Yoga and Back Pain

By Andrew Mitchell

Back problems are often a hazard, making it difficult to do the common things that most take for granted: lift objects, bend down, or even sitting in a cushy armchair. While GPs recommend diets, pills, and hospital treatments to help cope with enduring symptoms, more and more people have been turning to non-western approaches to help them overcome their problems. Why? Because they work. One alternative technique has been particularly popular for back pain sufferers: yoga.

How it works

Yoga has many varieties, gentle exercises that relax the mind and body, to more challenging types that are psychically demanding and a great workout. Through a combination of poses and breathing techniques, yoga allows you to gain a greater awareness of your body, helping it become more aligned and improving your overall posture.

Osteopaths and yoga experts recommend a gentle yoga style called hatha for back patients, as opposed to the more challenging types such as Bikram and Ashtanga. Hatha involves careful stretches, basic yoga poses, and slow breathing exercises that not only makes a stiff back more flexible, but stronger as well. Hatha yoga also tends to speed up the recovery of back problems such as Sciatica, Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia, and can help prevent these from developing in the first place.

What you can do

Here are some hatha exercises you can follow to increase your backs strength and flexibility, while soothing some of the worst pain:

1) Begin with some stretches before moving on to the more complicated poses. Get into the Mountain Pose: stand up straight with your feet touching, balancing the weight of your body over the feet evenly. Keep your arms at your sides, slightly pressed into the body. Tighten your buttocks and stomach muscles but maintain a firm posture. Whole holding the pose, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.

2) The Crescent Moon Pose: this pose builds up your stamina by strengthening the legs, back, and shoulders. It is best done in two steps:

Kneel down onto your knees and keep a straight back. Take a step forward with your right foot until the foot is a little past your right knee. Keep the leg parallel to the floor.

Hook your thumbs together and stretch your arms high above your head. Then lift your left leg off the floor, stretch it, and divide your weight between the front and back legs. Also be sure not to lift your chest too much " you dont want to have a completely hollow back.

3) The Child Pose: this pose helps you stretch your spine, hips, and thighs, and should help alleviate the psychical and emotional stresses in your body. Carry it out in three steps:

Kneel down to your knees, with the legs slightly parted, and your feet pointing outwards in opposite directions.

Gently place your forehead on the floor in front of you and swing your arms forward, so that your shoulders brush your ears.

With your head still touching the floor, bring your arms around to your sides, with the palms facing upwards.

These traditional ways of healing the body can therefore be a great supplement or alternative to western back treatments. As long as each pose is exercised with caution, hatha yoga can ensure that your mind and body feel better and refreshed.

About the Author:

Andrew Mitchell, clinical editor at the Osteopaths Network, writes papers about musculo-skeletal conditions, drug-free treatment, pain management and how to find a Coventry Osteopath. He is interested in the treatment of back pain, neck pain and injury and pain management.