In the US yoga has risen in popularity over the past decades, to become a staple in the fitness industry. The trend has been incorporating yoga into the physical therapy model as it can benefit patient mobility and strength. To get even more specific, there has been more interest in using yoga as a tool to relieve chronic low back pain as an alternative to more traditional pathways, such as pain-relieving medications. If you or someone you know are experiencing low back pain, yoga just may be the complementary therapy you are looking for.
How can yoga help my back pain?
Traditional yoga, based on hatha yoga practices of ancient India, involves poses, breathing, and meditation. With consistent practice, the poses can increase strength in the musculoskeletal system. The breathing exercises can improve your mind-muscle connection to your core and meditation can bring down pain levels.
Though more traditional yoga may be great for those who are not experiencing chronic low back pain, those who do suffer from it may be unable to perform these poses due to limitations in their mobility and strength or may need to work their way up to these more traditional yoga styles.
Is Yoga a good option for my back pain?
Two such options for beginners and their low back symptoms are chair yoga, a regressed form of yoga performed either seated in a chair or using the chair as a prop to assist with poses. The second option is Iyengar Yoga. This is based on hatha yoga, though it uses props such as blocks and straps to assist with the poses to get the most out of the poses while putting less stress on the musculoskeletal system.
Both of these are great options for anyone who may not be ready to take the plunge into a full yoga practice. It can also be a gateway into improving core strength. Which is crucial for improving low back pain and becoming more in tune with your body in general. Iyengar Yoga classes/instructors may be tougher to find, as it is more specific. However, chair yoga classes may be more accessible for casual or beginning yoga.
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What are the next steps I should take for my low back pain?
Whether you decide to begin one on one sessions with an instructor, join a weekly class, or try dvd’s/youtube videos. The key to seeing improvements in any new exercise program is consistency. There have been several studies that conclude that yoga can improve participant’s reported pain levels and decrease their perceived disabilities due to their chronic low back pain when performing carefully curated yoga classes several times a week, and those who stuck with yoga following the study continued to have decreased overall low back pain.
If yoga is something you may be interested in, ask your healthcare provider or physical therapist about beginning a new exercise program. They may have suggestions for low back pain-specific yoga classes!
Check out this at-home low back pain program. Click here
Also, take a look at this video with Nick for a few techniques on yoga for back pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZse5hK5zo0
After graduating from NAU, Jessica spent some time personal training, where she gained a passion for helping clients with previous injuries reach their fitness goals to allow them to live the life they dreamed. This sparked her interest in returning to school for physical therapist assisting, where she gained more knowledge in how to help people recover from pain, stiffness, or surgeries so they could get back to doing the things they loved. Jessica now brings her passion and knowledge together to help people return to greater freedom in their daily lives and activities with less pain, more mobility, and independence.
In her spare time, Jessica likes to delve into good movies, books, and spend time with her husband and their dog going on walks and hikes.
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