Yoga For Low Back Pain?

​Low back pain is one of the most common physical complaints from people in our society.  It’s a billion -dollar business when accounting for total amount of trips to the doctor, pain medications, injections, surgeries, and loss of work production.  At Body Evolution Physical Therapy & Wellness , a majority of our clients come to get help with lower back pain.  These clients often ask if yoga would help their pain.  We know yoga can be beneficial and research has shown yoga to be positive for low back pain, but we   answer our clients with ‘it depends.’
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Yoga has been around for centuries.  It is a philosophy that is comprised the Eight Limbs.  One of those limbs is called asana.  Asana are the positions and postures that most people in the West think of as yoga.  Most yoga studios are centered around this aspect of the practice.  These movements and postures can range from simple to exceedingly difficult to perform.  Yoga when performed safely and with guidance can be a great way to improve one’s strength, flexibility, and overall fitness not to mention help with lower back pain.

The reason why we answer our patients question about the benefit of yoga for low back pain with ‘it depends’ is because we believe there are factors that a new practitioner needs to know before starting yoga. 
Here are some things to know before beginning a yoga practice.

1. Do Your Research There are many styles of asana and each practice is different.  Some practices are more vigorous while others calm, some with constant movement while others are more static, some are in rooms of normal temperature and others in hot, humid conditions.  Even a specific style may be different depending on the teacher’s approach to the practice.  Find out what makes most sense for you and your body. 
   
2.  Yoga Is Not A Competition Yoga is an internal practice that helps one to learn their own body and mind.  You will learn its capacity and limitation.  With practice you will improve over time, but some positions you may never achieve.  When you are competitive or compare yourself to the former gymnast who is doing a pose that should be on the cover of Yogi Magazine just remember yoga is about exploring your OWN body.  A lot of people either get hurt trying to perform a pose too advanced or others simply quit the practice because they cannot do advanced postures. 
   
3. The Teacher Matters Centuries ago, a person who wanted to learn yoga had to prove themselves to the master.  This could mean facing many years of difficult challenges before the master taught you anything of substance.  Imagine how good the master must be.  In America, some yoga teachers take a weekend course and are ready to begin teaching classes the next week.  It is  important to find a teacher who has been practicing for some time, trained at a reputable studio, and is knowledgeable about the body.  When you have low back pain it’s important to take a class where the teacher can help modify your poses so that the class actually helps you reduce your pain and improve the strength of your back muscles.
   
4. Private Sessions Are A Good Starting Point If you are brand new to yoga then starting with some private sessions is a great idea.  Find a good teacher, preferably one who has knowledge in therapeutic yoga training, and learn in a one to one environment.  With more attention you can learn the general postures and positions, but with the guidance from a teacher who can help you specifically with what your body needs.
   

Yoga can be a great therapeutic tool to overcome your low back pain.  Just do your research before you start.  At Body Evolution, Dr. Ryan completed a 200-hour training program from YogaWorks, and can give you advice on what styles of practice may be best for you.  If you are just beginning yoga we can help guide you as you begin your practice and make sure you have the best postures/poses to help you get rid of your back pain.  If you are an experienced practitioner and yoga is not helping your lower back pain we can help by using manual techniques and exercises specifically designed to get you back to your yoga practice. 
 
Please give us a call and feel free to ask one of our PTs a question.
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