Stretch Away Back Pain with These Yoga Poses
Stretch Away Back Pain with These Yoga Poses
A practical guide with 6 poses for a drug-free ways to get rid of pain!
Chronic back pain is becoming a global problem. Around 30-40% of adults in the US suffer from lower back pain. We don’t need more painkillers, we need to know drug-free ways to get rid of the pain, right?
There are ways to manage and even prevent back pain - the answer is movement, stretch and yoga. But HOW. Today I’ll give you a guide with different yoga poses to use at home or by your computer. It’s easy to follow - see the pictures and descriptions below in the article.
Yoga has been practiced for centuries and is known for its numerous physical and mental health benefits. Certain yoga poses can help stretch and strengthen the muscles in your back, providing relief from discomfort and preventing future episodes of pain.
Before we discuss specific yoga poses, it's essential to understand what causes back pain in the first place.
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What Causes Back Pain?
Poor posture, weak muscles, and sedentary lifestyles are common causes of back pain. Our modern-day habits, such as sitting for extended periods and hunching over electronic devices, strain our backs.
Moreover, stress and emotional tension can also contribute to back pain. When stressed, our muscles tend to tense up, leading to stiffness and pain in the back. This is where yoga comes in. It helps release tension and promotes relaxation through breathwork and movement.
An interesting study by Catherine Woodyard and colleagues reviewed the therapeutic effects of practicing yoga regularly. The study found that yoga can improve muscular strength and flexibility, respiratory and cardiovascular function, sleep patterns, and overall well-being.
It can also help in recovering from addiction and treating conditions like stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. This proves that participating in mind-body fitness programs like yoga can greatly benefit our health and quality of life.
What are the Yoga Poses for Back Pain Relief?
Several yoga poses specifically target the muscles in your back and can help alleviate pain. While so many of them exist, I'll focus on specific ones addressed by one study.
In this study, Meng Ni and colleagues aimed to assess the potential use of 11 yoga poses in specific training and rehabilitation programs by examining the muscle activation patterns in selected trunk and hip muscles. This study was conducted as a repeated-measures descriptive study, with 30 healthy yoga practitioners with more than 3 months of experience participating in a university laboratory.
The main objective of this study was to determine how these 11 yoga poses affect the activation patterns of the upper rectus abdominis, lower rectus abdominis, longissimus thoracis, external oblique abdominis, and gluteus maximus muscles. The participants performed each pose while their surface electromyographic signals were recorded.
These poses included a Halfway lift, a forward fold, a downward-facing dog, an upward-facing dog, a High plank, a Low plank, a Chair, a Mountain with arms down, a Mountain with arms up, and Warrior 1 on both sides.
The main outcome measures were each muscle's root mean square values during each pose, normalized by their maximal voluntary contraction. The results showed significant muscle activation pattern differences between the poses and among the five muscles studied.
The post hoc analysis revealed unique patterns for each of the five muscles during each pose. The Halfway lift pose showed higher activity in the Lumbar Triangle muscle because of its position. In contrast, the Downward-facing dog pose highlighted the importance of the External Oblique Abdominis and Gluteus Maximus muscles.
The upward-facing dog pose also proved effective in strengthening these muscles while providing a stretch for others. The High plank and Low plank poses showed high activity in the External Oblique Abdomen but lower levels in the Rectus Abdominis muscles.
The Chair pose activated the Gluteus Maximus muscle moderately, which helps with stability and balance during the pose.
These findings can help improve muscle strength and prevent injuries during yoga practice.