A study published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (July 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.

If you suffer from low back pain, you may benefit from practicing yoga. But 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 can use different techniques, postures, series, and music, in addition to determining the intensity of the practice and the general atmosphere. 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 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.

*Padmini Tekur, Chametcha Singphow, Hongasandra Ramarao Nagendra, Nagarathna Raghuram. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. July 1, 2008, 14(6): 637-644. doi:10.1089/acm.2007.0815.

Author Bio: Jackie Schuld is an educational editor and writer at Clear Passage Therapies.

Tags: low back pain, yoga

This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Chronic Pain . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.