Yoga For Lower Back Pain

Yoga For Lower Back Pain

This article on yoga for low back pain was adapted from Gary Kraftsow's Yoga For Wellness manual. It explains the science and methodology behind using Viniyoga and yoga therapy for relief of lower back pain.

A double blind study published in the December 2005 edtion of the Annals Of Internal Medicine showed that 3 months of a specifically designed yoga practice gave significant relief to subjects suffering chronic back pain including relief from lower back pain. Gary Kraftsow designed the Viniyoga sequence in that study.

This is the third in a series of articles from Gary on the science of using yoga therapy as a natural treatment for upper and lower back pain...

Yoga For Lower Back Pain - Part Three Of The Yoga For Back Pain Series
By Gary Kraftsow
Adapted From Yoga For Wellness
© Gary Kraftsow 1999-2006
All rights reserved

Low back pain could be the most common kind of structural pain and effects a large percentage of the population worldwide.

You can manage or relieve many lower back pain problems with quite simple yoga therapy and yoga practice.

The unnatural curvature of the lower back that often causes low back pain is directly related to the angle of your pelvis.

If your pelvis is rotated too far forward you will have an increased lumbar curve - sometimes called a "hollow back" or lordosis.

This excessive lumbar curve can cause mild to severe compression to the back side of your intervetebral discs.

This compression is a common cause for lower back pain and disc pain in your lower back.

With this condition the muscle groups running behind your lumbar spine are often chronically contracted holding your pelvis in its excessive forward rotation.

Chronic Low Back Pain Treatment

To flatten an excessive lumbar curve in your back you might...

1. Peform routines to stretch the muscles running behind your lumbar spine to help relieve their chronic contraction.

2.Perform routines that strengthen your abdominal muscles. Contracting your abdominal muscles rotates your pelvis backwards flattening the lumbar curve.

Click here to see Gary Kraftsow's Yoga for lower back pain DVD.

A full practice for lower back pain is detailed on page 170 of Yoga For Wellness Seeing an AVI trained Viniyoga teacher or Viniyoga therapist for guidance is highly recommended.

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