Recurrence of Disc related pain

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi All,

History: The MRI scan showed mild disc bulge in L4 and L5. I am 30. weighing 55 odd kilos. Lean and not mean.

About 6 months back I was in pain in my right buttock and behind my right knees and calf. Then post swimming and yoga it all disappeared for a while.

I was exercising yoga at home (after 20 day yoga therapy with a special instructor) 4 days a week[must confess not very regularly]. But barely a month and the pain has resurfaced. I was on a road trip and the roads were bad:(. This may have caused it,I assume. The pain is not as severe as earlier but I am unable to sit for more than 20 minutes at a stretch. I don?t want it to get worse.

During my yoga therapy I did surya namaskara, leg raising exercises lying on stomach and on back, shalabasana on single leg alternatively. Trikonasana, butterfly asana. Ended with Anulom Vilom.

Now to alleviate this painfull situation should i continuee on the yoga or restrict myself to any specific asanas. Or should i be just resting?

#2

Hello Pande_srini,

Those bumpy roads can be excrutiatingly painful if you suffer from disc problems!

If you cannot sit for more than 20 minutes at a stretch, you have not healed completely yet. Make sure you sit with a lumbar curve. Do you have a proper chair? Maybe use rolled up towel to help your lumbar curve. Don’t slouch.

You really want to stay away from forward bends for at least 6 months. Therefore do NOT do surya namaskara! I mean absolutely not. The forward bend (padahastasana, uttanasana) and the lunge (equestrian pose, aswa sanchalasana) in surya namaskara are not good for disc problems. I have not seen you in person, but on paper I cannot see how butterfly and trikonasana will help you either. If the yoga program you mention has been devised by a yoga therapist, I am more than a little concerned.

At he moment, you are better off with a gentle yoga program, like pavanmuktanasana followed by a long relaxation. Advasana (on your stomach) is better than savasana (which is on your back). Spend a long time in relaxing poses on your stomach (20 min). When pain has diminished, you can start doing sphinx pose. After some weeks of this, you can start building strength in your back muscles with half locust (ardha salabhasana), and gentle variations of cobra (sarpasana).

Swimming is excellent.

Rest if you need to, but do not rest too much. Keep moving. Try to stick to your normal daily routine, without lifting children, groceries or heavy objects, though!

Be patient. The body will clean up the disc problems over time, but you need to give your body this time.

Best wishes for your health.

P.S. I’m a yoga therapist with personal experience of disc herniation.

#3

Hi, I’ve posted here before with exactly the same symptoms you mentioned (but on the left side). Currently I’m pain free and have been back to attending regular yoga classes for the last 6 months which is going really well. Some days I notice I do feel a reluctance to forward bends - so I just don’t do them and that’s fine with me.

I also saw a yoga therapist who recommended the poses Willem mentioned and she was also a trained pilates teacher and we did a lot of core strengthening exercises which I felt helped a lot.

What kind of job do you do? My worst period was when I had a desk bound job - thankfully that’s over and I think that has made a difference too. I also swim and I cycle to and from work daily.

I know how depressing it can be - but with patience you will recover.

#4

Just noticed that your yoga therapist recommended you do trikonasana - ouch. That was definitely a no go for me. Sounds like a bad idea.

#5

Pande Srini,

Could you clarify the date of your MRI please. I can’t determine if that was 6 months ago or recent from what you state in your post.

Since we are dealing with bulging discs - thingies moving toward the back body into the spinal canal when they should be moving forward and away from it - it is important to create space in the spine, eat incredibly well, and use breath and light both in and out of your meditation.

Asana can be very helpful. I use asana and believe in its power but it is an incomplete protocol. If you the student are unwilling to change the living that has manifested the condition then Yoga has an uphill climb ahead of it and without said transformation complete healing is less likely, though not impossible.

