Constant Lower back pain

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Vpoduval71
Participant

February 20, 2012 at 8:51 am

Post count: 4

#2278

Hi Gabrielle,
I have been practicing bikram for a couples years now. In November last year, I developed lower back pain that just refuses to go away. My back hurts if I walk for long durations and I need to sit and bend forward for 5 minutes for the pain to subside. My back is fine after class and is stiff immediately after pranayama when we look up and it worsens when I do the back bend in half moon pose. The pain is mostly to the left of the spine but the stiffness is along the entire lower back..Also, the pain and stiffness completely goes away when I do the separate leg stretching pose. After separate leg stretching , I am very comfortable. could you please advise me on what I need to do fix this and stop the pain. I am not doing the standing head to knee pose and its counterpart on the floor. I had stopped doing all situps till a couple of days ago but have now resumed doing them as sitting out the situps did not help . I am in the middle of a 60 day challenge and would like to continue my practice.

Best regards
Vijay

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

March 11, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Post count: 3048

#9415

Hi Vijay

How are you going with your 60 day challenge?

I have (more) questions for you! 😉

(1) How many days off per week are you taking?

(2) I am concerned that you are feeling pain while you are walking. I wonder what it is you are doing in your practice that could be exacerbating a problem (or maybe was the cause of it).

Did you ever have this problem before you started your yoga?

(3) Have you got any indications about the state of your core stability?
(4) As a result of your back pain have you seen some kind of physical therapist? What have they said?

(5) In Pranayama: Can you explain what you are doing/tightening/locking out and WHEN you are doing that with respect to your lower body from the waist down? Please be as specific as you can.

(6) In Backbend: Please tell me how you set up and execute this pose.

(7) In Separate Leg Stretching pose are your legs bent or straight? What about your back? Rounded or straight (or even arched)?

(8) What makes the Janushirasana poses so difficult for you?

I apologise for the delay. Please get back to me and I will respond as soon as I am able

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Vpoduval71
Participant

April 1, 2012 at 2:40 am

Post count: 4

#9525

Hi Gabrielle,
thanks for taking the time to help me.

The answers to your questions are below:
1) I take off one day a week.

2) I had a back injury similar to this in 2007 but it went away in a couple of weeks.

3) My core could do with additional strengthening no doubt.

4)I have seen a chiropractor and she says that my right hip seems to be misaligned and she wants to help me fix it. I have had a couple of sessions with her and it has helped but the pain and stiffness is still there.

5)At the start of Pranayama, I lock out my knees, tighten my hips and glutes at the start. I try to keep my chest lifted as I look back with my head. Recently, this is not causing me as much stiffness as it used to, but there still is some stiffness. I have a feeling that I am collapsing into my lower back as I look drop my head(not sure though)

6)In the half moon back bend, I straighten my hands, lock out my elbows and raise my chest to the ceiling, then I drop my head back and then keeping a lifted chest and locked out arms, I lower my arms backwards as far as I can go.

7)In separate leg stretching pose, my legs are locked out, my feet are pigeon toed. I try to keep a straight back and come down from my hips. This pose seems to do me a lot of good. Once I come out of this pose, my back no longer hurts or feels stiff.

8)The Janushirasana pose is difficult for me as I have tight hamstrings(which are getting better), after I bend forward and try to grab my foot is when I feel my back hurt or get so stiff that I have problems doing the next pose, standing bow pulling pose.

Thanks

Vijay

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

April 27, 2012 at 8:10 am

Post count: 3048

#9599

Hi Vijay

I’m back! Finally! Phew. 😉

OK, here are 4 things for you:

In Pranayama. Try NOT to lock out your bottom and hips on the tallest extent of your inhale. Keep your legs locked out as much as you can and inhale as much length as you can in your lower back by loosening through it. Then just before you move into your exhale (on the longest extent of your back) tighten your bottom, tuck the tailbone under, check into your locked out legs and then exhale.

The other thing is that I have a hunch you are trying to get your arms up by your head here AND in your backbend. I think you are introducing too much tension in your neck and shoulders. I think that it’s possible that you are introducing way to much tension in your back from the hips and the shoulders in both Pranayama and Half Moon.

If you need more description then please ask. Basically you may need to introduce a micro-bend into your arms and allow the neck to soften for both these poses. The squeezing the arms to the side of the head and locking out elbows is one of THE most insidiously damaging instructions in Bikram yoga.

There is quite a lot of information on the forum already. Plus there are full details in the Hot Yoga MasterClass.

Please go and verify if you are approaching Separate Leg Intense Stretch in the best possible way. It seems as though you could be. Just Confirm It Here!

In Janushirasana: Can you confirm if you’re reaching out for your foot and then popping your head on the knee? Or are you tucking the chin and finding that your head lands on the knee (whether bent or straight) and your hands find themselves under the foot? It’s a ‘need to know’ question! :cheese:

Thanks for the GREAT details. I hope I can get back to you faster than I did this time.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
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