By Patricia | November 14, 2008

How Do Backaches Occur

Backaches are among the most common problems besetting people, particularly in the cities, these days. They are, for the most part, owing to stress and tension in the muscles that support our backbone. Stresses, a sedentary lifestyle, improper use of back muscles are some of the triggers of this prevalent issue. This L4\, L5 disc protrusion is also the result of some postural defect and wrong lifestyle habits over a period of time. Fortunately Yoga, if done on a regular basis, is a great and probably sole saving grace for permanent respite from backaches. When you put your muscles under too much tension and stress, or even due to constant fatigue, backaches are bound to come. They are chiefly in lumbar region or in the region of the neck. We twist, turn and bend mostly in these two places. Repeated backache complaints are, as we said, owing to overstressed or overworked muscles. Recurring backache are also the result of wrong sitting posture, continued, prolonged physical, mental and emotional stress or lumbar scoliosis. Sometimes, of course, they are the result of past injuries Fortunately, all backaches are easily treatable with a little help from Yoga and back massage therapy. Mindful and moderate Yoga practices have proven to be the safest bet, as well as the most efficient means of easing a number of backaches, be they upper, middle or lower backaches. Best of all, the regular practice of Yoga helps prevent repetitions.

Healing Benefits Of Yoga For Backaches

Each and every Yoga practice helps tone up all groups of muscles. But the majority yoga postures are aimed at strengthening the muscles of the back and abdomen. They teach you to continue correct movement and upright postures. Relaxation and stretching exercises help to lower levels of stress in the muscles if you do them regularly.

Yoga is particularly great for getting rid of lower backaches. It achieves this through stretching exercises and poses. In the process, it also strengthens the lower back muscles and perks up blood circulation. This improved blood circulation ferries the all-important nutrients to the damaged back tissues. Yoga

poses also help you to retain natural curvature of your spine, something so crucial if you wish to prevent lower backaches.

Finally, Yoga drastically lowers your ones risk of disability as a result of those cumbersome and painful backaches.

The following Yoga Program Is Bound To Help

Yoga Postures:

Tree pose (Vrksasana) Supine Fish pose (Supta Matsyasana) Wind Releasing Pose (Pavanamuktasana) Sage Marichi twists (Marichyasana) Locust pose (Salabhasana) Half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana) and plenty of Shavasana, the Corpse pose.

Breathing Exercises:

Mild Kapalabhatti (Skull-Cleansing Breath) followed by as many rounds of Anuloma-Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing) as you are comfortable with

Health Tip:
Avoid forward bending poses. In fact you should avoid bending forward at all times, as well as hard, exhausting work and exercises. This includes Surya Namaskar, the Sun Salutation. Depending on the extent of the rupture, the severity of the bulge is also different. The actual disc itself is fixed between the bones and does not slip at all. The rupture in the outer ring of the disc can be due to any reason, starting from trauma and heavy lifting to a genetic predisposition to such problems. Usually, small tears heal by themselves within a couple of weeks, but large tears will take more time and may sometimes become so severe that they will require surgery to correct. Currently, this problem is treated by physiotherapy. Traction is one of the best treatment methods, and when traction is exerted at the site of the rupture, the negative pressure exerted on the inside of the spine causes the soft jelly that makes up the inside of the disc to go back inside. Medication is more for pain relief than anything else. Nowadays, however, most people resort to certain exercises that are almost as effective as traction, if not more, for healing herniated discs. Moreover, the advantage of exercising is

that it also helps to strengthen the muscles of the back, ensuring that the condition does not worsen or extend to other vertebrae. Yoga, because it is such a gentle form of exercise, is becoming very common in the treatment of back pain.

Yoga for disc bulge

The different poses (asanas) that make up yogic exercises are very different from normal exercises because they not only contract the muscles but also extend them. Rather than concentrate on big muscles that may look good but do not offer much physical strength, yoga concentrates on improving stamina and strengthening the core, helping to treat a number of physical ailments. Some asanas for healing herniated discs are given below.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) Locust Pose (Shalabhasana) Bow Pose (Dhunurasana) Half Spinal Twist (Ardhamatsyendrasana) Mountain Pose (Tadasana) Side Bending Stretch (Tiryak Tadasana) Waist Rotation (Katichakrasana) Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) Warrior Pose (Veerasana) Corpse Pose (Shavasana) All these poses are especially good for back pain and help strengthen the muscles of the spine, thus giving you good posture. A good posture is very important in preventing future recurrences of a slipped disc. Tips: Although some of these poses are not very difficult, others put tremendous strain on the muscles of the back. It is therefore advised that people who already have herniated discs approach a yoga instructor who is experienced in dealing with people who have such problems. If you cannot go for formal training, it is always best to start with the simplest exercises and take things slowly. One of the tenants of yoga is that you never push your body beyond its limit and instead concentrate on doing what it is able to do. Over time, the body gets stronger doing simple exercises, so that you can move on to more difficult ones. In fact, most of the difficult ones take months of practice to master. There are a number of other poses that are also equally beneficial, but put a lot of flexion on the spine. While this is good in keeping the spine strong while being supple, it is really not recommended that anyone with a herniated disc do these poses as there is a possibility that it may worsen the condition.