Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Is Yoga Good for a Herniated Disc?

San Francisco Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:

Yoga is very popular these days...and there are many different kinds. Some methods of Yoga are very gentle...some are advanced...and everything in between.

Anyway...I am often asked...Is it is OK to do Yoga with a herniated disc?

My answer is always...it depends. It depends on your particular condition.  There are Yoga postures that might be perfect for you and actually enhance the healing process...and there are Yoga postures that may hurt you.

This is where an experienced Yoga teacher comes in. I used to have an onsite Yoga instructor at my Financial District Chiropractic Center. Sometimes Yoga made sense for herniated disc repair...sometimes it didn't.

I did a little research online and came up with this article on the Yoga Journal website entitled:

Yoga With A Herniated Disc

It's an excellent read. Check it out. Let me know if you have any experience with Yoga and disc herniations and if you know any really good instructors here in downtown San Francisco that I can refer patients to.

For a complimentary consultation with Dr. Eben Davis at Executive Express Chiropractic at the Embarcadero Center...simply call 415-392-2225, press 1 (24 hr live operator). 

Yoga For Chronic Back Pain

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

I was checking around for some information on Yoga, and I came across a good article on the www.revolutionhealth.com website. The article is entitled:

Yoga And Back Pain. Here is an excerpt from the article (by Dr. James Herndon, MD):

At the end of treatment...and for 3 months after...patients treated with yoga had slightly more relief than those in the exercise group and "significantly more pain relief than those in the 3rd group" who received tips for managing back pain, fitness and suggested life style changes. The authors concluded that in their opinion yoga did so well because patients had an increased awareness of how to sit, stand and walk as well as "a sense of relaxation."

I have known about the benefits of yoga since I started practice, as I shared space with two very good yoga instructors...they performed gentle yoga stretches and massage on my patients. Chiropractic and yoga is a very good combination.

However, just like I always say to my patients that ask if they should do yoga...Make sure you perform yoga under the tutelage of a master. And only start off with gentle yoga if you have chronic back or neck pain. You can work your way up to more advanced levels over time. 

Good Posture=A Healthy Back

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

There is a lot of debate over whether someones posture can be controlled at a conscience level, or if posture is actually the end result of all your habits and actions over your lifetime. Some say your psychological profile contributes to your posture as well. Some say it's mostly hereditary.

I think it's a little of all the above. Your posture is also "a window to your spine". A trained eye can actually visualize the position the spine is in by looking at posture. And there are many ways to improve posture...including chiropractic.

Anyway, I found some real interesting links with some different viewpoints on posture, along with some exercises and ergonomics tips. Here they are:

Posture For A Healthy Back

Posture-What About It?

Chiropractic Biophysics

I trained at the clinic where the Biophysics technique was invented. So, we incorporate this method into our treatment protocols.

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Back & Wrist Pain Center...please call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation.   

10 Tips For Chronic Back Pain

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

It sure is hard to exercise when you have chronic back pain. And you know what happens when you don't exercise...you don't get any thinner. You also know what happens when you put extra weight on a bad low back...it gets worse.

And, what do you do when you can't exercise and lead an active lifestyle because of chronic back pain? You eat more...it's a viscous cycle, that's often hard to break.

So, how do you get out of this mess and get your life back?

Well...here's what I think...You sure don't keep doing what you're doing...that's for sure. Not unless you want more of the same. You can put a turbo-booster on what I described if you smoke or drink too much, or expose yourself to too much stress.

Here's a simple prescription:

1. Chiropractic care. Find a chiropractor you like and work with her long term.

2. Switch to a plant based diet for 60 days. If you like it, stay with it. My best source is www.drmcdougall.com.

3. Consider non-surgical spinal decompression with the DRX9000 if chiropractic fails to deliver results.

4. Start riding a life-cycle 3-4 days a week for 20-40 minutes. It is non-weight bearing, but ease into it. Start at five minutes and work your way up. Yoga stretches are good too...gentle at first.

5. Consider relaxation & visualization techniques. Purchase the book Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain.

6. Get plenty of sleep and use a cervical pillow. I like the Tempur-Pedic Memory Pillow.

7. Try Acupuncture for pain control and to reduce inflammation.

8. Drink lots of clean water. Half your body weight in ounces per day.

9. Stop any fad diets such as high protein diets. They only offer short term benefits, with long term health risks.

10. Talk to your medical doctor about reducing prescription pain killers, muscle relaxers, or cortisone injections. This stuff can do more harm than good long term.

Yoga In Conjunction With Chiropractic For Back Pain Just Makes Sense!

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

I am often asked, "Is Yoga Good For Back Pain?"  My response is always the same...Maybe, Maybe Not...it just depends on the circumstances.

Sure, the major premise of Yoga is that the spine is the center of life...there is an outer reality and an inner one...and the nervous system is the doorway between them. The spine houses and protects the nervous system. So you want to keep the spine healthy and limber throughout your lifetime to keep the energy flowing.

In actuality, Yoga philosophy is very similar to Chiropractic philosophy...which is why the two healing arts work so well together. OK, OK....should I do Yoga for my back pain or not?

Well, it depends how bad your condition is, and what kind of physical shape you are in...and where you are learning the Yoga, and what type of Yoga...Blah Blah Blah. Is it from a video, your next door neighbor, or under the tutelage of a master practitioner??? There's a big difference.

