Good & Bad Postures for Cervical Spondylysis

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

I have been suffering from cervical spondylysis. After seeing my x-ray the doctor informed me that it was not very serious. However, I do feel pain when I turn my neck towards right side, especially in the mornings. I do those neck exercises but there is no improvement. Could Mukunda, Chandra or someone tell me what asanas are good for this problem and what asanas should be avoided. For the past 8 or 9 months I have STOPPED doing Sarvangasana, Halasana, Sirshasana & Mayurasana. I have been doing Padmasana, Vajrasana, Trikonasana, Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Supta Vajrasana, Paschimottanasana, Ushtraana, Matsyasana & Chakrasana. Please let me know if any of thse are not advisable for me.

Thanks in advance,
Johny

#2

Hey Johny,

I would recommend speaking with your yoga instructor regarding this matter. They can observe you and the way your body wants to move in all of the positions that you are doing, and avoiding. If you practice only solo, I would advise you to find a reputable studio to get an opinion. An experienced observer is the best tool in this situation.
I have several structural problems myself, and i had to learn the hard way that some yoga postures are bad for certain things that are wrong with my spine. I had been doing several poses wrong due to my own personal limitations. My financial limitations saw to it that I did this damage for a few years before I took action and found a good instructor. A good yogi will be able to guide you and spot you.

You may also want to consult the physical therapist, or whoever gave you the neck exercises that don’t seem to be helping you. Ask for some guidance or maybe some different exercises.

I have found that postures that I always avoided because they caused me pain, only needed to be modified while I strenghtened and worked toward achieving the proper pose.
Good Luck!

H

#3

Dear Johny 74,

I concur with HazelAngelEyes, however I would recommend a yoga instructor who is either a yoga therapist or trained in working with clients who have special needs. Poses which strain the neck, placing excessive weight or are done outside of normal range of motion would be contraindicated in this case. Further, a trained body reader can assist you to recognize when you are straining the neck. A pose such as Bujangasana (Cobra), for example, can be practiced with an excessive arch in the neck(which would exacerbate your condition), or as a therapeutic pose with a healthy neck extension (which would serve to provide stability). This is accomplished by keeping the spine long without lifting the chin.

In general, I would recommend that you focus on maintaining a neutral neck position, avoiding those postures which you cited as they can stress the neck. Without seeing you, it is difficult to determine specific muscular imbalances. Where are you located? It may be possible to see Mukunda or one of his Structural Yoga Therapy students/graduates for personalized practice guidelines.

If you would like Mukunda to answer your post, please post to his Q&A as he is not normally in the General Yoga Forum.

Namaste,
Chandra