Yoga Instructor Allegedly Broke Woman’s Femur While Attempting Dragon Pose

A woman has approached a court against a yoga studio after an instructor allegedly broke her thigh bone during a session.

The victim, identified by her surname Wang, was attending her first-ever private lesson by a woman surnamed Li when the accident occurred at the end of August in Anhui province of China, South China Morning Post reported.

The report, quoting local media Xinan Evening News, said Li urged Wang to practice the dragon pose, a hip-opening move stemming from a lunge-like posture. Though she attempted the pose, Li said her left leg was in a wrong position, alleged Wang. “She was pushing down on my thigh, and pressed too hard. Suddenly, I just felt severe pain and could not move at all,” Wang said.

She was immediately rushed to the hospital where it was diagnosed that she had a compound fracture on her femur and needed surgery. Though Wang was discharged from the hospital after 16 days, she still cannot walk.

According to Wang, the studio paid her 50,000 yuan (US$7,700) for her medical fees. However, when she asked for compensation for her future treatment, it refused. Wang said she is suing the studio as she feels it didn’t handle the situation properly.

"I paid 6,000 yuan (US$928) from my own pocket for the medical treatment because the hospital charged 56,000 yuan (US$8,900) and the yoga studio only covered 50,000 yuan,” said Wang.

“What’s more, there will be other costs for rehabilitation in the future and my work will be affected due to this injury. I want reasonable compensation," she added.

The report said that the studio was also preparing for the lawsuit.

A similar event had happened in 2019 in Malaysia wherein a 55-year-old woman, identified as Hong, broke her thigh bone during her yoga class when the instructor reportedly tried to correct her seating pose.

She had to spend six days in hospital following the fracture and sued the gym three months later. Though the gym owners claimed the woman should have told the instructor to stop when it started hurting her, the court ruled in Hong's favor and ordered the gym to pay $2,326 USD (approx. RM9,100) for her medical expenses.