YOGA THERAPY FOR BACK PAIN AND SLIP DISC

YOGA THERAPY FOR BACK PAIN AND SLIP DISC

It's amazing to note that ninety-five percent of the population suffer from back pain one day or another during their life span. It’s a skeletal disorder relating to the lumbar and sacral areas of the spine. It happens due to either disc bulging between vertebrae or slip disc. When a person suddenly bends down and tries to lift a heavy object, he may locate a sudden onset of pain in the lumbar region. It becomes severe in a front bending position, while getting up from a sitting position, coughing, etc.

 

Aggravating factors :

1.      Speed, pressure, and jerk in the activities

2.      Cold, constipation, and over weight

3.      Internal abdominal disorders like gastritis, diabetes, colitis, etc.

4.      Loss of post-operative muscle tone.

5.      Terminal diseases

CAUSES

After the young age of twenty-five to thirty, the intervertebral disc softens and gradually starts to degenerate. Any extra pressure put on the lumbar spine leads the disc to slip from its original site and press the adjacent nerve which causes pain and muscle weakness. Sometimes the pain may radiate to the legs and toes and that gives rise to sciatica. Unless treated and taken due precautions, the problem may aggravate leading to osteoarthritis of the spine and chronic muscle weakness.

   Yoga works both as a prevention and cure for backache, slip disc, lumbago, and sciatica. It is a holistic approach that works in all levels of human existence; physical, pranic, mental, intellectual, and spiritual. In the case of prevention and health promotion, there is no problem if a single approach ( yoga set ) is prescribed for the entire humanity.

In the case of the medical application of yoga for any ailment, it requires that each patient needs to be treated separately. It is wrong to say that there is no adverse effect of yoga on patients.  A treatment plan prescribed to Mr. A can not be applicable to Mr. B. Everyone needs separate treatment depending on his age, sex, and physical status.

With the above background, we can divide the patients of back pain into the following groups

… Acute onset of pain for young patients.

…. Acute onset of pain in the case of old patients

… chronic cases in the case of young patients.

… Chronic cases in case of old patients and

… patients with other complications.

The basic approach of yoga therapy for back pain and sciatica is to provide pain relief, resetting the bulged disc  and building up the strength of muscles and tendons of the affected site.

It is wrong to prescribe physical manipulation in case of severe pain. The pain needs to subside before yoga applications. For that, we can take the help of hot water applications, acupressure, chiropractic reset of the bulged disc, etc. After the pain subsides, simple permissible body movements with breath synchronization can be prescribed on case to case basis for a gradual reduction of pain.

The patient needs to avoid any activity where the pain restarts. Jerk, pressure, and speed in daily life to be strictly avoided during the treatment period. like medicine doses, he has to do prescribed yoga twice or thrice daily. Diets to be modified for a better bowel movement. Bed management is important for pain management. Good sleep relieves pain faster. The bed should neither be too soft nor too hard and pillows to be adjusted to keep the spine and head in a straight line.

WHAT TO DO?

The old patients with acute conditions need complete bed rest with hot water applications and medicines for pain relief. After the pain subsides, simple yoga breathings to be prescribed with consultation from an expert with experience.

In the case of old patients with chronic cases they can start with our yoga breathing video ( refer our prayaas yoga youtube channel) without breath-holding twice daily for three weeks.

For young patients both acute and chronic, they can go for our video on “ yoga therapy for back pain and sciatica” posted on our youtube channel.

The back pain patients with other complications  should consult an expert before they go for yoga therapy.

You can post your queries at our email  pyari.yoga@gmail.com