Avoid the Number One Cause of Low Back Pain

From increasing flexibility to improving posture to boosting immunity, yoga is a form of exercise that yields incredible health benefits. However, there is still a risk of injury or exacerbation of low back pain. Low back pain is often made worse by one movement and better by the opposite. In yoga, one move that would make a lot of my patients with low back pain worse would be the forward fold.

Passive Flexion

Forward folds seem harmless because all you are doing is bending over and touching your toes. This move is called passive flexion. Passive flexion is the number one cause of low back pain in my patient population. Passive flexion is the position you are in when you are sitting at your desk, in your car or at your dinner table.

For patients with low back pain, sitting for longer than 10 minutes will bring on their pain and make it worse. The pain will start as a band across the back and can progress to one hip, buttock or thigh depending on the patient. The pain is relieved when they stand up and start walking around. Once they sit or get into any passively flexed posture, the pain cycle begins all over.

Be Mindful of Posture

What I instill into all of my patients is posture awareness. It’s essential that you don’t sit for any length of time and if you must, we make sure your posture is conducive to the resolution of your pain.

If you suffer from low back pain after prolonged sitting, long car rides or at any time, be sure to contact us today. The longer you let it go, the longer it will take to get better.