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Tirisula Yoga - providing Yoga
Teacher Training Courses in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
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Yoga
Therapy for Back Pain
Eighty percent of Americans develop back pain at some point in
their lives due to injury, overuse or disease. Yoga is an
excellent therapy for healing sore and injured back muscles,
reducing recovery time, preventing re-injury, and reducing the
risk of disability from back pain. Yoga helps alleviate lower back
pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles of the lower
back, reducing inflammation and increasing circulation of blood
and prana. Regular yoga practice also improves posture and body
mechanics, relieving pain and preventing injury by keeping the
spine in proper alignment. In a 1985 survey, 96% of respondents
who practiced yoga reported relief from persistent back pain,
compared to 23% who were seeing neurosurgeons.
Many conditions can cause back pain, and most of these can be
helped and treated with a conscious and gentle yoga practice. All
cases of moderate to severe back pain need to be evaluated by a
medical professional for a correct diagnosis and proper treatment
plan.
An acute strain can be caused by a trauma, an injury, or by
overstressing or overstretching the muscles. A strain produces
symptoms of mild to moderate pain, muscle spasms, decreased muscle
strength, and reduced range of motion. Chronic strains are
usually the result of overuse--prolonged, repetitive movement of
the muscles and tendons, and can lead to tendonitis. A
gentle practice of spinal lengthening, forward folding and back
bending poses will circulate prana and blood to help heal a
strained back and alleviate pain. Yoga poses that promote good
posture, strengthen the abdominals and stretch the hamstrings will
also be helpful. See our complete list of yoga poses for back
strain and our posture sequence Backside Blues.
A herniated disc occurs when the nuclear pulposus, the
inner material of the disc, pushes through a tear in the disc’s
membrane, and compresses the nerve exiting the spinal cord. Ninety
percent of disc herniations occur in the lower two lumbar
vertebrae where the spine has the most flexibility. Symptoms of a
herniated disc include: pain in back and/or leg; stiffness,
numbness, weakness or tingling in leg or back; and/or shooting
pain down leg. With a posterior (backside) disc herniation, back
bends will help reduce inflammation and help press the nucleus
back into the disk. You want to choose back bends that focus on
the low back like cobra, camel, and bridge pose. Forward bends are
contraindicated. See our complete list of yoga poses for disc
herniation.
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes compressed,
most commonly due to a herniated disk in the lower lumbar spine.
Inflammation, stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) and tight
piriformis muscles (deep muscles in the buttocks) are other common
causes of sciatica. Compression of the sciatic nerve can cause one
sided numbness, tingling or pain in the sacrum, buttock and back
of the leg. See our Yoga Therapy for Sciatica page for a further
information including poses, sequences, pranayamas, books and
articles.
Spondylolisthesis is a condition when a vertebra slips
forward over a lower vertebra due to a congenital defect or
fracture. It usually affects either the fourth or the fifth lumbar
vertebra in the lower back. In some instances, this may lead to
spinal cord or nerve root compression, back pain, and numbness or
weakness in the legs. The low back pain that results from
Spondylolisthesis can be reduced by first by gently stretching the
hamstrings and then by slowly strengthening the back muscles and
abdominal muscles. You also want to choose postures that focus on
good spinal alignment. Back bends are contraindicated and postures
that combine twisting and forward bending are not recommended. In
forward bends, keep the back flat and long. Avoid any pose that
creates or aggravates back pain. See our complete list of yoga
poses for Spondylolisthesis.
Bone and joint diseases (osteoporosis, ankylosing,
osteoarthritis) can cause degeneration, bone fractures, stenosis,
inflammation and spinal nerve compression. For osteoporosis,
weight bearing yoga poses can be used to build bone mass and to
help stabilize the bones and joints. All forward bends, twists and
side bending poses are contraindicated for anyone with
osteoporosis. See our Yoga Therapy for Arthritis page for further
information on using yoga to treat osteoarthritis and Ankylosing
Spondylitis.
General Guidelines
For an acute phase of pain, yoga is not appropriate for 48 hours
or until the acute period passes. If a yoga pose causes any pain,
tingling, or numbness, stop immediately. Move into the poses
slowly and gently; use long hold times and practice slow deep
breathing in the poses. Any movements that increase your symptoms
should be avoided. End with a long shavasana with bolster under
knees and/or a folded blanket under the low back to support the
low back.
Severe pain lasting more than a few days without improvement
requires medical attention. Anyone having difficulty passing
urine; numbness in the back or genital area; numbness, tingling,
or weakness in the legs; shooting pain down the leg; or
unsteadiness when standing should seek immediate medical
attention.back to
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