Yoga As An Effective Treatment For Back Pain
By Jez Heath
About 90% of us will suffer from some for of lower back pain during our adult lives. When this happens many of us as back pain sufferers will be given treatment advice that doesn't really treat the underlying causes of our back pain, focusing instead on simply trying to manage the symptoms with painkillers and other drugs.
But clinical studies have found that most forms of low back pain respond well to conservative (non-surgical) treatments. These simple treatments can really address the causes of the pain and provide lasting relief.
Exercise is nature's cure
As counter-intuitive as it may seem at first, one of the most effective treatments for lower back pain is exercise - regardless of the underlying cause of the back pain. Exercise is crucial to build and maintain a healthy cardiovascular system as well as being essential for the development of muscle strength. This has particular importance in relation to lower back pain because a leading cause of back pain is weak or unbalanced development of muscles in the back, abdomen or legs. Clearly avoiding exercise when we suffer from back pain is only going to further weaken our muscles and make us more susceptible to back pain.
Exercise treatment for lower back pain focuses on the extensor and rotator/oblique muscles in the back to build strength and support for the spine. At the same time we need to build abdominal muscle strength to build our flexion strength in balance and proportion to our extension strength. Finally back pain exercises should help us to build suppleness in our hamstrings to aid the unrestricted motion of our hips and pelvis since restricted movement of the pelvis increases the strain on the lower back.
Yoga is the natural cure for back pain
Because of the gentle nature of yoga and its effectiveness in building muscle strength and flexibility, a regular yoga practice is ideal for the prevention and treatment of lower back pain. Those of us that are not particularly strong or supple are likely to benefit the most from yoga as a cure for lower back pain.
Specifically tailored routines of yoga postures, can be effective in treating axial and referred back pain, slipped and damaged spinal disks as well as radicular back pain including sciatica and piriformis. Although all of these types of back pain respond well to gentle extension of the back, through back bends, the first step in using yoga exercise as a cure for back pain is understanding the type of back pain from which we are suffering. Different types of back pain respond to different yoga poses so only by understanding the cause of our back pain can we apply the correct cure. But more importantly, we need to know which exercises to avoid so we can prevent further injury, for example, if we are suffering from a slipped disk then we should avoid flexion of the back (forward bends).
Getting started with yoga to cure back pain
Of utmost importance when using yoga to treat back pain is finding suitable instruction. First you need to find a school that teaches the right kind of yoga. Many yoga schools in the west teach a dynamic or flowing form of yoga known as Vinyasa. The constant movement of this type of yoga means that you enter and exit poses very quickly which is not really suitable for the lower back pain sufferer. To avoid further injury, yoga poses should be entered and exited slowly allowing for gentle movement so we can check our correct alignment and notice pain that may be an indicator of further injuries to soft tissues in the back. Ashtanga, Power yoga, Viniyoga and Bikram yoga are all types of flowing Vinyasa yoga and may not be suitable for the effective treatment of back pain.
Once we have found a yoga center that teaches the right style of yoga we need to check out the teacher. We need to find a teacher that is experienced in practicing and teaching yoga, because their knowledge of designing a yoga routine and describing each pose is an essential part of our yoga experience. Ideally we should look for a teacher who is experienced in treating back pain so they can tailor the routines to our specific condition, abilities and needs.
To find out more about the causes of lower back pain and how yoga can help relieve lower back pain visit http://www.DispelBackPain.com With a degree in Ayurveda traditional Indian medicine and a master degree in yoga therapy, Varun Veer provides a wealth of information on a quick and natural end to back pain.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jez Heath is helping real people learn yoga online so they can make the commitment necessary to improve their yoga and their health - mind, body and soul. Learn how yoga streaming video can help you transform your life
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