Yoga for back pain, sciatica and herniated disc

Many people experience back pain at some point in their lives, especially lower back pain. This could be for a number of reasons such as an injury or due to the fact that our lives have become sedentary. Whether that’s due to our careers working in an office environment or due to the increase in the use of technology and spending more of our time in front of a screen. To put it simply, we are not as active as previous generations and this has resulted in an increase in health issues such as back pain.

Depending on the diagnosis, professionals are likely to offer a few possible treatments such as physiotherapy, painkillers, injections and even spinal surgery.

This article is about how one can treat and overcome back pain, sciatica and/or a herniated disc (slipped disc) through yoga therapy.

A bit of background

During the summer of 2015, I started experiencing slight pain down the back and side of my right leg. I had an MRI scan to get an accurate diagnosis which showed a herniated disc on one of my lower back vertebrae which was touching a nerve and causing sciatic pain down my right leg.

It was suggested I get the disc surgically removed. I asked for an alternative such as physio or yoga as I did not feel comfortable with surgery on my spine, but was told they are unlikely to work due to the amount the disc had bulged out. The advice was to get this done quickly as it could get worse and lead to something more serious.

I decided not to take the doctor’s advice on this occasion and instead opted for yoga therapy.

Yoga therapy

Yoga is something I practice and know that there are āsanas (yoga postures) which are beneficial in managing, treating and curing lower back pain and sciatica, caused by a herniated disc.

I started practising certain āsanas daily ensuring I did not overdo it and only did as much as my body allowed. I knew it was going to be a long and slow recovery if it was to work at all.

My routine

NOTE: As a rule of thumb, back-pain patients should avoid forward bending āsanas.

Warm-up

• Loosen the joints by rotating each joint slowly
• Raise the heart-beat to increase blood circulation around the body
• Dynamic stretching

Āsanas

Markatāsana (knee rolling/spinal twist)

1. Lie on the back
2. Bend the knees
3. Slowly roll the knees left and right 20 times
4. Exhale as you lower the knees, inhale as you bring them up
5. After rolling, hold the Markatāsana posture for 20 to 30 seconds
6. Repeat on the opposite side

Markatāsana

Makrāsana (crocodile posture)

1. Lie on the front
2. This is a relaxing posture for the lower back
3. Spread the legs out about shoulder-width
4. Point the feet outward
5. Fold your arms and rest your head on your arms
6. Hold for 30 seconds

Makrāsana

Bhujangāsana 1 (cobra posture)

1. Lie on the front
2. With palms beside your chest, raise and lower the chest 20 times
3. Inhale as you raise your chest, exhale as you lower your chest
4. On the 20th rais, hold the posture for 20 to 30 seconds
5. Relax in Makrāsana for 30 seconds

Bhujangāsana

Bhujangāsana 2 (cobra posture)

1. Lie on the front
2. This time, put your arms behind your back with your left hand holding your right wrist
3. Raise and lower your chest 20 times
4. Inhale as you raise your chest, exhale as you lower your chest
5. On the 20th raise, hold the posture for 20 to 30 seconds
6. Relax in Makrāsana for 30 seconds

Shalabhāsana 1 (locust posture)

1. Lie on the front
2. Make a fist with your fingers wrapped around your thumb
3. Place the fists under your thighs
4. Raise and lower your legs 20 times
5. If you’re unable to raise both legs, try to raise one at a time instead
6. Ensure your chest and stomach remains on the floor
7. Inhale as you raise your legs, exhale as you lower your legs
8. On the 20th raise, hold the posture for 20 to 30 seconds
9. Relax in Makrāsana for 30 seconds

Shalabhāsana

Shalabhāsana 2 (locust posture)

1. Lie on the front
2. Make a fist with your fingers wrapped around your thumb
3. Place the fists under your thighs
4. Raise and lower your chest and legs 20 times
5. Inhale as you rise, exhale as you lower
6. On the 20th raise, hold the posture for 20 to 30 seconds
7. Relax in Makrāsana for 30 seconds

Shalabhāsana

Ekpad Kapotāsana (One-legged pigeon posture/glute stretch)

1. Come on to your hands and knees
2. Bring your right knee to your right hand
3. Take your left leg back
4. Bring your right foot towards your left hand making a right angle
5. Push the hips down (you should feel a stretch across your glutes
6. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds
7. Repeat with the left leg

Ekpad Kapotāsana

Setubandhāsana (bridge posture)

1. Lie on the back
2. Bend your knees
3. Raise and lower your hips 20 times
4. Inhale as you raise your hips, exhale as you lower your hips
5. On the 20th raise, hold the posture for 20 to 30 seconds

Setubandhāsana

Shavāsana (relaxing posture)

1. Lie on your back
2. Spread your legs out shoulder width
3. Arms slightly away from your body
4. Palms facing up
5. Head relaxed
6. Close your eyes
7. Take slow deep breaths and relax for 10 to 15 minutes
8. Get up by slowly rolling over on to your right-hand side into the recovery position
9. With the support from your hands, slowly get up in a sitting position
10. Slowly open your eyes
11. The practice is complete

Shavāsana

Keep at it…

I did the above routine every day and within two months, I had noticed the sciatic pain had completely disappeared. Although back pain does flare up every now and then (mainly through my own fault), I have not experienced any herniated disc symptoms such as sciatic pain. I am able to play sports like before without any issues and importantly, surgery was avoided on my spine.

So there you have it. If ever you are experiencing back pain or sciatica or have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, give yoga a go before having surgery.