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Yoga For Lower Back Pain And It's Health Benefits

Last Updated: Jan 20, 2025

Benefits of yoga for lower back pain

The pain in the lower back can be excruciatingly painful and cause a lot of problems for an individual. People suffering from the problem of lower back pain usually opt for over the counter pain relief medicines without realizing the side effects which can be encountered. If, anyone who is suffering from the problem of lower back pain and is looking for a natural solution to the problem then yoga is the answer.

There have been studies which prove the benefit of yoga in alleviating the problem of lower back pain. Practicing yoga enhances the strength of the specific muscles of the back. The stress which is being carried by the muscles gets reduced by incorporating stretching and relaxation through yoga. There are asanas in yoga that help the body in maintaining proper balance, good posture and ideal alignment which are necessary for relief in lower back pain. There are several as asanas in yoga which gently provides the strength of the muscles of the lower back thereby providing relief in the pain. Given below are some of the asanas of yoga that can help in alleviating the pain of the lower back.

Yoga asanas for lower back pain

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Sphinx Pose

Lie flat on your stomach and keep your legs pressed together. Place the elbows under the shoulders and lift up your chest from the floor. Keep your shoulders relaxed and lengthen your spine while pressing and thighs and hips onto the floor. Now sit up to a point where you can feel your lower back comfortably stretching. Hold this pose for about a minute or two and start as soon as you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable. The sphinx pose tones the spine, stimulates the sacral-lumbar arch and gives the lower back its natural curve, thereby relieving it of pain to a great extent.
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Supine Twist

Start by laying straight on your back. Now press your knees together and bring them up to your chest. Then drop the knees and to any one side. Twist your torso towards the other side while keeping the hip in the same line as the knees. Try to hold this stretch between 1-3 minutes, then repeat the entire process with the other side of your body. The supine twist relieves tension from the lower back by giving the spine a fine twist and also makes your feel relaxed.
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Downward Facing Dog

Sit up from Child's pose on your knees. Then lift your butt up and press it back while keeping your palms on the floor and your fingers wide apart. Lower the heels as much as possible and focus on straightening the legs. Keep your head relaxed between your arms while gazing at the belly button through your legs. Hold this posture for about 1-3 minutes. Downward facing dog helps to decompress the entire spine and also gives a nice stretch to the hamstrings.

Conclusion

For alleviating the pain of the lower back in addition to yoga, a healthy diet is necessary. There are several food products such as kale that helps in fighting pain. It is also beneficial because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Including olive in the diet is advantageous as it contains oleocanthal. This chemical works like ibuprofen and reduces inflammation. To maintain the strength and bone mass, it is essential that food products rich in calcium like yogurt should be added to the diet. Salmon can also be used as it has calcitonin. Adding turmeric to the food can work wonders as it is a proven anti-inflammatory agent due to the presence of curcumin. Positive effects in the alleviation of pain can be observed when yoga is ably complemented with a healthy diet.

References

  • Tilbrook HE, Cox H, Hewitt CE, Kang'ombe AR, Chuang LH, Jayakody S, Aplin JD, Semlyen A, Trewhela A, Watt I, Torgerson DJ. Yoga for chronic low back pain: a randomized trial. Annals of internal medicine. 2011 Nov 1;155(9):569-78. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:
  • Williams KA, Petronis J, Smith D, Goodrich D, Wu J, Ravi N, Doyle Jr EJ, Juckett RG, Kolar MM, Gross R, Steinberg L. Effect of Iyengar yoga therapy for chronic low back pain. Pain. 2005 May 1;115(1-2):107-17. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:
  • Sorosky S, Stilp S, Akuthota V. Yoga and pilates in the management of low back pain. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine. 2008 Mar 1;1(1):39-47. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:

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    Written ByDr. Pankaj Verma ACLS,POST GRADUATE COURSE IN RHEUMATOLOGY,Fellowship in Diabetes,MBBS,Post Graduate Course In Rheumatology,MD - Medicine,Masters in Psychotherapy and CounsellingInternal Medicine
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    Reviewed ByDr. Bhupindera Jaswant SinghMD - Consultant PhysicianGeneral Physician
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