Yoga Pose Triggers Rare Spinal Condition Risk for U.K. Woman

Terrilyn Griffiths, a 44-year-old from Lowestoft, Suffolk, faces a daunting health battle after a yoga pose gone wrong triggered a cascade of spinal issues. In 2021, while demonstrating a standing bridge pose to her ex-partner’s children, Griffiths felt her back give way. Initially dismissing the discomfort, she endured persistent back pain that flared up weeks later, worsened by her demanding factory job. The pain, she described, felt like her waist might collapse under the strain.

By June 2023, the pain returned with a vengeance, disrupting even a horse-riding lesson. An MRI in January 2024 revealed slipped discs and early signs of cauda equina syndrome (CES), a rare and serious spinal condition that can cause weakness, incontinence, and loss of sensation. Griffiths now struggles with dexterity in her hands, hip and groin weakness, and a semi-paralyzed bladder, leaving her mostly housebound and unable to climb more than a flight of stairs without pins and needles.

Despite nine months of physiotherapy and small exercises, her condition has worsened, with no surgical options available due to the absence of 'red flag' symptoms required for intervention. Griffiths, frustrated by the lack of awareness about incomplete CES, is now crowdfunding for private consultations and potential surgery abroad to decompress her spine. 'It’s taken my life away,' she said, emphasizing the need for greater understanding of this life-altering condition.