Hey! So I’m completely in love with down-ward dog, but every time I do this pose my back ends up hurting really bad later. I could be doing it wrong, but do you have any advice on making it not hurt my back?
are you very flexible in the lumbar ? it is obviously really difficult to make assesment without seeing your posture. are your hamstrings tight ? Tell us more . what does your practise consist of ? fast , slow . Tell us about yourself .
I have kind of a weak lower back, but otherwise I’m very flexible. My hamstrings tend to get a little tight when doing this pose so I bend my knees a little bit, until I’m more comfortable fully extending them. My practice so far consists of working on Sun Salutations and Warrior Dances I and II. It starts off slow but by Warrior Dances I and II it begins to speed up a bit.
Hi Frankie,
with these sorts of questions (therapeutic in nature) it’s best to provide a full intake so that we can give you profound rather than anecdotal assistance.
For example…you state that THIS pose hurts your back later. Your upper back or lower back? What sort of pain; sharp or dull. Constant or pulsing? Is that pain better in the morning or evening? It is helped by heat or cold?
Is this the only pose you are doing on those days where there’s a “later” pain? If not then I’m curious how you are determining it is this particular posture that is responsible for the later hurt?
Finally it is helpful to know what sort of practice you are doing, for how long you are doing it, how many years have you been doing it, and so forth.
Otherwise I’d just be guessing and what’s the benefit of that?
gordon
My middle and lower back tends to hurt afterwards. It happens more so if I’m sitting after I do it or laying down. The middle part of my back doesn’t always hurt, but when it does it’s a dull constant pain/stiffness. My lower back is the problem. It’s the part that is more pronounced. It’s a sharp constant pain that doesn’t like to go away. It get better with hot water, but that’s only temp. It also get worse in the morning when I’ve been sleeping all night.
The way of how I have determined that this pose is the reason for my pain is because I’ve been doing Sun Salutations with Warrior Dances I and II. The transition from Ashtanga Namaskara to Downward-Facing Dog is probably where there is some strain to my back but it continues through the pose.
I’m focusing on Sun Salutations at the moment. I’ve been doing it on and off for a few years, but I’m really getting into it pretty heavy this semester. It’s very relaxing and I’m very stressed out this Semester.
Anything else you should know to help you help me?
~Frankie
[QUOTE=frankie;56427]My middle and lower back tends to hurt afterwards. It happens more so if I’m sitting after I do it or laying down. The middle part of my back doesn’t always hurt, but when it does it’s a dull constant pain/stiffness. My lower back is the problem. It’s the part that is more pronounced. It’s a sharp constant pain that doesn’t like to go away. It get better with hot water, but that’s only temp. It also get worse in the morning when I’ve been sleeping all night.
The way of how I have determined that this pose is the reason for my pain is because I’ve been doing Sun Salutations with Warrior Dances I and II. The transition from Ashtanga Namaskara to Downward-Facing Dog is probably where there is some strain to my back but it continues through the pose.
I’m focusing on Sun Salutations at the moment. I’ve been doing it on and off for a few years, but I’m really getting into it pretty heavy this semester. It’s very relaxing and I’m very stressed out this Semester.
Anything else you should know to help you help me?
~Frankie[/QUOTE]
Frankie,
This sounds like me, before I learned about my hyperflexibility. Hyperflexibility is when your ligaments are too loose and this means your muscles need to take over their work. Not everyone with hyperflexibility are human pretzels, it’s def common in to be very stiff in the body too. I’m not in any way an expert on the subject, and definitely a yoga newb compared to many others here, but what has worked for me is
- working on (joint) stability
- working on alignment
- never ever ever trying to stretch the ligaments themselves = no yin yoga or “hanging” into the joints. Ouch!
…and find out where your weak spots are. For me, I’ll never be able to do side splits as my hip joints are one major part of my problem. Not that it bothers me…
IF this turns out to be what you have, find yourself a physiotherapist with expertise and experience (not everyone has the same training!) and preferably also a yoga teacher who can give you detailed instruction on the alignment you need so that your body can work safely.
Thank you Frankie for the feedback. Unfortunately I don’t know Warrior Dance and my Surya Namaskar practice and teachings follow the classical style where Ashtanga namaskar is followed by Sarpasana (serpent), bhujangasana (cobra), and then Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog).
If we simply presume your issues are generating in AMS then we should dialogue about the doing of that pose. Since you’ve not mentioned the style in which you are practicing/training I can’t even begin to surmise.
Many student erroneously prioritize in this pose believing that the heels must root at the expense of the line of the spine. Of course the caveat here is that I’m an alignment-based teacher and not all teachers align with aligning:-) . Have you tried bending your knees in the pose and pressing your sitting bones into the top of the wall behind you?
Ideally I’d like you to spend some time with a qualified teacher in your area in order to refine your asana practice.
