelling. She was conscious but in pain. Paramedics checked her out, got the bleeding under control and verified that her vitals were stable.

“She was going down the stairs and texting on her phone. She got to step four and tumbled with her feet over her head. The steps are carpeted but she smacked her head on a door at the bottom. I wasn’t comfortable not taking her to the hospital so I took her as a precaution,” said Lewis.

At the first checkup Lewis was told that if her daughter had a concussion she’d probably have some forgetfulness, headaches and nausea. She was sent home.

By the next day, Tavia was sleepy, lethargic and complaining of headaches. She slept all day and began vomiting in the middle of the night. Again, Lewis’ motherly instincts kicked in. She took her daughter back to the same hospital where they conducted a CT scan and gave her anti-nausea medication.

Back home, the vomiting and dizziness continued. “I just knew something was terribly wrong,” said Lewis. She bundled her daughter up and took her to IU Health Methodist Hospital ER where she was treated for an elevated heart rate and dehydration. Another CT scan was performed and Tavia was admitted for observation.

“It was amazing the difference in the care we got,” said Lewis. “They saw things that made them question what was happening to her body and discovered she has Type 2 diabetes. It wasn’t because of clumsiness but because she was suffering from diabetes that caused her to fall.”

As a result of the care her daughter received, Lewis made a decision to change jobs and applied to work with IU Health.

“I’ve been in healthcare for 17 years and my love of caring for people has not wavered or changed. What happened to my daughter made me even more conscious to watch and be aware of how I treat people and to be more empathetic,” said Lewis, who received her medical assistant certification last May and was recently hired to work at the IU Health Neuroscience Center.

“My job is to check patients in and check patients out, take vitals and make sure that even if they are having a bad day, they feel a sense of comfort and security – that they have a positive experience with IU Health,” said Lewis.

And what about Tavia?

She is controlling her diabetes with medicine and is what Lewis describes as a “typical teenager.” She’s a senior at Lawrence North High School where she is active in Black Student Union, Girl Empowerment Movement, and Gospel Choir. She works part time at IHop and is an honor roll student considering a career in marine biology or biomedical engineering.

“I feel like while another hospital dismissed us prematurely, IU Health aired on the side of caution,” said Lewis. “The ER workers were very knowledgeable and treated her like a person, not a number. I feel like they saved her life.”

— By T.J. Banes, Journalist, IU Health.
   Reach Banes via email tfender1@iuhealth.org.