Lower Back Pain - What Ayurveda Can Do For You?

In lower back pain, do's and don'ts play a very important role. In do's, one should do exercises, asanas, pranayam and try to be tension free. Among the top don'ts, the person suffering from lower back pain shouold avoid fat increasing foods such as dals, tur, harbara, bakery products, maida biscuits, bread, etc. Curd and Achar should also be avoided. The patient should not sleep on lavish mats. Use of cotton mattresses for sleeping is recommended. Avoid tight-fitting clothes e.g. jeans. Try to reduce weight. In cold season, wear warm clothes. Avoid travelling and bending in lumber. Use cumod toilets, sit, walk straight without bending back.

An oil massage can help relieve the pain caused by a sedentary lifestyle and bad posture. Though a massage with any oil can prove to be beneficial, some ayurvedic oils have special properties that provide faster relief. Ashwagandha oil has relaxing properties and nourishes the muscles and bones. Similarly, Karpooradi oil improves blood circulation and eases numbness while Neem oil mixed with garlic and sesame warms the underlying muscles and eases stiffness. While massaging the back, do not put too much pressure on the spine but massage the adjacent muscles in circular motions.

Panchakarma (basti, enema, massage and steam) can be very useful for the lower back. It decreases fat to a great extent. Through massage, the low back muscles spasm is relieved, hence, pain is relieved. By hot decoction, herbal steam blood circulation increases leading to decrease in swelling and pain.

Bhujangasana is an asana that pacifies the Kapha dosha. The primary location of Kapha is in the chest of the human body, so creating a movement there not only provides you stimulation and balancing to the water and earth elements. It is a grounded backbend in which most of the bodystay connected to the earth. This creates a unique involvement of gunas, eventually leading to great relief in back pain. With the pelvis and lower body staying rooted, there is a feeling of stability and heaviness that contrasts the mobility and lightness in the upper body.