The Biggest Thing To Keep In Mind:
In general, I do like Yoga and several of the exercises we recommend here on this website are also used in Yoga!
From a back pain perspective though, the biggest con in my opinion is that Yoga alone may not be the best modality if youre trying to treat a very specific back pain issue, or postural dysfunction.
For example, if you have rounded shoulders then no amount of hamstring stretches and planks is going to help you correct your hunchback.
Or if you suffer from a Sciatica Pain, any forward spine bending may trigger your pain faster than you can say pain!.
My recommendation is that if you want to do Yoga, do it carefully and methodically.
Be sure to educate yourself on which yoga poses/exercises are not suited for your specific back condition So you can avoid them or modify them.
For example, if you know that the cobra pose helps alleviate your low back pain, then by all means do it in your yoga class.
However, for people suffering from spinal stenosis, spine extension exercises may make their symptoms worse.
How To Avoid Back Pain
Help prevent back pain and protect your spine with these important tips:
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When standing, balance your body weight equally between both legs.
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Practice yoga postures regularly to strengthen your back.
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Eat a healthy, nutritious diet.
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Maintain a healthy weight.
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Avoid sitting for long periods by getting up at regular intervals and walking or doing some mild stretching.
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Get good sleep.
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In addition to your back muscles, strengthen your core, hips, and hamstrings, as they all support your back.
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Manage your stress. Breathwork and meditation can help tremendously.
The Research On Yoga For Back Pain
For yoga, the picture research paints is a little brighter. A 2015 review published in the International Journal of Yoga looked at six studies involving 570 patients. The researchers found that in the short term, Iyengar may be effective for treating chronic spinal pain. The review, however, did not find evidence for yoga as a back treatment in the long term.
Similarly, a 2013 study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain found strong evidence that yoga is effective in the short term. It also found moderate evidence for long-term use. The researchers recommend yoga as an “additional therapy for low-back pain.”
And finally, the Oklahoma Medical Association weighed in on yoga and meditation in their 2017 meta-analysis. The review found that for people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and low back pain, yoga and meditation significantly helped decrease pain and dysfunction.
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How Do You Know If Back Pain Is Muscle Or Disc
While pain in your mid-back may be related to a disc, it’s more likely caused by muscle strain or other issues. Your symptoms feel worse when you bend or straighten up from a bent position. Movement can increase pressure on the herniated disc and the surrounding nerves, causing symptoms to increase.
Yoga Poses To Avoid When You Have Sciatica
There are some yoga poses you should avoid when you have sciatica, since they can make the symptoms worse. Listen to your body and honor what youre feeling without trying to push yourself into any uncomfortable poses.
Experiment to see what works best for you on any given day. Avoid any pose that causes any type of pain.
Seated and standing forward bends should be avoided since they can cause further strain in the pelvis and lower back. You can do forward bends from the supine position . This helps support your hips and lower back.
Since sciatica usually affects only one leg, you may find that youre able to do certain poses on only one side of your body. This is fine. Feel free to bend your knees in any pose. Place cushions under your knees in any seated pose that causes discomfort.
If you have sciatica during pregnancy, avoid doing yoga poses that compress or strain your stomach. Avoid strong backbends, twists, and poses that put pressure on your belly. Use bolsters and cushions to modify poses as needed.
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Benefits Ofyoga For Back Pain
Yoga provides many benefits to back pain sufferers. Below, welloutline 5 of the major benefits that you may experience by regularlyparticipating in yoga.
1. Relaxes and Stretches Muscles
Each individual yoga pose is held for 10 to 60 seconds andincorporates relaxation and stretching of muscles, which helps to relievemuscular tension. During each pose, certain muscles flex, while other muscle stretch.This combination of movements encourages relaxation and increased flexibilityof the joints and muscles of the back.
2. Strengthens Muscles
Each individual yoga pose targets specific muscle groups andindividual muscles, with many of the poses targeting the muscles of the backand abdomen. Strengthening of these muscles occurs by holding the pose andincorporating various movement patterns throughout the session. When themuscles of the back and abdomen are strong and conditioned properly, lower backpain may significantly decrease.
3. Improves Blood Flow
The practice of yoga involves a focus on deep and rhythmicbreathing through the nose when inhaling and exhaling with each pose. Thisbreathing technique helps to provide whole body relaxation and encouragesincreased blood flow throughout the body. Improved blood flow bringsnourishment in and flushes waste out, helping to improve the environment surroundingthe muscles of the back.
