Relieve Back Pain with Yoga
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
“Lower back pain can be debilitating. Pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis (AS) may be especially severe. Conventional pain relief medications may cause uncomfortable side effects. If you’re looking for an alternative treatment, yoga may help. Yoga uses gentle stretching exercises to help relieve pain and increase flexibility. It helps stabilize your core to better support your spine.” – Annette McDermott
“Spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. If ribs are affected, it can be difficult to breathe deeply” (Mayo Clinic). Spondylitis, also called cervical osteoarthritis, produces considerable pain and stiffness from the neck down to the lower back. It affects the vast majority of people over age 60. The causes of Spondylitis are unknown although there appears to be some involvement of the genes and sedentary lifestyles. There is no known cure. It is normally treated with drugs, physical therapy or surgery with the aim of relieving the symptoms.
Back pain involves both physical and psychological issues. Physically, exercise can be helpful in strengthening the back to prevent or relieve pain. Psychologically, the stress, fear, and anxiety produced by pain tends to elicit responses that actually amplify the pain. So, reducing the emotional reactions to pain may be helpful in pain management. Mindfulness practices have been shown to improve emotion regulation producing more adaptive responses to emotions. Mindfulness practices also reduce worry and rumination reducing the psychological amplification of pain. Indeed, mindfulness practices are effective in treating pain and have been shown to be safe and effective in the management of low back pain. Yoga practice is both an exercise and a mindfulness practice which has been shown to have a myriad of health benefits, including relief of chronic pain and relief of chronic low-back pain. So, it makes sense to explore the effectiveness of yoga practice for Spondylitis (cervical osteoarthritis).
In today’s Research News article “Effect of Selected Yogic Practices on Pain and Disability in Patients with Lumbar Spondylitis.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433117/, Malik and colleagues recruited adult patients with Spondylitis that was diagnosed with X-rays and MRI scans and who were experiencing moderate to severe pain. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups, instant relieve practice group, short-term practice group, and long-term practice group. The yoga practice consisted 1 hour of joint exercises, backward bending, and short relaxation. The instant relieve practice group practiced just once. The short-term practice group practiced 6 days per week for a total of 15 days. The long-term practice group practiced 6 days per week for a total of 30 days. The patients were measured before and after completion of their assigned yoga practices with the Roland–Morris back pain and Disability Questionnaire.
They found that yoga practice resulted in a significant reduction in pain and disability with the more practice the greater the improvement. After the single session, there was a 23% reduction in pain and disability while after 15 days of practice there was a 51% reduction, and after 30 days of practice there was a 64% reduction. Hence yoga practice was effective in reducing the primary symptoms of Spondylitis (cervical osteoarthritis). It is speculated that the increased strength and flexibility produced by the yoga practice markedly reduced tension in the back, reducing pain and the resultant disability.
So, relieve back pain with yoga.
“Yoga is a natural and holistic remedy for cervical spondylosis. A regular practice of this ancient science leads to a flexible body, calm mind and a positive attitude towards life.” – Art of Living
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
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Study Summary
Manik, R. K., Mahapatra, A. K., Gartia, R., Bansal, S., & Patnaik, A. (2017). Effect of Selected Yogic Practices on Pain and Disability in Patients with Lumbar Spondylitis. International Journal of Yoga, 10(2), 81–87. http://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6131.205516
Abstract
Aim:
The study was designed to find the effect of selected yogic practices on lumbar spondylitis.
Materials and Methods:
This was a prospective, randomized study without a control trial. A total of 172 participants with lumbar spondylitis (age 21–79 years) from the outpatient department (OPD) of neurosurgery, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, were randomly assigned to receive yoga therapy. The module of selected yogic practices consisted of pawanamuktasana series 1 (loosening and strengthening), asana, pranayama, and relaxation techniques Yoga Nidra.
Statistics Analysis:
Within groups, comparison was done by paired t-test, and between groups, ANOVA test was carried out to determine the significant difference among the various groups under study. Correlation regression analysis was done to measure the degree of linear relationship between pre- and post-study for various groups.
Results:
Significant differences were observed with yoga therapy in instant relieve practice group, in short-term practice group, and in long-term practice group (LTPG) with better results in LTPG.
Conclusion:
Selected yoga therapy has got the better result in management of pain in lumbar spondylitis.