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Yoga For Back Pain And It's Health Benefits

Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024

Benefits of yoga for back pain

Generally, a person suffering from back pain goes for over the counter pain medication to get relief. But in consuming painkiller for a long time can have a deteriorating effect on the health of a person. For people with a problem of severe back pain, yoga provides relief from the pain through a more natural way. There are various asanas that not only improve the overall health of the person but they also help in strengthening muscles that are causing pain.

The stretching and poses of yoga help in concentrating on the specific muscles of the back that are causing pain. Through the relaxation technique of yoga, the tension in the muscles carrying stress gets greatly reduced which helps in providing the necessary relief from the pain. There are asanas in yoga that help a person in maintaining proper posture. The yoga helps in maintaining the natural curvature of the spine which helps in normal alignment of the body thereby alleviating pain in the process. Given below are the asanas of yoga that help a person to alleviate pain from the back.

Yoga asanas for back pain

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Downward Dog

Place your hands and feet on the floor, raise your hips till your body resembles an inverted ‘V’ position. Your hands should be level with your shoulder, and your feet with your hips. Press your hands against the floor and lengthen your neck. Hold on to this position for some time. It rejuvenates the entire body.
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Child’s Pose

It stretches your hip and entire back. Sit back on your hips. Your hips should rest above the heels. Stretch your arms forward and breathe. Hold on for a few seconds and slowly go back to resting position.
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Plow Pose

Lie on your back, bend your hips all the way to the back of your head. Your toes should touch the floor right above your head. Keep your hands straight, rested against the floor for support. Hold your position for as long as you feel comfortable.
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Cat/Cow

Placing your hands and feet on the floor, push your torso up and then bring it down to level. This posture helps massage your spine and stretches your torso and back.
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Bow Pose

This strengthens your back muscles. Lie on your chest and reach your hands out to hold your ankle. Now lift your thighs and chest slowly away from the floor. Draw your chest forward and make sure the back of your thighs face the sky. This yoga posture is very effective for those who suffer from back injury.
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Seated Forward Fold

Sit with your legs outstretched, bend your back and reach for your ankles or feet. This stretches your lower back and helps ease stiffness and back pain.

Conclusion

Apart from doing yoga regularly for alleviating back pain a person can include some food products in the diet that have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Rather than taking medicines which have anti-inflammatory properties and have some side effects associated with its food with anti-inflammatory properties provides a natural and healthier option to the person. Lots of green vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties but incorporating a kale salad in the diet provides a healthy option to a person. Olive oil has a proven track record of providing several benefits along with having anti-inflammatory properties.

Therefore food cooked in olive oil provides greater benefits. Studies have revealed that Omega-3 fatty acids also help in reduction of pain. Thus incorporating salmon in the diet would be a good option as it is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acid. Incorporating fruits like red grapes is also an excellent option as red grapes contain an anti-inflammatory substance called resveratrol which known for fighting pain. Besides these dietary changes, a person can also go for heat therapy for chronic back pain. Combining yoga with a healthy diet and heat therapy completely alleviates the problem of back pain. However, it is important to note that positive effects of yoga in back pain would only be observed if done regularly.

References

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    Written ByDr. Akhilesh Singh Post Graduate Course In Diabetology,CCEBDM(DIABETOLOGY) & CCMH ( CARDIOLOGY)General Physician
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    Reviewed ByDr. Bhupindera Jaswant SinghMD - Consultant PhysicianGeneral Physician
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