4. Promotes a Neutral Spinal Alignment
5. Improves Mental Health
Yoga Benefits Heart Health
Regular yoga practice may reduce levels of stress and body-wide inflammation, contributing to healthier hearts. Several of the factors contributing to heart disease, including high blood pressure and excess weight, can also be addressed through yoga.Try it: Downward Dog PoseGet on all fours, then tuck your toes under and bring your sitting bones up, so that you make a triangle shape. Keep a slight bend in your knees, while lengthening your spine and tailbone.
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Tips For A More Effective Pilates Workout
To make the Pilates workout as effective as possible, the movements should be performed slowly and with control. Trying to move too quickly makes it harder to activate the target muscles. It also increases injury risk because youre paying less attention to form.
In some cases, it may be necessary to modify certain Pilates exercises. For example, toward the end of pregnancy, its recommended to not do spend too much time in a supine position . Since many reformer Pilates movements use this position, it may make mat exercises more preferential when exercising during pregnancy, especially in the later stages. Lack of flexibility, poor core strength, and injury can all be reasons to modify a Pilates exercise.
Finally, when performing Pilates as part of a cross training workout, its important to listen to your body. If a movement causes pain or discomfort, it should be avoided. While some tension is normal, pain is not. Sometimes a slight change in position can relieve this pain. If it doesnt, stop the exercise and move on to another one.
As a trainer, you can help your clients incorporate Pilates into their training routine, providing them with all of these benefits. If you want to become a Pilates instructor for a group, ISSA offers Group Exercise Instructor certification. This course teaches you how to effectively lead a Pilates class. Youll also learn how to get clients into proper alignment within a group setting.
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Which Kinds Of Yoga Poses Should You Avoid If You Have Back Pain
This is simple: Steer clear of any back stretches, asanas, or other types of yoga poses that make your back muscles feel worse when you do them.
Now, certain movements might not feel awesome the first time you do them, but that may just be because your body is stiff. Thats why its worth repeating a new movement a couple times to start. If your pain then eases, feel free to continue. However, if your pain is still there or if it worsens after a couple repetitions, thats when you stop, says Harding.
Along those lines, if youre attending a yoga class and dont feel like you can personalize movements to what feels best for your body, then that class is not a good fit. You should feel like you have the agency to do what’s best for you at that moment, regardless of what the teacher is calling out, says Harding. Looking specifically for classes marketed as yoga for beginners might be a good call.
As for when you should loop in a medical professional about your back pain? Harding suggests seeking help from physical therapy if your back pain concerns you, is interfering with your day-to-day life, and/or has lasted more than two weeks.
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Do This Not That: 10 Yoga Poses To Avoid If You Have Back Pain
A regular yoga routine helps prevent, and even cure, back pain. But only if the routine is full of all the right poses.
If you have a back injury or have had one in the past, some yoga poses cause stress and irritation to the discs and muscles in your back. And yoga is supposed to help, not hurt your body!
This is why, here at myYogaTeacher, we encourage you to do your research before investing in a group yoga class or a private yoga instructor.
An inexperienced yoga instructor may give you the wrong advice or take you through a flow that makes back pain worse.
If you havent checked out myYogaTeacher yet, you should! Youll have access to tons of online yoga classes, including mine, Yoga for Back Pain. I wanted to make sure you have access to high quality yoga instruction for back pain and back issues.
Just in case you wonder which asanas are prohibited for back pain patients, though, here are 10 poses you should avoid if you have back pain.
Try Breathwork And Meditation For Stress Relief
Stress is one of the main causes of muscular tension, spasms, and back pain. Learn some simple breathing techniques and participate in a guided meditation by joining a free interactive session with a live instructor.
Sejal Shah, E-RYT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath. She can be followed on YouTube,, , and .
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Yoga Relaxes You To Help You Sleep Better
Research shows that a consistent bedtime yoga routine can help you get in the right mindset and prepare your body to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Try It: Legs-Up-the-Wall PoseSit with your left side against a wall, then gently turn right and lift your legs up to rest against the wall, keeping your back on the floor and your sitting bones close to the wall. You can remain in this position for 5 to 15 minutes.
How Reliable Is The Evidence
The reason for the uncertainty in the results on back pain and function is that the studies the review authors looked at were poorly designed. Most of the studies were not blindedBlinding is the process of preventing those involved in a trial from knowing to which comparison group a particular participant belongs.. That is to say both the participants and the practitioners were aware who was practising yoga and who was not. This is pretty obvious, I think anyone who has been mid way through Camel pose is fully aware they are doing it. This leaves room for an unconscious biasAny factor, recognised or not, that distorts the findings of a study. For example, reporting bias is a type of bias that occurs when researchers, or others choose not report or publish the results of a study, or do not provide full information about a study. when the participants report on their back pain and function that can be used to assess the effectiveness and safety of a treatment or other intervention . In research, the outcomes considered most important are primary outcomes and those considered less important are secondary outcomes. were self-reported).
