Handstand 1 & C6/C7 disc herniation

I just purchased the Handstand 1 course and noticed there are headstand exercises.  I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in C6 C7 in March and although pain free now I try to stay away from anything that puts pressure on the neck.  

 

Should I still do this course but skip those exercises or is the Handstand course not for me?

Justin,

Your ortho is probably the best person to answer that.

I'd show him a couple of screenshots to get his opinion.

Check with your doctor. If they say no headstands, there are other exercises you could do as a replacement. 

 

Also if you're at all interested in certification, the staff allows exemptions for medical reasons, and you would definitely qualify. 

The headstands can be done with two chairs.

 

Resting your shoulders on the chairs so your shoulders hang between them.

 

It's good to put the chairs on yoga mats so there is no chance of them sliding on you.

I would like to see examples of the other exercises that could be done with out putting pressure on the neck.  I might have jumped the gun on the Handstand 1 course in my excitement over Foundation 1.  What I might need to do is get further along with Foundation 1 then come back around.  Thoughts?

Justin,

 

With your significant neck issues, my recommendation would be to replace the headstands with the shoulder stands mentioned by Cole.  Although with your being a beginner, I would prefer that you use either mats or blocks rather than chairs.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Yes Coach Sommer is right, stacked mats is the best way to go if you have them available. 

I have also developed a symptomatic c6 disc herniation (tingling in my left little fingers) which I suspect was an old judo injury exacerbated by HS PE1 (MD diagnosed). However I can do forearm headstand without difficulties as I keep the weight on my forearms, not my head. Is doing that (PE3) but remaining at PE>iM 1 (which still needs quite a bit of work) a good solution?