Ok guys I m giving some exercises for back n lower back from yoga. mainly Cobra (Bhujang Asan) Bridge (Charka Asan) Bow (Danura Asan) 1st is Cobra ... I m giving you in stick figures. In 1st picture you are lying down on your stomach with hands close to your heart rest on floor. Breathe out. and lift urself from waist up(2nd picture), while u straighten urs arms and look at the ceiling Breathe in go back in 1st position. Do this 10-15 times. and then rest . -TkdWarrior-
I know these stick figures doesn't look good... hey I m Yoga guy not painter so Second in the lot is Bow or Dhanur asan. It's called cuz u look like Bow in this . in 1st pic U lie down on ur stomach and bend ur knees and stretch ur arms back so that u can hold ur left ankle from left hand and right ankle with right hand. Exhale Completely and lift urself up by pulling ur legs(in 2nd pic). -TkdWarrior-
if you hav back pain then u should not be touching ur toes... It'll only aggravate it. and Do these exercise then tell me where u feel the stretch. -TkdWarrior-
The first one is good for prolapsed discs in the lower back, which have bulged to the rear. The arching of the back helps take the pressure to the front of the disc relieving the bulge. The second exercise may help back strength, but I don’t know if it will help spinal stability. For this you need to concentrate on the Transverse Abdominus and the Multifidus for lower back stability.
As much as I can appreciate a good stick figure drawing For folks with low back problems, I've prvided good results with reverse hyperextensions, usually done on a Swiss ball. Usually 4x6-8, with a 1-2 second full pause at the top. Set a Swiss ball on top of a flat bench, lay with stomach on ball, gripping bench for balance. Feet should be hanging off the ball, not touching the ground. Lift legs until your body is straight at top, pause, lower slowly. I'm not fancy enough to whip out a drawing, so try to picture a lying leg raise. It's that same motion (legs lift up so you form an "L", then lower straight) only you're lying on your stomach.
As much as I appreciate the efforts, TkdWarrior, I looked this up yesterday and had this linkage handy. http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/thecobra.asp Although I didn't get the chance to use this exercise this morning. Tomorrow, I will.
Thanks TkdWarrior , but I have to be honest, I'm afraid I'm not sure that these back flexion exercises are appropriate for all types of lower back injury. I have lower back problems due to an old muscle injury and have tried all of the aforementioned exercises at one time or another. Any reverse flexion exercises of that kind aggrevated the injury and caused me considerable pain. I did attend a couple of yoga classes and asked the instructor about this. He said that when doing the cobra stretches it was important to do it on your toes, otherwise you can damage your back. My osteopath gave me cat stretchs and exercises to build up my back muscles but never gave me any flexion exercises that would strain my back. Sorry, I'm not trying to be arsey, I know I'm no expert, but I felt I should share the fact that those exercises didnt do me any favours.
As I stated the reverse flexation exercise is good for discs in the lower back that have prolapsed towards the rear. If they have prolapsed towards the front, then you will be making them worse. Almost all lower back injuries require retraining of the Transverse Abdominus. This is because they switch off after an injury. The Swiss ball mentioned earlier can be a great tool for stability training.
damn I thought U guys know about Bridge... u know it still take lots of efforts to paint stick figures in MS paint... and that too with mouse only... Don't worry CJW I wrote that article and pics cuz I need it for my site... I'll be putting lots of stuff soon... sorry that would be only for my subscribers -TkdWarrior-
Oh swiss ball... I have used it... but don't hav one.. it's good as already said. thnx colin for explaining -TkdWarrior-
What's helped when I've gotten back pain was to lean over from the waist and be completely limp. Then with a count of 10, slowly coming back into a standing postion, by moving one section of my back at a time. This may only be for me though, and is probably from the muscles being tighter than normal
Mobilizing is key to undoing back pain of virtually any kind. You don't want to build stability as much as mobility. The back isn't meant to be stiff - it's meant to MOVE. Here's an excellent article that expresses it beautifully: http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/23/sonnon.html
From my perspective it was the stability training that made the difference and has allowed me to train again. It was certainly the recommendations off the specialist at the pain management clinic I was attending. This training has allowed me to recover from two separate injuries; the first was a smashed disc between L4 & L5, that lodged a 2.5 cm chunk against the nerve route to left leg, this required surgery to repair; followed by a 60% crush fracture of L1 about 12 months later, this also affected the previous injury. I understand and agree with you regarding the mobility and stiff back muscles. But it is my understanding that this is a result of the main stabilisers swiching off, thereby forcing gross stabilisers, like the Rectus Abdominus to try and stabilise the back. This turns you into someone who moves like Robo Cop. My understanding is the the Transverse Abdominus stabilises your spine while in motion. Once these are re trained you can relax the back and move normaly, and the spine still has support. This article may be of interest. http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/Switch.asp_Q_PageID_E_79
During one of my regular T-nation trawls, I came up with this; http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle...D6897EB3AAF44A5E608.ba13?article=body_108back P.s. Tkdwarrior, the second exercises you posted where you raise your legs and arms at the same time as widely regarded to be pretty dangerous.
I don't know a hell of a lot about this but here's my take: - The thing that's good about TKDwar's suggested exercises is that the lower back is entirely released and loose. There's no contracting going on there whilst the rest of the body is taking the strain to introduce concavity to the lower spine. Forward bends excacerbate most back faults and also hang a lot of weight (your upper body) off the spine. If you do forward bends with the intention of trying to be concave then you're on the right path. You can do that by concentrating on sticking your tail-bone as high as it will go. Rgds, David
