The hidden risk of handstand pushups
A handstand is difficult to master, let alone a handstand pushup. Not only are there great demands on the body from a physical standpoint, mental prowess is needed as well. In order to perform this feat of fitness correctly, and individual must have strength, coordination and mental confidence to turn the body upside down and rely primarily on the upper body for support. But no matter how well-conditioned or well-practiced and individual may be at the handstand pushup, there is a risk involved, and it has nothing to do with broken bones or falling injuries. SEE ALSO: Should I be worried about eye floaters? A case study was just released from experts at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex, England, regarding a 32-year-old man who suffered a rare injury while doing handstand pushups. Six hours after a workout including the upside-down maneuver, the patient noticed he was losing the vision in his left eye. When he presented at the hospital, the patient was examined by physicians and found to have hemorrhaging throughout the eye, likely caused by a buildup of pressure related to his handstand pushups. “It’s like pulling a shade down over retina,” Dr. Barrett Katz, a neuro-ophthalmologist, who was not involved in the man’s case, told Live Science. “Its a recognized type of retinal problem we see on occasion in ophthalmology.” Though the man’s vision returned on its own as the eye healed, experts caution that more vision issues may pop up as intense workouts become more popular. “With ‘boot-camp’ style training sessions becoming ever-more popular,” this condition is something doctors should consider in people who report a sudden loss of their vision following intense physical exertion,” wrote doctors in the case report. Vision loss and more serious visual injuries like retina detachment have also been reported in yoga practitioners who employ inversion positions often in their workouts. Dr. Carolina Valdivia explained to AZ Central the pressure on the eye doubles when a person goes inverted, and that pressure increases further when the body starts performing a strenuous activity like a pushup. Even body builders who don’t go inverted sometimes suffer vision damage from the strain of heavy lifting. People with existing eye conditions like glaucoma risk irreversible blindness when they decide to do a handstand pushup. SEE ALSO: 3 ways to improve vision naturally Because handstand pushups work the shoulders and the triceps, experts agree there are plenty of other, safer exercises to work these areas of the body. Military presses, lateral raises and triceps kickbacks are all reasonable options that won’t carry as much risk to a person’s vision.The post The hidden risk of handstand pushups appeared first on Voxxi.
A handstand is difficult to master, let alone a handstand pushup. Not only are there great demands on the body from a physical standpoint, mental prowess is needed as well. In order to perform this feat of fitness correctly, and individual must have strength, coordination and mental confidence to turn the body upside down and rely primarily on the upper body for support.
But no matter how well-conditioned or well-practiced and individual may be at the handstand pushup, there is a risk involved, and it has nothing to do with broken bones or falling injuries.
SEE ALSO: Should I be worried about eye floaters?
A case study was just released from experts at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex, England, regarding a 32-year-old man who suffered a rare injury while doing handstand pushups. Six hours after a workout including the upside-down maneuver, the patient noticed he was losing the vision in his left eye. When he presented at the hospital, the patient was examined by physicians and found to have hemorrhaging throughout the eye, likely caused by a buildup of pressure related to his handstand pushups.
“It’s like pulling a shade down over retina,” Dr. Barrett Katz, a neuro-ophthalmologist, who was not involved in the man’s case, told Live Science. “Its a recognized type of retinal problem we see on occasion in ophthalmology.”
Though the man’s vision returned on its own as the eye healed, experts caution that more vision issues may pop up as intense workouts become more popular.
“With ‘boot-camp’ style training sessions becoming ever-more popular,” this condition is something doctors should consider in people who report a sudden loss of their vision following intense physical exertion,” wrote doctors in the case report.
Vision loss and more serious visual injuries like retina detachment have also been reported in yoga practitioners who employ inversion positions often in their workouts. Dr. Carolina Valdivia explained to AZ Central the pressure on the eye doubles when a person goes inverted, and that pressure increases further when the body starts performing a strenuous activity like a pushup. Even body builders who don’t go inverted sometimes suffer vision damage from the strain of heavy lifting. People with existing eye conditions like glaucoma risk irreversible blindness when they decide to do a handstand pushup.
SEE ALSO: 3 ways to improve vision naturally
Because handstand pushups work the shoulders and the triceps, experts agree there are plenty of other, safer exercises to work these areas of the body. Military presses, lateral raises and triceps kickbacks are all reasonable options that won’t carry as much risk to a person’s vision.
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The post The hidden risk of handstand pushups appeared first on Voxxi.