Hey Frankie…is it feeling any better after getting all this advice? - Jasmine
InnerAthlete- Okay so I’ve been looking at the back of the DVD in search to see what style I can currently practicing and in the “about” section it reads, "Vinyasa Yoga is an evolving form of traditional hatha yoga. So I’m going to say Vinyasa Yoga.
In the Warrior Dances I and II we start normally at Tadasana, back bend into Urdhva Hastasana, and come all the way down with a forward bend. Than we go into plank, chaturanga, cobra or upward-facing dog and than downward dog. After a few times we go from downward dog into Warrior One (virabhadrasana I) and back to chaturanga (and the continuation of what is normally done. Warrior II is added after a few times of the sequence with Warrior I and comes right after Warrior I. I don’t know if you understand this or if it helps…?
Nila- I might have that, but I think I just need to be re-aligned. The beds and lecture chairs here aren’t the best for you back at all!!! ^.^
Synergyjasmine- It kind of is feeling better, I’m just taking my time throughout the sequence instead of following the fast pace of the DVD. I’m also re-thinking each pose and how my body feels in that pose and adjusting. I’m trying to stay in Downward dog for a while and so far it’s not hurting my back anymore, however cobra is starting to give me an ache in the middle of my back.
[QUOTE=frankie;57152]
Nila- I might have that, but I think I just need to be re-aligned. The beds and lecture chairs here aren’t the best for you back at all!!! ^.^
[/QUOTE]
Frankie,
I know that situation all too well!
Fortunately, for me, the better aligned I become in asanas, the better my body gets at handling un-ergonomic situations in general 
Nila- That’s very good to know! So to become aligned I should probably visit and yoga teacher? or chiropractor? or doctor?
Hello Frankie,
Having my roots in a vinyasa practice I can say that for me I loved the activity level of that style however it did not help me therapeutically with things in my body that needed care or nurturing. As the pace picks up I find that for me the ability to be present and feel what’s happening in each pose is exponentially reduced. I liken it to race car driving - very fun and exciting but no margin for error.
Specifically in the sequence you mention - which was termed Surya Namaskar A/B in my previous practice, Warrior I ([I]Virabhadrasana[/I]) is a very demanding posture and as such warrants specific safety elements for that student who wants safety. The lower back or [I]lumbar spine[/I] is at risk in VI.
Perhaps try the same sequence wth a full three breaths in each of the poses. And when doing the VI focus on lifting the bottom of your belly into your nostrils without pulling it into the spine. This of course presumes you’ve championed the safety of the knee by turning the back foot in BEFORE drawing the hip toward the front of your mat.
Hope this helps.
gordon
[QUOTE=frankie;57285]Nila- That’s very good to know! So to become aligned I should probably visit and yoga teacher? or chiropractor? or doctor?[/QUOTE]
Frankie,
I am not the right person to give medical advice. If your pain is of the kind that needs a doctor, go visit a doctor, is all I can say…
For me, alignment in yoga and a physiotherapist did the trick - my body is what it is, but mostly pain free these days, though I need to be careful and diligent and not skip practice.
But yeah, I would recommend a yoga teacher who will correct your alignment. Not all licensed teachers do, however. An Iyengar yoga teacher is always a good (but not necessarily the only) choice if you want to make sure to get this, but more important is to find someone who is right for you… Of course, working on alignment does not need to be restricted to class. 
Plus, if you’re willing to do some digging, there are a lot of sources on the internet on how to protect various parts of the body while doing asanas or just in everyday life, for example I think yogajournal has some in their archives.
Btw, I am sure Inner Athlete has more helpful advice regarding specifics to give than I do.
Gordon?s advice makes sense to me, that therapeutic asana must be done at a slower pace than vinyasa asana. SIMPLY CONSIDER; bones, joints, connective tissue, muscles etc. do not instantaneously act together, they take time to settle into one another. You could ridiculously complicate further by including other systems of the body/mind (chemical, electrical, circulatory, endocrine, etc) as well as ones we may not be aware of. I didn?t do a $50,000,000.00 however this awareness led to experimentation with my own body and observations with those around me and now I acknowledge a good chance that restorative and vinyasa asana have different physical benefits. I do both.
So I went to the doctor to find out what was wrong with my back. It was not down-ward dog!!! YAY But I can’t continue with down-ward dog until I get my back back together. So I worked out a lot last semester and this semester I stopped because I haven’t had time to get to the gym so all of the muscle that I built last semester in my back is getting weaker so that is why certain Yoga poses have been hurting my back. Thank you all of all of your advice! I really appreciate all the help and the welcoming community here at Yoga Forums But I am still doing my flow, but instead of Down-ward dog I’ve substituted cat and cow instead to give my back a gentle stretch and I’m taking it at a slower pace until I am very comfortable picking up the pace!