Yoga for Spine Health

Hey there, fellow human. If you are reading this, then chances are I guessed correctly, and you are indeed human and therefore have a spine! Have you ever stopped to ponder what your spine does for you? It’s an important structure that holds you upright and allows you to move around. Your vertebrae protect the vital functions of the spinal cord within. Even if you have limited mobility your spine still plays an important role.

Common beliefs held about the spine are that it is a weak and vulnerable structure that has to be protected. In truth, your back is a really strong structure that loves to be exercised, moved and can be trusted. Back pain does not get worse as we get older and back pain is rarely associated with damage (7).

So, if you want to keep your spine happy and healthy, you need to MOVE, whatever that looks like for you! And what better way to do that than through the practice of yoga?

Exercise & Yoga For Spine Health

Yoga is a fantastic way to get your body moving in a safe, graduated, and mindful manner. All these things are important if you want to get the most from your movement practices. Remember, your spine is a strong and resilient structure that loves to be moved, so don’t be afraid to get up, stretch and strengthen!

If you’ve ever experienced back pain, then you know how frustrating it can be. It can be hard to know what to do which often will lead to doing nothing which research shows isn’t helpful. The good news is that yoga has emerged as a promising complementary therapy that can help improve your overall spinal health. It is important to practice with a qualified yoga teacher or yoga therapist to ensure a safe, paced approach. (See resources below).

Spine Health & Yoga Research

Imaging findings of spine degeneration are present in high proportions of asymptomatic individuals, increasing with age. Many imaging based degenerative features are likely part of normal aging and unassociated with pain (Brinjikji, W et al, 2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for low back pain found strong evidence for the effectiveness of yoga in the most important patient-centred outcomes. Yoga can be recommended as an additional therapy to chronic low back pain patients (Cramer, Holger MSc et al.,2013).

According to a study published in the Journal of Pain Research, therapies that incorporate mindfulness concepts, such as acceptance and openness, and that focus on positive and adaptive coping may offer protection from some of the devastating and life-altering consequences of Spinal Cord Injury SCI (K. Curtis et al., 2006).

Certain yoga poses can help to decompress the spine and alleviate pressure on the nerves thus resulting in the alleviation of low back pain (P.Posadzki et al.,2011). Yoga has the potential to alleviate low back pain and has been shown to be more effective in reducing pain severity or “bothersomeness” of Chronic Lower Back Pain (CLBP) when compared to usual care or no care (Douglas G. Chang. Et al.,2016). In addition, practicing yoga has been shown to strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine, reducing the risk of injury (R.B. Saper et al., 2017).

So, hopefully this all helps to put your mind at ease (because that’s what we’re all about here!) if you were worried about the safety of yoga for your spine. A paced yoga practice with a qualified teacher can be an effective complementary therapy for spine health. 

Resources Spine Health

• Department of health guidelines for back pain https://painhealth.csse.uwa.edu.au/pain-module/low-back-pain/ 
• Become informed about spinal health by visiting Musculoskeletal Australia (https://msk.org.au) 
• For those suffering spinal cord injury, the Spinal Outreach Service provides specialized support and care (https://www.fsh.health.wa.gov.au/Our-services/Service-Directory/Spinal-Outreach-Service).  
• First aid for spinal injury (https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/First-aid-for-spinal-injury).  
• Health Direct provides information on back pain (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/back-pain).  
• Find a qualified teacher at Yoga Australia or the International Association of Yoga Therapists

References

1. Curtis et al.(2006).Evaluation of a specialized yoga program for persons with a spinal cord injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pain Research Pages 999-1017
2. P.Posadzki et al pp 1257–1262 (2011). Yoga for low back pain: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Journal of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology.
3. R.B. Saper et al (2017). Yoga, Physical Therapy, or Education for Chronic Low Back Pain A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2579 
4. Douglas G. Chang. Et al (2016). Yoga as a treatment for chronic low back pain: A systematic review of the literature. J OrthopRheumatol. 2016 Jan 1; 3(1): 1–8.US Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4878447/ 6.
5. Cramer, Holger MSc, Lauche, Romy PhD; Haller, Heidemarie MSc; Dobos, Gustav MD (2013). A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Yoga for Low Back Pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain 29(5):p 450-460, May 2013.
6. Brinjikji, W., Luetmer, P. H., Comstock, B., Bresnahan, B. W., Chen, L. E., Deyo, R. A., … Jarvik, J. G. (2015). Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 36(4), 811–6.)
7. https://painhealth.csse.uwa.edu.au/pain-module/low-back-pain/

Research contributor - Heather Robbins C-IAYT, certified yoga therapist, meditation teacher & owner Simple as Pi Yoga in Riverton WA & Online