Yoga May Help Low Back Pain
4/30/2017
If you suffer from low back pain, you don’t have to be told how debilitating it can be and how it affects your quality of life. You are also not alone. Back pain is one of the most common reasons that patients visit a doctor. Most common causes of lower back pain are muscle spasms, inflammation in the small joints that connect one spine bone to the next, and lumbar disc abnormalities. These painful problems commonly result from overuse of rarely used muscles, improper body mechanics when lifting or sitting, and from repetitive movements. The lower back or lumbar part of the spine serves several purposes that are vital to the human body’s function. Together the lumbar spine and our pelvis serve to house and protect the internal organs, enable us to sit and walk upright, bend in all directions and provide a strong foundation for the upper portion of the body and head. Knowing all this information, now what?
According to Dawn Tartaglione, D.O., FACOS, neurosurgeon at AllianceHealth Medical Group, “If you are experiencing new low back pain and have not yet visited with your primary care physician, it is important to start there. There are conditions and diseases aside from simple overuse injuries that can cause lower back pain, so it is important to get that checked out , especially if you are unsure why your low back is hurting.”
New or “acute” low back pain is usually the term used for pain that has been present for less than four weeks. After four weeks, the pain is considered subacute for some time period, usually up to 3-4 months, and after that time period it is referred to as “chronic”. It’s important to remember that when you are experiencing low back pain, that it is usually self-limited and resolves on its own over 1-3 weeks in most cases.
The usual treatment for low back pain is self-care and nonprescription medications, such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Bedrest for more than 24-48 hours is never recommended for low back pain without fractured bones or other complicating factors. It is important to keep moving about to prevent even worse pain and stiffness.
One self-care option to consider is yoga. The mind-body practice of yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States. There are many yoga movements and positions to help with problems in different parts of the body, and if you are completely new to the practice of yoga, it can be overwhelming and intimidating to figure out what to do. Two benefits of practicing yoga are that it can strengthen your core, so you will be less likely to injure your back and increase flexibility. Dr. Tartaglione recommends targeting the following muscle groups to help decrease back pain:
- Core Muscles: They are responsible for supporting the spine. These are the muscles that wrap your body and include abdominal muscles and side or flank, and back muscles.
- Piriformis Muscle: This is a big muscle that crosses the buttock on each side (you sit on it). The sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle; if the muscle spasms it can cause pain down the back of the leg (mimicking a pinched nerve from the spine.)
By strengthening and stretching these muscle groups, you will also be performing range of motion on the large joints between the tailbone (sacrum) and pelvis, called the sacroiliac joints.
There are 7 different yoga moves to help strengthen your core. Be sure to warm up before starting!
“Warming up” can be gently marching in place for two minutes, bending at the waist gently in all directions 2-3 times slowly with hands on hips and legs shoulder-width apart. The following pictures show a position or pose that can be held for 5-10 seconds, then the body is lowered to the floor, either on the stomach or the back.
Core strengthening is very important in treating back pain and in avoiding it in the first place. Yoga poses and types of exercise can be an easy way to get started building muscles of the abdomen and flanks, and can help stretch and keep limber our very strong back muscles that hold us in an upright posture. Having a healthy spine is so important in our physical, mental, and emotional health so take care of your back! Dr. Tartaglione often tells her patients “The best thing you can do for your spine is walk, exercise your core, try to maintain a healthy weight and do not smoke!”
Dr. Dawn Tartaglione is a Neurosurgeon at AllianceHealth Medical Group and AllianceHealth Midwest. To learn more about her and her practice, or to make an appointment, visit http://www.myalliancehealthdoctors.com/alliancehealth-medical-group/physicians/tartaglione-dawn-do-facos-3243.aspx or call (405) 737-2486.
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