Can Kapalbhati pranayama cause hernia?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have been doing Kapalbhati pranayama for past one year. I do it for 30 minutes daily in the morning. I do it with medium force and at the rate of 30 to 50 exhalations per minute. I feel really vitalized after each 30 minutes session of Kapalbhati. I do it at a comfortable pace and I am absolutely comfortable while doing Kapalbhati for 30 minutes. But, I read on the internet that Kapalbhati can cause hernia. Is Kapalbhati related to hernia in any way? I am a bit confused. What should I do? Should I continue or stop doing this exercise? I must say that so far I have experienced immense benefits from doing Kapalbhati daily.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I would like to tell you that a hernia occurs when you have a weak abdominal wall and it is not by doing exercise. Exercise helps to strengthen your abdominal wall muscles and they never weaken it. You can continue your exercise.The causes of a hernia include chronic constipation, chronic smoking and chronic long-term urinary retention.