Low Back Pain Can Be Decreased with Yoga
By Jackie
A study published in July of 2008 found that an intensive one week program of yoga can reduce chronic low back pain. The yoga program was specifically designed for low back pain and consisted of postures, breathing practice, meditation, and an introduction to the philosophical concepts of yoga. The participants in the program experienced decreased pain and increased spinal flexibility, spinal flexion, spinal extension, right lateral flexion, and left later extension.
Before you jump into the first yoga class you can find, there are a few things to consider. If you have never practiced yoga before, it is best to start with an introductory or gentle class. These classes will show you the basics of yoga so that you can breathe properly and complete postures without hurting yourself. Once you have learned the basics, you can move on to more advanced classes. Keep in mind that there are many different styles, so make sure to ask about the style and what makes it unique before joining the class.
If you try a yoga class and you don’t like it, don’t give-up yet. The teacher makes all of the difference in a yoga class. Even within the same style of yoga, teachers use different techniques, assist participants differently, explain postures and breathing differently, use different kinds of music, do different series of postures, determine the intensity of the practice, and much more. Try a few different teachers before you rule-out yoga altogether.
If you don’t have time to work yoga into your schedule now, try doing stretching at least once a day. In the yoga study, the participants were compared to a control group who only practiced physical exercises. Participants in the control group also experienced increased flexibility and decreased pain (though not as much as those who practiced yoga). So, if you don’t have time to make it to a yoga class, try doing some simple stretches in the morning or at night before you go to bed.
If you would like to read more about causes of low back pain, visit our back pain page.
Tags: low back pain, yoga
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