26 Aug How can you get rid of spinal disorders with yoga
The most common spinal disorders are cervical spondylosis and lumbar spondylosis, one is of the neck and the other of the back respectively. Cervical spondylosis is a disorder in which there is abnormal wear on the cartilage and bones of the neck. This is caused due to aging mainly. After the age of 25, most women and men start showing the signs of cervical spondylosis on X-ray. Other factors that can cause this are – past neck injury, past spine surgery or severe arthritis. Symptoms of this disorder include neck pain which may radiate to arms or shoulder, neck stiffness that gets worse over time, loss if sensation or abnormal sensations in arms, shoulders or even legs, weakness of the arms, headaches in the back of the head. Ways to test this are – a CT scan or an MRI apart from neck/spine X-ray. When it comes to prevention, one must avoid neck injuries while playing sports with the help of proper equipment and techniques.
Lumbar spondylosis is a degenerative arthritis of the joints in the vertebrae and is a result of aging, most often seen in people over the age of 40. This is felt in the form of lower back pain. Common causes of lower back pain include lumbar strain, nerve irritation, bony encroachment, and conditions of the bone and joints. Most cases of lower back pain are due to benign musculoskeletal problems and are caused due to strain or sprain in the muscles of the back and the soft tissues like while lifting a heavy load which is a very common example. Acute back pain is when the pain is less than 6 weeks whereas pain that is more than 3 months is called chronic back pain. Scans like CT and MRI are a good way to diagnose the underlying issue. There are certain changes that you can make in your lifestyle to relieve pain and symptoms. Losing weight, a healthy diet and quitting smoking also helps to provide relief. Swimming, bicycling, walking can also help in preventing lower back pain. Regular exercise or yoga can help build strong back muscles and that helps in preventing lower back pain.
Yoga is very effective in strengthening and stretching the lower back and neck giving relief from the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Now I will share some yoga asanas for cervical and lumbar spondylosis. You can practice asanas like gomukhasana, bhujangasana, ardha shalabasana, marjariasana, kati chalana, uttan tadasana, shoulder rotation etc. These are helpful in maintaining good health. Regular practice of these yoga asanas can prevent further damage to your back and neck and also prevent any kind of swelling, pain or stiffness. And of course, the importance of right posture can’t be emphasized enough. Neck and back should be straight and not bent forward while sitting. If you experience mild pain or stiffness on some days, you can use hot and cold compress after gently massaging the area with a little oil.
No Comments