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Yoga Helps You Manage Stress
According to the National Institutes of Health, scientific evidence shows that yoga supports stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss and quality sleep.
Try It: Corpse Pose Lie down with your limbs gently stretched out, away from the body, with your palms facing up. Try to clear your mind while breathing deeply. You can hold this pose for 5 to 15 minutes.
Can Yoga Improve Your Posture
Another problem can well be, if you have bad standing or sitting posture going into a yoga class, youre probably only going to be reinforcing the bad posture unless you have an instructor who will correct you when youre performing something incorrectly. Again, unless youre in a 1 on 1 yoga class, awareness of your form by the instructor is most likely going to be loose. In a larger class, the ability level can be wide from a complete beginner who has never been in a yoga class before, to a more experienced person who goes every week. The most common places to experience misalignments are in the neck or lower back, if you regularly spend time with your head bent forwards perhaps while slouching at work, on the sofa or in bed, and attempt a headstand in yoga imagine what putting your entire body weight is going to do for you.
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Other Benefits Of Yoga Poses
Yoga poses can also help you build strength and flexibility, which can ultimately help alleviate your back pain. In fact, a study on the effect of Iyengar yoga therapy for chronic low back pain showed that patients experienced less back pain after doing Iyengar yoga for at least an hour and a half every week for 16 weeks and an at-home practice for 30 minutes 5 days a week.¹
Keep in mind that after doing yoga, you may feel a little sore the next day, but that’s normal. Soreness should go away within a few days. Doing yoga poses should never cause pain, numbness, or tingling. If you feel any of these symptoms, stop immediately and call your doctor.
What Is Bikram Yoga
Often referred to as hot yoga, Bikram is performed in a hot room heated to approximately 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity to promote muscle relaxation. The sequence of two breathing exercises and 26 movements, or postures, is ideal for those new to yoga. The emphasis on stretching ensures muscles will be properly warmed up.
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Can Yoga And Pilates Help Back Pain
Yoga and Pilates are two popular forms of exercise that can help improve back pain. Both exercises focus on strengthening and lengthening the muscles, which can help improve posture and alleviate certain types of pain.
In addition, both yoga and Pilates can help increase flexibility and range of motion, thereby helping those with back pain elongate and stretch their backs fully. These exercises can be done at home or at the gym. In addition to improving posture, both yoga and Pilates can also help reduce stress.
Standing Forward Bend Pose
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Mental Benefits Of Yoga Exercises
Engaging in Hatha yoga affords the practitioner with a mental state of mind that is ready for meditation, which in turn reduces stress and enhances mood. These mental benefits play an important role in the overall healing benefits of yoga.
There are several theories as to why a mental state of mind may affect those suffering from back pain.
- Many believe that suffering from back pain increases because of perception. Negative psychological and emotional factors may not necessarily change the physiology of the back, but may tend to magnify a problem that already exists. Thus, reducing the perception of the pain can reduce the overall feeling of back pain.
- Others take the role of mental factors one step further. They believe that psychological and emotional factors are the primary influence in the sensation of pain and can physically alter the body. For various reasons, high stress and negative emotions may actually cause back pain. This will in turn create negative psychological and emotional feelings, perpetuating the cycle.
Also see Stress-Related Back Pain
In theory, yoga helps people concentrate their energy on breathing and maintaining posture. The methodical breathing increases oxygen flow to the brain and sets a rhythm within the body and mind. This action coupled with the poses and sometimes meditation is said to dissipate stress and anxiety, therefore, relieving back pain caused by psychological and emotional factors.
Pilates Exercises For Lower Back Pain To Help Relieve Tension
Low back pain is extremely common. Pilates is a good way to relieve pain and tension. Try these 7 Pilates exercises for lower back pain.
Its thought 4 out of 5 of us experience lower back pain at some point in our lives. In fact, such a large number of people need lower back pain relief that it accounts for 9% of all adult GP visits in the UK. For some of us, lower back pain could be a simple ache that improves quickly. However, for others, it can be a much longer-term problem. For more information on treating low back pain check out our webinar Advice, Exercises and Treatment for Low Back Pain.
Several research studies have suggested that Pilates can be effective for relieving lower back pain. The benefits of doing Pilates include improved core strength, increased muscle strength and flexibility and improved posture. Its also been found to be good for helping to manage pain. This article features a number of Pilates exercises for lower back pain taken from Pilates for Rehabilitation.
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