I have a quite severe herniation at c5-6, desperate to avoid spinal fusion. Any yoga therapy to encourage disc to move and/or alleviate arm pain? I am a yoga teacher, and am working w physical therapist & craniosacral /reiki / polarity therapist.
Thanks,
k
Hello Kathik,
Relative to this:
Any yoga therapy to encourage disc to move and/or alleviate arm pain?
There does appear to be yoga therapeutic offerings for such things. There are also yoga offerings with no efficacy whatsoever in this regard.
As a yoga teachers you and I are acutely aware that students who do not reveal to us, do not engage relationship with us…how they can only be guided by what we see of them. With the internet that seeing is removed and we have nothing to rely upon other than the sharing.
Ergo if the question above becomes more robust for you it would be greatly appreciated to have additional information about the issue and the person who is housing it.
Gordon
The healing capacity of the human organism is amazing. Or to formulate it better … coming to a balance with the universe of what we are an organic part, is always possible, even though we often do not realize this.
In the class I visit there is a woman whose spine looks so terrible on MRI, that the doctors cannot believe she has no pain at all. Yet, thanks to a careful alignment based practice under the personal guidance of our instructor she manages to be completley free of the usual symptoms. This is one end of what I can share relating to your problem.
The other end ? Even total healing is possible if one … deserves the gift of grace to be manifested upon. The level of self surrender, humilty required is very hard to achieve and in these cases we must take into account one’s social environment, and karma, too. Miracles do not happen because we refuse to expect them.
Hello All,
My name is John and I was diagnosed with a herniated disc at my L5. While my doctor believes it is mild and I should be able to beat it without surgery, it certainly does make walking difficult. I was an avid cyclist and weight lifter but now with the sciatica walking for 30 minutes is a step up.
I learned about the mckenzie technique on my own and have really been using it quite often. I believe it uses alot from yoga and would like to add on it.
Is there anywhere I can go to learn which exercises can helkp me with my condition and get me pain free and avoid surgery.
Thank you for reading this post.
-js
Hello John,
If you are just looking for exercises then a physical therapist (or Physio therapist in the UK et al) can show you such things.
If you are looking for Yoga AND, as part of that, wanting postures that will assist you, then I’d suggest a therapeutically trained yoga teacher with more than five years of teaching and at least 500 hours of training.
gordon
[QUOTE=Kathik;21632]I have a quite severe herniation at c5-6, desperate to avoid spinal fusion. Any yoga therapy to encourage disc to move and/or alleviate arm pain? I am a yoga teacher, and am working w physical therapist & craniosacral /reiki / polarity therapist.
Thanks,
k[/QUOTE]
There are currents in medicine which would try to get you to therapy or more conservative procedures like neural blocks which you might try with a lot less risk than consulting your “Polarity” Therapist
Cervical Herniated Disc Treatment ? Non-Surgical
Most patients do not need surgery! Initially, the doctor may recommend cold/heat therapy or medications. During the first 24 to 48 hours cold therapy helps to reduce swelling, muscle spasm and pain by reducing blood flow. After the first 48 hours, heat therapy can be applied. Heat increases blood flow to warm and relax soft tissues. Increased blood flow helps to flush away irritating toxins that may accumulate in tissues as a result of muscle spasm and disc injury. Never apply ice or heat directly to skin; instead, wrap the cold or heat source in a thick towel for no longer than 15-20 minutes.
Medications may include an anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling, a muscle relaxant to calm spasm, and a pain-killer (narcotic) to alleviate intense but short-lived pain (acute pain). Mild to moderate pain may be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These work by relieving both swelling and pain. Discuss NSAID use with your physician first.
The doctor may also recommend physical therapy. The doctor?s orders are transmitted to the physical therapist by prescription. Physical therapy includes a combination of non-surgical treatments to decrease pain and increase flexibility. Ice and heat therapy, gentle massage, stretching, and neck traction are some examples.
In four to six weeks, the majority of patients find their symptoms are relieved without surgery! Be optimistic about your treatment plan and remember that less than 5% of back problems require surgery!
One of my client has the same issue.
We do:
- structural warm-ups for shoulders, neck , upper back. the purpose to get this area to move and get the blood and other fluids to move around. also asanas for strengthening the neck are important. development of strong neck muscles is thought to alleviate the pressure on vertebral discs.
- series of asanas that decompress the neck (such as forward bend)
- asanas to improve the posture and strengthen back muscles
- remember to work with Vishudha chakra and corresponding mental and energy blocks
- check for other things like hormone levels, digestive system etc…
- apply shakti mat to reduce pain and swelling
- herbal mix of horsetail, acorus calamus and chamomile.
Ujayi and Nadi shodhana is a must
hope this helps
oh, also you want to AVOID :
- neck hyperextation and sirsasana like poses, including fish pose.
Complete bed rest is necessary for a few days for fast recovery and healing. Complete immobilization of spine is the safest and quickest route of healing and recovery. The duration of immobilization required depends upon the degree of injury. In the later stage yoga therapy should be applied, which promotes the recovery.
Supta-Vajrasana is further development of Vajrasana. We lie on our back with folded legs, hence, it is called Supta-Vajrasana.
Position of Readiness
Steps
? Let the right hand and place it on the floor behind the buttock. Then move the left hand also behind the hip and bend a little backward.
Slowly place the right elbow and then left elbow on the ground towards backside.
Slowly straighten you hands and completely lie on your back. While lying on your back, control your weight. Do not jerk otherwise you may get injury
Shoulders should rest on the ground. Beginners may keep their hands on respective thighs. Knees should remain together.
Now you stretch both the arms and hands on both sides of the body. After practicing this position fairly well, make the shape of a scissor with both hands bring them under the shoulders. Right hand will remain under left shoulder and left under the right, head in the middle of them.
Now do some deep breathing exercises by just inhaling and exhaling the air through both nostrils. Stay in that position for 6 to 8 sec.
I’m sorry I’m not understanding your directions Stelly.
Are you suggesting that a student with a herniated cervical disk should first immobilize the spine, then do supta vajrasana?
[B][I]"" – it is unethical to give asana to a student you have not seen. In addition, it is BKS Iyengar -not BSK. I guess anyone can become a teacher now.[/I][/B].""
Just to make it clear for the author of this post. Yor are right, advising to do something without having MRI on hand is very difficult. But there are some general instruction for certain conditions.
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I did not advise this particular person to do anything, I’ve just described what we work on with my client who has the similar problem. Please read my post carefully.
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Thank you for pointing out the typo I made or copied from another website not paying attention, I will go ahead and correct it.
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You got if just right yoga teacher is not a doctor or therapist and people who are seeking an advice about yoga poses should understand that class does not cancel the visit to doctor.