Yoga News

Could back pain be all in the mind?

Just came across this interesting video showing the work of Dr John Sarno.  Dr. Sarno thinks that in some cases the pain experienced by people has a psychosomatic cause.  If you're a back pain sufferer you're probably jumping up and down in anger right now - but it may be that this approach is worth checking out. Further details about both Dr Sarno and his treatment plan can be found at any of the previous links. Dr Sarno's book   The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders gives further details.

For an interesting blog on back pain check out Joel Friedlander's blog

News from ScienceDaily.com
4-Nov-2009

A study to assess the effects of yoga practice on back pain has been carried out in Boston. Sufferers were randomly assigned to either a yoga group or a standard treatment group. Pain scores decreased by one third for the yoga participants and also use of pain medication decreased by 80% in the yoga group. Read more..

Back Pain

Over 241,000 people reported back problems which resulted in time off work in 2007/08.
With an average of 17.2 days off in the previous 12 months - back pain can be a major cause of distress and discomfort. 
If you've ever suffered severe back pain then you know how debilitating it can be.

When recovering from a back strain then do the simple things.
Watch your posture and try to analyze which positions aggravate so that you can avoid further strain.
This is easier said than done in the early stages of recovery as the pain is often there all the time.

Most back pain sufferers will have their own favourite therapy and therapist - often having tried physiotherapists, chiropracters, osteopaths over a period of years. It's really a matter of finding a treatment and a therapist to suit you.  What suits one person doesn't suit another.

Consider trigger points and self massage.

If your aches and pains aren't due to a specific strain or sprain but have a more longstanding nature then consider finding out more about trigger points.  What are trigger points?  The theory is that Trigger points are found all over the body in the skeletal muscle. They can be felt as nodules in the muscle tissue and can cause pain and local weakness in the surrounding area and by pulling on muscles and tendons can cause pain in joints. So if you've been suffering for a long time, have tried various therapies but still have problems then it may be worth your while to find out more about trigger points. One of the books which gets a good review on Amazon is the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair and Amber Davies.  The aim of the book is to help you identify trigger points which may be causing pain and explains how you can use self massage to ease the tension in these areas using fingers, tennis ball or Thera cane for those hard to reach spots.

Prevention is definitely better than a cure.

If you have a weak back then one of the best defences is strengthening your core muscles using Pilates or similar exercise routines. By strengthening your core muscles in a gentle, controlled way you will minimise the chances of a recurrence of your back problem.

In the carousel below I've selected a few interesting books with a variety of different approaches.

Back Care Basics: A Doctors Gentle Yoga Programme for Back and Neck Relief by Mary Schatz - is variously described in the reviews as "the most effective, individualized approach to a healthy back" by a yoga teacher while another reviewer describes the book helping "gently teach stretches and strengthening exercises@ even while still in bed.

The Multifidus BackPain Solution by Jim Johnson focuses on simple exercises which target the multifidus muscles which have been identified in studies as being a common source of back pain - previously ignored due to ignorance of their stabilising effect on the spine.


Back Care Tips

Long term:-

  • lose weight to avoid excessive load on spine
  • take regular exercise
  • check that your mattress is supporting you when you sleep
  • develop good posture at home and at work

When recovering from a back back:
  • Be guided by your pain - take note of what you were doing before the pain occurred. Had you been in one position for a long time?
  • When sleeping make sure your back is supported.
    • If lying on your back most people find it helpful to have a pillow under the knees to help reduce strain on the back.
    • If lying on your side then most people find placing a pillow or support between the knees to be helpful.
  • When getting out of bed always follow this procedure:-
    • First bend your knees and then roll slowly onto your side at the edge of the bed. Loosen the covers and then drop your feet slowly to the floor while at the same time you use your elbow to help raise your upper body into a sitting position.
    • Then get up. Depending on the height of your mattress this can be very difficult. Try to bend your knees and use your leg muscles to push you up.
    • Perhaps buy bed raisers to increase the height of the bed until your back stabilises.
  • Once you are up try to keep mobile but don't overdo it.
  • Alternate between sitting and standing - a high straight backed chair is usually most comfortable
    • Avoid soft, low couches
  • Frequent gentle stretches throughout the day - don't stay in one position for long periods.
  • Take care with lifting - don't bend over - squat next to the item with your legs around the item to be picked up - maintaining an upright posture pick up the item and then use your leg muscles to raise you back to a standing position. 
    • Most workplaces have "Manual Handling" courses which are well worth attending.
  • If you work at a computer make sure that the chair is adjustable, it supports you properly and have your desk setup so that you don't have to stretch when working.
  • Use a back support if it helps.