Help please. injured yogi cannot fold forward

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Ok, so i was in a Vinyasa class and we were practicing titibasana and jumping back. After doing it a couple of times i tried again but could no longer get into the position because of low back pain. Don’t know exactly when I hurt it but I think it was during the dynamic movement of titibasana to jumpback chaturanga. So… It’s been 4 days and my forward fold is very bad, can barely touch my knees. Pain in left hamstring when I try and fold… Wide leg forward fold is also hard, most especially when folding to left leg.

So i went to chiropractor and got xray… he told me I have a lumbar vertebrae that is slightly tilted and maybe the disc is pinching nerve causing pain in left sciatic nerve… I supposedly also have mild scoliosis. Why am I feeling so much pain? Did the titibasana jumpback move my vertebrae out of place? Or is it more likely I pulled a muscle and this pain is only short term?

I’m asking here in forum because I have limited money and cannot keep going to doctors, my questions are…

  1. What are your theories on how I hurt my back? Pulled muscle? Pinched nerves? Literally displaced a vertebrae? Pain short term or long term?

  2. Should i see an orthopedic doctor? Physical therapist? Chiropractor?

  3. Should I keep doing light yoga? Like gentle slowflow or restorative classes? Or should I take complete rest?

Thank you so much to this community and any answers you can give me…

On a side note, even sitting down sometimes is painful or uncomfortable (there is still a forward fold sitting on a chair) … Slowly and gently hugging my knees to chest sometimes provides temporary pain relief, but sometimes it is just too painful to hug my knees to chest when I am really tight.

Thanks again. advanced thanks to IA too i hope :slight_smile:

#2

You want direct answers?

  1. I don’t theorize on how others sustain injury without a boatload of information. Subluxated vertebrae are not at all uncommon. Neither is scoliosis. Vertebrae are actually moving into and out of appropriate position all day long. Of course having the subluxation adjusted is helpful but more so when the student is able to hold that adjustment.

  2. If it were my body then the answers would be “not at the moment”, “perhaps”, and “yes a very good one”.

  3. If you are aware enough to maintain an altered asana practice that does not exacerbate the issue, certainly, forge on. If your asana experience is limited to power, flow, vinyasa, then perhaps a break would be more helpful as they are not therapeutic protocols. Complete rest may not be necessary but again, I’m not in your body. You are.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

gordon

#3

Sublaxation adjustment is more helpful when the student is able to hold the adjustment? What do you mean? How can I communicate to the chiropractor that I want us to better hold the adjustment?

#4

Uh that is something you have to communicate to your musculoskeletal system, not the chiro. He’s done his/her job in adjusting you. It is up to you, your living, your thinking, your movement, your choices to hold the alignment the adjustment is providing.

Think of it as modeling. Your body feels the nature of the alignment and works to replicate it thereby retaining the adjusted state. This takes time and awareness and is more of a process than a destination.

#5

don’t do any yoga posture which induces pain. Restart yoga asana when your back has healed. Spare your back!

#6

Pino,

As Gordon mentions, a good Chiropractor can do wonders. But, you also have to be willing to keep that adjustment. It takes time, awareness and much work. Discuss with him/her what will help keep it in place (meaning the adjustment) and what IT is that was out of place to begin with.

You also mentioned pain in the hamstring when bending forward. “IF” the disc is pushing on the sciatic nerve, your issue is likely not your hamstring. Depending on which disc, pain can be felt along the back side of the leg. And “IF” that is the case, forward bends, especially seated are not advised. The nerve root must be calmed.
Poses like downward dog should be done with bent knees. Check your hip mobility. When you forward bend, do your hips move? When do they stop moving? Your hips must move and your sitting bones must widen (internal leg rotation) when you come forward. Talk with your teacher.

#7

Vegas,
I would recommend a yoga therapist. See if there is a viniyoga teacher in your area and look into a private session. I did this for a injured shoulder and strained hamstring tendon, and it worked really well. Costs about $100/hour for a private with a trained therapist. Good thing about these professionals is they’ve seen these injuries already, viniyoga specialists are especially good with treating spine problems, and you can treat the problem with specific asanas. If interested, try viniyoga.com to find a therapist in your area, or IAYT.org (international association of yoga therapists).

#8

Thank you thank you all so much .

#9

I urge you to have an MRI done of your spine. It’s important to know if you have any bulging or degnerative discs. That is what happened to me. If you have such a condition and are not careful you may cause increased/permanent injury and/or nerve damage.

I am a yoga instructor myself and I’ve gone to yoga classes where well meaning yoga instructors have exaceberated the issue by trying to force my curved spine (30 degrees) into ‘straight’ positions, telling me that the curve was just in my mind. Having gotten the MRI I was able to more firmly communicate to instructors about my physical condition.

Also, I personally feel that many Chiropractic adjustments are too invasive. A good physical therapist can assess your body and make suggestions on how to rehabilitate so that you can go on with your practice. Also a physical therapist will make suggestions as to what you should not to do.

A yoga therapist is great, but I think with serious back conditions a yoga therapist should be utilized in conjunction with a physical therapist, not in place of one.

Wishing you well - Monique Danielle