Back Pain and Yoga

Yoga Can Be An Effective Post-Surgery Treatment for Back Pain

According to a recent New York Times article, back problems are the eighth leading reason people visit doctors in the United States. Recent Duke University studies say treating back pain costs Americans a whopping $26 billion a year and is steadily rising. That accounts for over 2.5 percent of the total American health care cost. I’ve seen studies showing that 90 percent of all adults will suffer debilitating back sometime during their adult lives. I’m not talking about an annoying twinge here and there, but a debilitating attack that leaves you bedridden for days and hobbling for weeks afterward.

Back pain can be caused by anything from superficial muscle cramping, to actual muscle tearing; from simple misalignments of your spine to such disk abnormalities as bulging, protruding, herniated, and degenerated disks. Another common cause of back pain is stenosis, which are bony growths along your vertebrae causing a narrowing the spinal canal, and is often associated with arthritis or simply growing older.

Being involved in the “natural healing” profession for nearly thirty years, you might think I have a total aversion to back surgery as a cure for chronic back pain. In fact, an often cited study published by Arthur Klein and Dava Sobel, as referenced in my book, ExTension Yoga, showed that of all the health-related modalities used to reduce back pain, including physicians, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor, osteopathy, neurosurgery, and massage; yoga teachers rated number one in the ability to provide “moderate-to-dramatic long-term relief” from chronic back pain. Yes, I strongly believe yoga is the most effective modality to help keep your back healthy.

However, I also believe that there comes a time when surgery becomes necessary in order to reduce pain and to improve your quality of life. However, I do not recommend back surgery as your first recourse to wellness. It should be your last…after you have given an appropriate yoga practice your very best shot. If your back does not show signs of recovery within a reasonable time, or if your appropriate yoga practice causes or exacerbates pain, then I’d strongly recommend you seek the advice of a qualified back specialist. Although surgical techniques have improved significantly in the last several years providing a higher statistical probability of long-relief than ever before, post-surgical yoga can be the very best therapy you can do…but only when appropriately practiced. Otherwise, yoga can be among the very worst things you can do. It all depends on how it is practiced.

For example, most classical approaches to yoga, including most yoga taught in health clubs and gyms, are designed for healthy people. Because they compress your spine and stress soft tissue, they can exacerbate your pain, retard healing, and even make your back worse. On the other hand, when appropriately taught by teachers with a firm foundation in anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology, and who understand the nature of soft-tissue injury and its resolution, “recovery” yoga can be one of the very best post-surgical therapeutic programs available today.

Article by yoga instructor Sam Dworkis, auther of Recovery Yoga and ExTension. Visit his web site at www.extensionyoga.com .

The above article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. A qualified health care professional should be consulted before beginning ExTension or Recovery Yoga, or any exercise program. Read the rest of our disclaimer and terms of use.