Lumbar Spondylitis (Neck Pain)

Pain in the lower back is a common concern, affecting up to 90% of the population at some point in their lifetime.

In up to 85% of people with lower back pain, despite a thorough medical examination, no specific cause of the pain can be identified. Back pain can have many underlying reasons, but often no specific cause will be found and the pain will stop.

Lower back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days at work. It is also one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor's office or a hospital's emergency department.

Symptoms

Lower back pain is not a specific disease. Rather, it is a symptom that may occur from a variety of different processes.

Causes

Common causes of back pain involve disease or injury to the muscles, bones, and/or nerves of the spine. Pain arising from abnormalities of organs within the abdomen, pelvis, or chest may also be felt in the back. This is called referred pain. Many intra-abdominal disorders, such as, kidney diseases, bladder infections, pelvic infections, and ovarian disorders, among others, can cause pain referred to the back.

Normal pregnancy can also cause back pain in many ways, including stretching ligaments within the pelvis, irritating nerves, and straining the low back.

Nerve root syndromes are those that produce symptoms of nerve impingement (a nerve is directly irritated), often due to a  herniation (or bulging) of the disc between the lower back bones. Sciatica is an example of nerve root impingement. Impingement pain tends to be sharp, affecting a specific area, and associated with numbness in the area of the leg that the affected nerve supplies.

Herniated discs are produced as the spinal discs degenerate or grow thinner. The jellylike central portion of the disc bulges out of the central cavity and pushes against a nerve root. Intervertebral discs begin to degenerate by the third decade of life.

Spondylitis occurs as intervertebral discs lose moisture and volume with age, which decreases the disc height. Even minor trauma under these circumstances can cause inflammation and nerve root impingement, which can produce classic sciatica without disc rupture.

Yogic Therapy - A Robust Cure

Medical Yoga Therapy addresses all these problems in this sequence:

• The sequence makes the spine healthy in general.
• Lower back curvature deformity due to sitting in wrong postures is corrected.
• Katibandha asana in particular releases disc compression.
• F/L stretch relieves muscular spasmStress management achieved through the sequence addresses lack of sleep and helps in pain relief.

Sequence of Asanas

A special sequence comprising of asanas like Katibandha Asana, Forward/lateral (F/L) Stretch, Urdhva Hastasana, Viparita Karni is designed. Props are appropriately used to make the 'Saadhaka' comfortable and gain from the posture. The asanas are aimed at relieving the pain and strengthening the area to cure the ailment.

As patients suffer from pain and restricted motion, the asanas and therapies are done differently with use of props and belts to ease the poses and provide maximum benefit. These therapies should only be performed under an expert guidance to avoid any complications.