Can Yoga Help With Lower Back Pain?

Kathe Sanz

Published on 10/31/19 at 1:42 PM

October, 31, 2019

Up to 80% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. According to Health Harvard, Yoga is one of the more effective ways to help with lower back pain1. Back pain can result from conditions like arthritis or ruptured discs. But more often it is caused from poor posture, standing or sitting for long periods of time, heavy pulling or lifting, sports injury, or muscle pulls. Back pain can be divided into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute is pain that can happen from an injury or other movements, while chronic is similar in pain, but it doesn’t go away after three months.

Most of the time you may not even realize the damage you’re causing to your back until it’s too late. However, if you do recognize the back pain, there are many ways to help that don’t always involve over the counter drugs. It’s time to explore other natural remedies like yoga to help with lower back pain.

lower back pain

Can Yoga Help with Lower Back Pain?

Participating in activities like yoga on a regular basis not only helps with lower back pain, but it can also prevent it from happening in the future. Because yoga’s positive benefits aren’t always clear, we did the research for you. Here are some ways yoga can help with lower back pain.

Begin Your Day With Yoga Stretches

No one wants to wake up with lower back pain. Incorporating yoga stretches at the start of the morning can help get your body moving, blood flowing and range of motion improved to help relieve tension in your lower back throughout the day. Stretches like downward dog, sunbird pose, child’s pose, cat cow and bridge are known to help. Engage in these five yoga poses each morning to feel long-term benefits.

yoga for lower back pain

Incorporate Yoga Into Your Everyday Routine

Yoga is known to stretch, strengthen and condition the muscles in your back, core and surrounding areas that support the spine1. Practicing yoga techniques like sitting tall and holding your core regularly at work can help with lower back pain. That’s because yoga helps practice healthier and stronger sitting and standing posture. Practicing good posture while sitting or walking to work helps build the muscles surrounding the lower back and strengthen the spine to help lower back pain2.

With these postures, the goal is to hold the core and lengthen the spine while you stand or walk to strengthen muscles in the lower back. Using these yoga techniques each day can significantly help with lower back pain and help avoid it in the future.

yoga helps with lower back pain

Practice Yoga For Your Body and Your Mind

Exercise, and especially yoga, can make you feel refreshed physically and mentally. Since yoga is considered a mind-body therapy it helps relieve physical pain, but also the stress that comes with it3. Yoga teaches relaxation techniques that are proven to decrease symptoms of back pain, ease arthritis, stop headaches and relieve carpal tunnel syndrome. If the poses are done correctly, you can actually relax and strengthen the body to understand where the tension and pain is coming from to help in the future.

5 Yoga Stretches That Can Help With Back Pain

If you believe what you’ve read on how yoga can help with lower back pain, watch the video below. Dr. Mailie Harris from The Chiropractic Wellness Studio shows you how to properly and effectively use yoga to stretch and help with lower back pain.

Yoga is one of many ways to relieve back pain. Some other options include maintaining a healthy diet, stretching daily, wearing comfortable shoes or by using DR-HO’s TENS therapy regularly.

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