body
Muscle Strain
Adverse effectMuscle strain is an adverse body-related outcome that can occur when physical demands exceed a muscle’s current tolerance. It may develop when poses are held too long, performed with poor technique, or progressed too quickly.
See where Muscle Strain fits within body-related wellness topics.
These are research findings, not promises. Most options have little evidence, and results differ from person to person.
What can cause it
How likely each one is to cause it, most likely first.
Brisk WalkingpracticePossible
Based on one study. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
One randomized trial in 298 healthy participants reported sprains or injuries.
Open the Brisk Walking pageStrength TrainingpracticeUnclear
Based on 7 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
A 2026 systematic review reported musculoskeletal complications during RT; a 2025 meta-analysis reported mild tendinitis. The pooled study designs were not recorded.
Open the Strength Training pageCardiopracticeUnclear
Based on 7 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
Reported findings include knee and ankle injuries, knee or back pain, arthritis, and skeletal injury; they do not specifically establish muscle strain.
Open the Cardio pageHigh-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)practiceUnclear
Based on 6 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
Pooled trial findings included exercise-related injuries leading to withdrawal, and a review covered sport-related injuries. These findings do not identify muscle strain specifically.
Open the High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) pageHatha YogapracticeUnclear
Based on 5 studies. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
A randomized trial involving 82 participants reported minor strains and sprains. Another randomized trial involving 82 participants found fewer injuries with Yoga than with aerobic exercise.
Open the Hatha Yoga pageMassagepracticeUnclear
Based on 2 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
Pooled analyses whose designs were not recorded described serious complications when massage was performed incorrectly or by untrained individuals. A review also described injury from improper technique, including solid massage.
Open the Massage pageCupping TherapypracticeUnclear
Based on 2 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
A 2018 pooled analysis of randomized trials reported strain or pain at treated areas. A separate trial involving 50 people in 2011 also reported strain or pain there.
Open the Cupping Therapy pageCyclingpracticeUnclear
Based on 2 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
A pooled analysis of randomized trials recorded withdrawals due to musculoskeletal and overuse injuries during cross-training interventions. In a randomized trial of 96 people, a participant tore a ligament in a bicycle fall during a cycling-course assessment.
Open the Cycling page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What can cause it
Interventions reported to bring this on27 listedHighest probability
- →PracticesBrisk WalkingCertaintyMediumSourceClinical1 other source
One randomized trial in 298 healthy participants reported sprains or injuries.
Low probability(26)
- →PracticesCardioCertaintyLowSourceClinical7 other sources
Reported findings include knee and ankle injuries, knee or back pain, arthritis, and skeletal injury; they do not specifically establish muscle strain.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
Open CardioStudy result
Knee and ankle injury, knee/back pain, arthritis
- →PracticesStrength TrainingCertaintyLowSourceClinical7 other sources
A 2026 systematic review reported musculoskeletal complications during RT; a 2025 meta-analysis reported mild tendinitis. The pooled study designs were not recorded.
Who was studied
- Healthy people and patients
Open Strength TrainingStudy result
Musculoskeletal complications during RT
- →PracticesHigh-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)CertaintyLowSourceClinical6 other sources
Pooled trial findings included exercise-related injuries leading to withdrawal, and a review covered sport-related injuries. These findings do not identify muscle strain specifically.
Who was studied
- Healthy people and patients
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Cardiomyopathy
- Copd
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Diabetes Type2
- +8 more
Open High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)Study result
exercise-related injury leading to withdrawal
- →PracticesHatha YogaCertaintyLowSourceClinical5 other sources
A randomized trial involving 82 participants reported minor strains and sprains. Another randomized trial involving 82 participants found fewer injuries with Yoga than with aerobic exercise.
Who was studied
- Healthy people and patients
- Cancer
- Depression
Open Hatha YogaStudy result
Minor strains and sprains
- →PracticesMassageCertaintyLowSourceClinical2 other sources
Pooled analyses whose designs were not recorded described serious complications when massage was performed incorrectly or by untrained individuals. A review also described injury from improper technique, including solid massage.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
- Down Syndrome
- Hiv Aids
Open MassageStudy result
serious complications when massage is performed incorrectly or by untrained individuals
- →PracticesCupping TherapyCertaintyLowSourceClinical2 other sources
A 2018 pooled analysis of randomized trials reported strain or pain at treated areas. A separate trial involving 50 people in 2011 also reported strain or pain there.
- →PracticesCyclingCertaintyLowSourceClinical2 other sources
A pooled analysis of randomized trials recorded withdrawals due to musculoskeletal and overuse injuries during cross-training interventions. In a randomized trial of 96 people, a participant tore a ligament in a bicycle fall during a cycling-course assessment.
Who was studied
- Healthy people and patients
Open CyclingStudy result
Withdrawals due to musculoskeletal injuries and overuse injury during cross-training interventions
- →PracticesDanceCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A pooled systematic review whose study designs were not recorded reported physical injuries associated with dance.
Open DanceStudy result
Physical injuries
- →PracticesPilatesCertaintyLowSourceClinical2 other sources
A 2023 RCT with 34 people examined minor muscle injury; a 2025 cohort of 19 people examined intercostal muscle strain. The studied groups included people with Pregnancy.
- →PracticesCalisthenicsCertaintyLowSourceClinical2 other sources
A 2022 cross-sectional study of 3,668 healthy people included strains among the injuries recorded.
Who was studied
- Healthy people
Open CalisthenicsStudy result
Injuries (strains, muscle injuries, tendinopathies, ligament sprains)
- →PracticesMeditationCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
An RCT involving 159 people reported a gentle fall while transitioning from lying to sitting.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
Open MeditationStudy result
Gentle fall while transitioning from lying to sitting
- →PracticesJump Rope TrainingCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A quasi-experimental study involving 26 participants recorded injuries in the rope-skipping group.
