Yoga for lower back pain
Yoga for lower back pain
According to the NHS lower back pain is so common in the UK that it affects 7 out of 10 of us at some point in our lives, most commonly within the age range of 35 to 55. Sometimes back pain can come on suddenly as a result of injury or at other times it can be gradual. Personally, I’ve suffered from my fair share of back pain due to a mild scoliosis (curvature of the spine) so it’s something I’ve had to learn to navigate through my yoga practice.
The structure of the lower back is a complex arrangement of bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves and tendons. Your lower back is connected to your legs via your pelvis and your upper back to your arms through your shoulder joint. Structural and muscular imbalances, excess time spent sitting and poor posture can put pressure on some areas more than others, which over time cause wear and tear and pain.
Because there’s so much going on, it’s notoriously difficult for doctors and physios to identify the cause of lower back pain. However, the good news is back pain does usually get better with time.
For sufferers of back pain, the NHS recommends staying active and including the practice of yoga to reduce pain and speed up recovery. Side note - The NHS also recommends seeing your GP if the pain doesn’t improve, gets worse or prevents you from going about your day-to-day activities.
Why is yoga useful to manage lower back pain?
Yoga, if practised correctly, can help alleviate back pain by lengthening, strengthening and toning muscles of the back, hips and shoulders. In particular, yoga can help tone the muscles that help you to bend and stabilise your spine.
However, yoga is about more than just stretching and strength-building. In our yoga practice, we focus on combining our movement with breath. This practice initiates a parasympathetic nervous response which alleviates stress and promotes healing within our body. Our yoga practice also teaches us to tune in to our inner world and allows us to cultivate a sense of resilience and acceptance that can assist with the emotional aspect of back pain.
So there is good news is if you’re suffering from lower back pain. By working with an experienced yoga teacher or yoga therapist, you can develop a practice that can alleviate pain and speed up your recovery.
Therapeutic Yoga for back pain - A case study
I have a client who's been diagnosed with bulging L4 L5 & S1 disks. When we returned to practice after lockdown he was in a lot of pain and struggling with mobility in his lower back.
Any type of forward bend was very painful and his physio had advised against it. This meant his regular primary series practice was out of the question. However, my client still wanted to benefit from the fundamentals of the Ashtanga method, also known as the Tristhana (breath, asana and Drishti) so we worked together to modify his practice.
To begin with, Surya Namaskar was very painful so we modified this by adding a cat/cow and using a chair for support. We did the same with standing asanas, avoiding closed twists, taking a wider stance and using a chair when needed, for support. We talked about what was working and what wasn’t and made tweaks and adaptations as necessary.
We added a seated side stretch to lengthen the lower back muscles and some stretches for his shoulders. We gradually began to add in some backbends. Starting with prone backbends Shalabhasana (locust) to strengthen the backline of the body and Ardha Bujangasana (Half Cobra) to begin to get movement into his back. Eventually, from half-bridge, we built up to Ustrasana (camel) and Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward-facing bow).
Slowly, because of his dedication and mindful practice, ensuring he didn’t overdo things, his pain has decreased dramatically and he's seeing improvements in his mobility.
Here's what Dara had to say about his practice:
“ was feeling frustrated with practice and after month’s of lower back pain, I was showing no signs of improvement. After a chat with Lauren, we began working together to create a series of postures to decrease my pain and increase mobility in my lower back. I’m excited that I’m showing improvement and am finally able to enjoy my practice again.”
