Can Yoga Help Ease Back Pain?

Back pain is a common medical problem, ranging in intensity from a low ache to a sharp, debilitating pain that keeps sufferers from enjoying daily activities. The practice of yoga combines physical positions, controlled breathing and focusing techniques to strengthen the body and relax the mind. In addition to using yoga to tone the muscles and relieve stress, people use yoga to treat some health conditions, including back pain.

Research

Yoga can help ease back pain. A study published in the May 2005 journal "Pain" reported results from a 16-week program for chronic sufferers of back pain, comparing the use of Iyengar yoga therapy to education about back pain only. Study participants who received yoga therapy reported significantly reduced pain, disability and use of pain medication compared to the educational group.

How Yoga Helps

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke notes that a variety of exercises create stronger back and abdominal muscles, which in turn help support your back. But strenuous exercise can make back pain worse and slow the healing process. The Better Health Channel says yoga poses improve your overall health by increasing flexibility, muscular strength and joint mobility. Yoga provides the benefits needed to alleviate back pain in a gentle manner without causing additional back strain.

Yoga Poses

Choose yoga poses that allow you to control your range of movement, and begin exercising slowly. To alleviate back pain, choose poses that target the spine, lower back and abdominal muscles to help build strength. The website Yoga Journal allows you to build your own sequence of yoga poses, and offers pose recommendations for back-pain sufferers. It also provides instructions on how to enter the pose and breathe through the movements. Beneficial poses include the camel, cow, cat, downward-facing dog and the half moon.

Prevention

In addition to using correct lifting techniques and good ergonomic practices when working, you can use yoga as an aid to prevent future problems with back pain. Ongoing yoga practice stretches and warms your muscles, develops muscular strength and improves your posture, all of which help prevent injury and avoid back pain.

Warning

Consult your doctor if you experience back pain, to ensure you understand its cause and obtain the proper treatment. Talk to your doctor about using yoga to ease back pain, but do not begin any exercise regimen without his approval. For example, your doctor might recommend that you avoid yoga and other exercises if you suffer from some degenerative diseases of the spine.