An unmodified classical surya namaskar does not help the issue you outline. I prefer you not do it but if you insist then please insert Utkatasana when going from Urdhva Hastasana to Uttanasana AND keep the knees bent when you arrive. However Willem’s advice is far more sound, “don’t do it”.

Likewise I would not (personally) buy in to the group think that building core muscles helps back pain. How we’ve allowed ourselves to be buffaloed in this way I simply cannot fathom. Many times back pain is actually front pain…angry hip flexors. To tighten them further is to wrench the lower anterior (frontal) spine toward the top front of the thigh bones. HOWEVER…if such work feels good to you in your body and works for your life please disregard my diatribe.

If there are no ligament issues around your sacrum then I would advise traction for the lower back, a commitment to hyrdation, oxgenation, and alkalinity through diet, the movement of light and breath into the affected area, and the beginning of a dialogue between your mind/living and the call from your body to make some changes.

Also the beginner’s hip opening series to lengthen the hamstrings would be helpful.

gordon

#6

What is the beginner’s hip opening series ?

I don’t know if cold has been mentioned. Stay away from it.

#7

It is the supine series in Purna Yoga? designed to work seven of the eight movements of the hip joint.

#8

Please be aware that supta padangusthasana (reclining hand to toe pose) can be very painful for people with lumbar disc problems. In fact, the supine straight leg raise (Las?gue) is the test used by neurologists to check for lumbar disc herniation. If it hurts - you’ve got it! I remember screaming so loudly during this test that the whole emergency room staff ran in to see what was happening.:frowning: :slight_smile:

However, I agree that longer hamstrings can free up the pelvis and establish a better lumbar curve. This needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis.

#9

All,

Thank you so much for the wonderfull directions you are giving me. Ever gratefull.

Meanwhile on IA question: I had my MRI 6 months ago.

Regarding the beginner hip openeing series. Would this help. yogaforbeginners.com/html/postures104.htm

Willem: Regarding the Supine straight leg raise i cant raise it fully(90 deg), but can raise to a max of 60-75(deg) beyond which it hurst near the buttock and lower back. And my knees bend. Does this mean disc herniation?

I have restarted my swimming. 30 mins a day.

Do help.

#10

Dear Pande_srini,

I am not a medical doctor, so I am not qualified to draw medical conclusions from what you are experiencing. If you want to know more, please consult your doctor. The MRI helps with the diagnosis along with a number of clinical tests (e.g. straight-leg raise test, testing for reflexes, asking about back pain symptoms ).

For further treatment, please consult your doctor. A physiotherapist or yoga therapist can give you helpful advice, too. Unfortunately, it is is not possible to do a proper assessment and recommendation via the internet. Treating [I]yourself[/I] with yoga poses is even more difficult. You really need a second qualified person to help you out.

Good thing you went swimming. It helps to relax your muscles which breaks the cycle of pain --> tense muscles --> more pain --> etc.

Remember to hydrate on the inside as well - drink lots of water.

Best wishes.

#11

PS,

I personally would not follow the directives contained in the link you post. The sequence there isn’t specific enough to your situation. Further, I find the instructions to be unclear and, in places, incorrect.

Again Willem is spot on. Finding a health care practitioner of your choosing is highly recommended - be that an M.D., Osteopath, Chiropractor, or yoga therapist. Please do not construe our advising as medical advising.

to the point of yoga postures;
Supta Padangusthasana may be helpful for some in your situation…then Parivrtta but I could not find a sound photo… then Parsva…

If you cannot take your leg to 90? that is fine. You can either work powerfully with mind and breath at 60? or you can bend the opposite leg, place that foot on the floor and take the straightened leg a bit further up/back. Please hold the strap you use for this only with a straight arm, not a bent elbow. In fact the three alignments mandate that all three limbs are straight.

Again, I want to stress this is not at all a complete protocol for the healing warranted with slipped discs. It is not even much of a partial protocol. So this is merely an anecdotal chat.

gordon