Can Yoga help to reduce chronic back pain? Chronic back pain is a condition that affects a wide range of people for a broad array of reasons ranging from job related stress to accidents to just general poor posture. When faced with issues of chronic back pain, some individuals seek relief from the pain through medication (sometimes developing a dependence in the process), while others seek relief from massage therapists, chiropractors and sometimes even surgeons. While there is no 100% right answer for everyone, yogic practices can have a profound effect on chronic back pain and is a vital part of ongoing spinal health management. Here are 3 reasons yogic methodologies should be incorporated into all spinal health regimens – particularly those related to chronic back pain.
1. The spine is part of a system, not an island unto itself
The spine is supported by a vast network of muscles, ligaments and tissue that all helps keep the spine in proper alignment. When a spine is not aligned properly, it can pinch nerve endings between the spinal discs, creating excruciating and agonizing pain. This pain can be relieved by a visit to a chiropractor that can realign the spine and therefore alleviate the pressure on the nerve, but without a corresponding realignment of the muscles, ligaments and tissues that hold the spine in place, they will soon pull the spine right back out of alignment causing the same issue again and again. Pranayama practices help to realign the entire network that holds the spine in place to create permanent alignment, which eliminates the chronic problem of an improperly aligned spine pinching a nerve or creating other types of pain.
2. Open all night
Sufferers of chronic back pain often experience pain episodes in the middle of the night or in the middle of a workday when they either can’t get an appointment or there is no appointment available with their chiropractor, massage therapist or other health professional. Understanding a brief series of poses that help open up the hips and align the spine can help chronic pain sufferers to find alleviation wherever they are at and whatever time their pain hits. While it’s nice to have a mat and proper attire, having the right accessories isn’t a prerequisite for practicing poses anytime, anywhere.
3. Asana practices help build the core muscles that help hold the spine in place
The body is one complete, fully integrated system and that what happens in one part of the body has a direct effect on the rest. To that end, it can be hard for some people to understand that what happens in the front is directly related to what is going on in the back. It seems counterintuitive to some people to work on their front when it is their back that has problems. Core muscles “ground” the spinal cord, however, holding it in place when bending, lifting, twisting, stretching or extending the spine in some way. While a massage therapist or chiropractor can certainly offer temporary relief, without healthy, strong core muscles to ground the spine, it will constantly be slipping back out of alignment at the slightest provocation, creating a chronic condition.
While some people are in so much pain that they cannot yet even achieve the most basic poses that will provide relief, yoga should always be a part of long-term recovery and good spinal health maintenance. One suggestion would be to have back pain sufferers run through a short series of poses directly after a massage or chiropractic session, when they are at their most supple, to begin the process of realigning the systems surrounding the spine. Even the most basic poses can have a profound effect on the long process of building a healthy, resilient spinal system.
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