Open Jump Rope TrainingStudy result
injuries in the rope-skipping group
- →PracticesWim Hof Method BreathingCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A randomized trial in 2021 recorded lower-limb muscular injury among 15 healthy participants.
- →PracticesAnusara YogaCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge2 other sources
Muscle strains can occur when poses are held too long, performed with poor technique, or progressed faster than tissue tolerance allows. Community members also reported this effect.
Open Anusara YogaStudy result
Muscle strains can occur when poses are held too long, performed with poor technique, or progressed faster than tissue tolerance allows.
- →PracticesHot YogaCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
Warm muscles and ligaments may allow deeper stretches than joints can safely tolerate, which can cause overstretching and strains, especially of the hamstrings.
Open Hot YogaStudy result
Warm muscles and ligaments can allow deeper stretches than joints can safely tolerate, which may cause overstretching and strains, especially of the hamstrings.
- →PracticesFinnish SaunaCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
Slipping on wet floors or falling because of heat-related dizziness when leaving the sauna can cause sprains and muscle strains.
Open Finnish SaunaStudy result
Slipping on wet floors or falling from heat-related dizziness when leaving the sauna can cause sprains and muscle strains.
- →PracticesGardening TherapyCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
Prolonged gardening tasks involving repetitive bending, kneeling, lifting, or carrying heavy loads can strain muscles.
Open Gardening TherapyStudy result
Repetitive bending, kneeling, lifting, and carrying during gardening can strain muscles, particularly when tasks are prolonged or loads are heavy.
- →PracticesTai ChiCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
Low bent-knee stances and slow weight shifts load the thigh, hip, and lower-back muscles. Going too deep or practicing for too long too soon can strain them.
Open Tai ChiStudy result
Low bent-knee stances and slow weight shifts load the thigh, hip and lower-back muscles; going too deep or practicing too long too soon can strain them.
- →PracticesYin YogaCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
Holding deep passive stretches for several minutes, especially when forcing range or if you are hypermobile, can overstretch ligaments, joint capsules, or tendons and cause pain or strain.
Open Yin YogaStudy result
Holding deep passive stretches for several minutes, especially in hypermobile people or when forcing range, can overstretch ligaments, joint capsules or tendons and cause pain or strain.
- →PracticesSwimmingCertaintyLowSourceReview2 other sources
Reviews describe overuse injuries involving tendons and ligaments, as well as spinal strain or spondylolysis, as possible concerns.
Open SwimmingStudy result
Overuse injuries (tendon and ligament)
- →PracticesMobility TrainingCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal2 other sources
Overstretching or improper technique during mobility training can lead to muscle strain, especially in beginners.
- →PracticesThai MassageCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal2 other sources
Overstretching during Thai massage, especially in inflexible individuals, may cause minor muscle strain or microtears.
- →PracticesVinyasa YogaCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal2 other sources
Overexertion or improper form during vinyasa sequences may lead to muscle strain, particularly in the lower back and hamstrings.
- →PracticesLaughter Yoga / TherapyCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
Unfamiliar or exaggerated movements combined with repetitive laughter may lead to abdominal or facial muscle strain.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Muscle strain is an adverse body-related outcome that can occur when physical demands exceed a muscle’s current tolerance. It may develop when poses are held too long, performed with poor technique, or progressed too quickly. Dynamic movement, intensity, range of motion, and repetition can also contribute. It is distinct from the intended wellness effect of an activity.
How interventions help
These findings describe muscle strain as an unwanted outcome associated with several movement-based practices rather than as an outcome those practices improve. Across yoga-related approaches, strain may arise when the physical demand exceeds current tissue tolerance. Contributing patterns include holding poses too long, using poor technique or alignment, progressing too quickly, and performing dynamic flows with more intensity, range of motion, or repetition than current conditioning supports.
The practical concern is therefore not limited to one style or one type of movement. Static stretching, sustained positions, and faster or repeated sequences can each place stress on muscle or tendon when performed beyond a tolerable range. The findings also include broader reports of strains, sprains, or injury, as well as an isolated report involving a pulled groin muscle in connection with Creatine; these do not establish that every use or session will produce muscle strain.
The findings apply unevenly across populations: some interventions were studied in people with a clinical condition, while others were not tied to a specified health status. This limits how confidently the observations can be generalized to people with different levels of conditioning, mobility, or previous injury. No duration, onset, or persistence information is provided here, so the findings cannot establish how quickly strain appears or whether it continues after an intervention is stopped.
Choosing guidance
These options should be compared cautiously because the information concerns reports of causing muscle strain, not evidence that any option treats an existing strain. The main cross-cutting consideration for movement practices is whether intensity, range of motion, repetition, technique, or progression exceeds current tissue tolerance. A practice that feels manageable at one level may become more demanding when poses are held longer, movements become more dynamic, or range is increased.
The evidence does not support a reliable comparison of how quickly strain might appear, how much activity is required, or how long exposure must continue. It also does not establish that one option is consistently safer for every person. Some findings come from clinical-condition research, while health status is not specified for several others, so applicability to a particular person may be limited. The evidence types also differ, and the small body of research means apparent differences should not be treated as definitive rankings.
For someone choosing among movement practices, the most relevant practical distinction is whether the option involves sustained positions, dynamic flows, or stretching beyond a tolerable range. Technique, gradual progression, and staying within a tolerable range are therefore more useful decision factors than the label of the practice alone. Creatine is not a movement practice, so these technique- and range-related considerations cannot be applied to it in the same way.