The Global Burden of Disease study in 2017 showed that low back pain was the top cause of disability. Nearly 60 per cent of people in India have suffered from back pain at some point in their lives, according to a 2016 study published by the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry.

 

Back pain, whether frequent or occasional, can make your life challenging. You might have days when you feel like you can’t get out of bed, and on other days, it might be a throbbing pain that stays throughout the day. However, you don’t have to keep living with back pain. Find out what kind of backache you suffer from, what you can do, and how to make yourself stronger so that you don’t suffer from frequent back pain.

 

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Recognising Different Types of Backaches

Back pains can be caused by different reasons, depending on your lifestyle. Some reasons why people may suffer from a backache could be:

• Due to inactivity
• Poor posture
• Constant exertion and activity
• Change in centre of gravity—gaining weight due to lifestyle or pregnancy. Gaining weight can also lead to stress which can worsen the pain.
• Due to injuries
• Autoimmune diseases or a chronic ailment
• Lifestyle choices such as smoking

 

People can also experience backaches at different times. Some might have a backache as soon as they wake up; others might not experience it until the end of their day when they are getting up from their desk. There is no general type of backache, and most of them are caused by an underlying issue.

 

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Targeting Problem Areas

“Before you start practising yoga for your backache, it is crucial to get approval from your doctor or physical therapist (if you are seeing one). Keep in mind that the same yoga movements cannot remedy different kinds of backaches,’’ says Zubin Atre, Founder of Atre Yoga Studio, New Delhi.

Your back mainly consists of the spinal component (spine, muscles, surrounding joints) and the nervous system. Issues could arise in the spinal joints, surrounding muscles, or peripheral nervous system. Added pressure to your spinal system or nervous system can cause compression, leading to sudden bouts of pain.

Depending on what has caused your backache, the problem area you want to target can differ. Ensure that you know what you need to target before you start practising yoga specifically for your backache.

 

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Yoga Moves for Back Issues

Yoga can help prevent and relieve back pain. Six possible movements can be done utilising your spine to prevent back pain, according to Zubin Atre. These will make your spine stronger and more agile, and variations of these moves can help resolve back pain to some extent. However, you should be aware that completely relieving back pain will require constant effort on your end.

 

Move #1: Forward bending of the spine. You can do standing or sitting variations of yoga poses like Paschimottanasana, Cat/Cow pose, and Child pose to achieve a mild or extreme forward bend for your spine.

Move #2: Backward bend of the spine. Some yoga poses you can try to achieve this are Bhujangasana (cobra pose), Sphinx pose, and Dhanurasana.

Move #3 and #4: Left and right spine rotation (axial rotation). Moves that incorporate optimal rotation of your spine include Ardha Matsyendrasana and Trikonasana.

Move #5 and #6: Left and right tilting the spine while standing tall (lateral flexion). Moves that are optimal for this are Parighasana and Paschimottanasana.

 

Doing these moves every day can greatly benefit those looking to strengthen their spine, increase their range of motion, and maintain flexibility. You can do these yoga poses even while sitting at your desk (with slight variations), showing the versatility of these movements.

 

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Ensure Your Safety and Find Pain Relief

If you have back pain due to an injury, you will have to consult a doctor to ensure that you can move forward with doing yoga for your back. You need to ensure that your spine is strong enough to do yoga. You have to know how to practice these yoga moves without aggravating your back pain any further, so take it slow. Specific back problems, such as fractures and injuries, require long healing times, and you should not practice yoga when you’re suffering from them.

 

When you want to do an entire flow that aims to stretch and strengthen your spine, try doing Yoga Flow with Zubin Atre to get started. Tackling your back pain isn’t as easy as it sounds, but you will definitely see the results once you get started.