Back Pain? Yoga May Help More Than Physical Therapy

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach

For those of you suffering from back pain, I must first say this: Make sure you see a doctor or chiropractor you trust before undertaking any new exercise that impacts your low back. Certain low back conditions can be made worse by doing backbends and other yoga poses if done improperly, or if you have certain conditions such as Spondylolysis (a defect in the pars interarticularis of a vertebra). If you have an acute back condition such as a recent herniation, get your doctor’s approval before doing any yoga or any exercises that impact your back!

For people with muscle tension in the low back and those without back injury, gentle yoga poses may help strengthen your back and core muscles.

One website that offers help for back pain is YogaTherapyWeb.com

The site has many articles about using Yoga as a muscle therapy and stress management tool. Read more from YogaTherapyWeb.com about a study done using Yoga to reduce back pain:

Yoga For Back Pain

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, yoga for back pain may be just what the doctor ordered. In the 12 week study, Dr. Karen Sherman and her colleagues at the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle compared the effectiveness of yoga for back pain vs. physical therapy exercises, and a self-care book with exercises targeting chronic lower back pain.

The 101 adults in the randomized, controlled clinical trial were separated into three groups: the first attended weekly yoga for back pain classes with daily at-home yoga practice. The second attended a program of back pain exercises developed by a physical therapist, also once a week with daily home practice. The third group received The Back Pain Helpbook, an evidence-based book emphasizing self-care strategies for back pain.

By the end of the 12 weeks, it was clear that yoga for back pain not only helped reduce the pain, but it did so more effectively than either the book or the back pain exercises.

Moreover, a three month follow-up revealed that the back pain yoga group continued to enjoy far better results than the groups who had practiced back pain exercises or read the book.

Read the entire post from YogaTherapyWeb.com here.

Source: Comparing Yoga, Exercise, and a Self-Care Book for Chronic Low Back Pain, Sherman, 2005