Back pain is one of the most debilitating and uncomfortable kinds of pain that one can experience. We use our backs for every movement in life, making it at risk of various injuries. However, there are very few solutions to back pain that don’t involve surgery or hours of chiropractic medicine/physical therapy, leaving injured people wondering what they can do next.
If you are suffering back pain, or you have in the past, you may be desperate for answers or solutions that can help alleviate your pain. This post will detail yoga poses as a possible solution to your back pain. Here are 5 yoga poses to try that may be able to aid in your discomfort.
Yoga Poses to Try At Home to Alleviate Back Pain
Back pain can impact people of all ages and can have a negative impact on their overall quality of life. Back pain is common in people, however, it can be especially common in aging adults; so much so that an independent senior living in NJ offers daily physical therapy and chiropractic services to its residents. But what happens when physical therapy and chiropractic services don’t work? What happens when you are still feeling pain and don’t know what else to do?
Yoga may be the answer you have been looking for, including prenatal yoga classes for pregnant individuals. Here are 5 yoga poses that may be able to alleviate your back pain.
- Downward Facing Dog
This is a classic yoga pose that many people don’t even realize that they know until they read about it. This pose can relieve lower back pain and can alleviate sciatica pain as it works out imbalances in the back and aims to strengthen it.
To do this pose:
- Get on all fours and place your hands in alignment under your wrists and your knees under your hips
- Press into your hands and lift up your knees, bringing your sitting bones up to the ceiling
- Lengthen your spine and tailbone and continue to press firmly into your hands, distributing the weight evenly
- Be sure to keep your head in line with your upper arms and your chin tucked
- Cat-Cows
Cat-cows are another great and easy to do pose for people that are suffering back pain. Cat-cows are a light backbend that stretches the spine, torso, shoulders, and neck. People that are suffering lower back pain or tension in their upper body should do this movement for a few minutes a day, multiple times a day.
- Get on all fours and place your wrists underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips; be sure you are balancing your weight evenly between all four points
- Inhale as you look up, letting your stomach drop down and then exhale as you tuck your chin into your chest, arching your spine to the ceiling
- Be sure to focus on releasing tension in your body by moving into a deepness that feels comfortable
- Cobra Pose
Some people suffer back pain because their core is not strong enough; this yoga pose aims to fix that. The cobra pose will gently stretch and strengthen your abdomen and chest while also soothing your sciatica. You have to make sure you are using a yoga mat while doing this pose, if you don’t have one yet, you can get it from Pureful Yoga.
- Lie on your stomach with your hands under your shoulder and your fingers facing forward
- Draw your arms into your chest making sure that your elbows do not go out to the side
- Press into your hands slowly and lift your head and chest
- You can lift halfway or all the way up, however, be sure to release your back down as you exhale and to keep your elbows locked
- To get a deeper stretch, you can drop your head
- Two-Knee Spinal Twist
This yoga pose can be done right in your bed as you wake up in the morning as it is extremely straight forward, yet highly beneficial. This post will relieve tension throughout your entire back and even in your hips.
- Lie on your back with your knees drawn into your chest and your arms out to the sides
- Slowly lower your legs to one side while keeping your knees as close together as possible, then switch sides
- Make sure that you are turning your head in the same direction as your knees and that you are holding this position for about 30 seconds on each side
- Child’s Pose
One of the most widely practiced yoga poses, child’s pose is great for alleviating back pain in the neck and back as it stretches your entire spine. It’s best to do this pose before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning to get the maximum benefit from it.
- Sit back on your heels with your knees touching
- Bend forward and walk your hands out in front of you, resting your forehead gently on the floor
- Keep your arms extended and focus on releasing tensions in your back as you let your upper body come to the floor
- Try to remain in this pose for about 5 minutes
Treat Your Back Pain in the Comfort of Your Home
If you have tried physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, and everything in between, it is probably worth your while to look into some at-home remedies to alleviate your back pain. Consider some of these yoga poses, they are simple and can be done in the comfort of your own home however often you feel necessary. If you find that these poses help you, consider enrolling in a yoga class, you may benefit from that even more so.
About the Author
Kelsey Simpson enjoys writing about things that can help others. She lives in South Jersey and is the proud companion to two German Shepherds and spends her free time volunteering in dog shelters.