Lets do this...Read this excellent article from the great www.Spine-health.com website and decide for yourself. The article is entitled:

The Healing Benefits Of Yoga

If you think that it makes sense to try Yoga, give it a shot. If you are my patient and you would like a good referral in San Francisco, send an email to ebendavis@yahoo.com.

Otherwise, do a little homework and find somebody good to learn from. If you have any helpful advice regarding Yoga and back pain, please comment below.

If you suffer from chronic back pain and would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Chiropractic Center...simply call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation.    

More On Chronic Back Pain and Yoga

San Francisco Chiropractor and chronic back pain specialist comments on Yoga as a therapy vs. exercise for chronic back pain:

I have been a believer in Yoga ever since I started practicing chiropractic over 15 years ago. In fact, I shared my space with a pair of very good Yoga instructors, and we worked on many patients together. Up until recently, we had our own in-house Yoga instructor/therapist, who has since moved to Boston to become a doctor of physical therapy. Anyway, I do not need scientific proof that Yoga works as a stand alone therapy for chronic back pain, I know it works. But, our medical community does. And, so do insurers and third party payors. And I guess, some primary treating doctors also if they are going to refer patients out for Yoga therapy.

In my last post I wrote about a study just under way in the UK that is being conducted to find out if Yoga can really help chronic low back pain patients. Here are the results of a study that was done here in the US a few years back on yoga for chronic back pain vs. exercise. Good stuff. Let me know what you think and if you have had a positive experience with Yoga for your chronic back pain. Your response is appreciated.   

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Chronic Back Pain Center, please call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Eben Davis.

Yoga-Low Back Pain Study Underway

San Francisco chiropractor comments on a study currently being performed in the UK to determine if Yoga is an effective therapy for Low Back Pain:

I read a news story this morning on the BBC News website, entitled Yoga tested as back pain therapy. This 12 week study will involve 260 people between the ages of 18-65 that have had low back pain within the past 18 months (My comment: hopefully they still have it) to see if Yoga helps with pain. There have been numerous smaller studies in the US which have shown Yoga to be beneficial, but a larger group is needed to prove it, according to the scientific community researchers. Anyway, I place the odds on a favorable outcome as the classes will be carefully structured and there will be no difficult poses. I just wish I knew more information about the study participants. Are they chronic pain victims (they must be) or just patients that happened to have pain at some point in the past 18 months as the article suggests (which I doubt). I will report the results as soon as I know them.   

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco chronic back pain center, please fill out our Free Online Consultation Form.

Yoga May Help Treat Depression

San Francisco chiropractor comments on benefits of Yoga:

I came across an article on the Spine-health.com website that talks about  a recent Yoga-Depression study. The findings of the study suggest what most yoga practitioners already know. Yoga can help reduce anxiety and depression. This is significant in light of the recent body of research suggesting depression is a precursor to back pain.

I have been recommending and incorporating Yoga into our chronic back pain protocols at my clinic for years now. The results have been great. In fact, the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the epicenters of the united States for Yoga. There is something for everyone, even the elderly and frail. If you are under a lot of stress you should consider Yoga. Chances are you will open yourself up to a whole new world.

If you are looking for a Yoga studio in San Francisco, consider the Yoga Tree

A good A Good Yoga Stretch for Herniated Disk Patients

San Francisco Chronic Back and Disk Pain Doctor Comments:

We have always recommended Yoga at our SF Financial District chiropractic center. Up until recently we had an in-house Yoga instructor by the name of Sarah, who has since moved to Boston to obtain her doctorate in Physical Medicine. We wish her the best. Anyway, I found a really good Yoga stretch that we have tried on some of our chronic back pain patients, as well as with some of our spinal decompression patients.  If you have bad knees, be careful. Otherwise it is great. Go ahead and apply some ice to your low back for 10 minutes after you stretch, to reduce the likelihood of soreness. 

If you or anyone you know is suffering from chronic back or neck pain and would like to find out if you are a candidate for treatment at our San Francisco Disc Pain Treatment Center, we have a few easy choices: Contact us by phone at 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary evaluation, OR

Fill out our online information request form and we will communicate with you by email or send you more information.   

Hear what some of our patients have to say

Backbends to Manage Back Pain

Yoga is a very therapeutic practice for people with back pain, specifically herniated discs. In particular, there are some yoga poses, or asanas, that are exceptionally helpful for providing relief of pain and, when done with diligence, actually can reverse the postural causes of herniations. Backbends are positions that put the spine in extension. Our spines are not normally in an extended position. When we sit at our desks, drive our cars, watch a movie or really do anything else that requires sitting or leaning forward, our spines are flexed. This constant flexing can actually change the way the weight is dispersed on our discs which can result in herniations. Extension helps to bring the spine back into balance. Robin McKenzie is a famous New Zealand physiotherapist who designed an extension protocol for discogenic back pain. "The primary work of spinal extensions are an absolutely necessary". Stan Andrzejewski, PT writes a good article on the importance of extension for back pain here.
So, to get started on practicing backbends, please see a teacher who has some experience with back problems and in designing sequences for specific therapeutic conditions. Create a sequence that consists of spine extension poses like (click on the link!):

1. Cobra
2. Bow Pose
3. Bridge

Backbends may initially be uncomfortable, but they must be practiced gently and persistently for results :) Also, always transition between backbends with poses that put your spine in a neutral position, not those that put the spine in flexion. For example, lay flat on the floor rather than hugging your knees to your chest. If you have any questions just post a comment!