Stiff Spine

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

I had a sleepless night and my mind is still tossing and turning with worries. I have a new private client more like a patient, male, 48. His entire spine is stiff. He is a software developer sitting all day for hours. The only back injury he ever received was over 10 years ago in a golf swing in the upper right shoulder between shoulder blade and spine. So far I have been using solely your joint-freeing movements for about a month - once a week. Through his current doctor, I had asked for an x-ray or MRI. Unfortunately, the focus of the MRI was only on the cerebral spine but nevertheless a wake-up call for him as follows:

spondylosis
stenosis C4 to C7
midline herniation C4 and C5
herniated disk C5 and C6
Protrusion C6 and C7

Standing barefoot, he goes into discomfort after a few minutes. The mild pain goes over his entire back and down in the back over both legs to his heels. Elevating his heels while standing has helped. I am concerned that this pain does come from his spine, true, but not only from his neck. I am concerned that there is more happening down and over the rest of his spine, which I/we are not aware of.

Considering the diagnosis of his cervical spine alone has me so very deeply concerned if I am the right person for him or if he should go to a PT. Please advise. Thank you so very much. R

#2

Is your sleeplessness over him or ? If you are thinking of him then you are the right person to work with him. Concern for a client is the major motivation for being a yoga therapist. loss of concern for yourself is high motivation. This needs to be balanced with skill, however. If the medical people feel it is warranted he will be referred to PT. That decision he should also make too. If he finds your recommendations beneficial then of course he is the ultimate authority on which to base his physical well being. Ask him if he feels confident in your capacity to help.

I think you should continue with JFS regularly plus also add the isolation series too. That is quite effective for freeing up the entire vertebral column. I don’t know if you have learned this from me or not but even if you did not get personal instruction just do the series yourself in its entirety. It is to be taught same as JFS doing all motions regardless of what is the issue. Once you have learned it yourself then teach it to him. feel free to ask more as you proceed. Contraindicated practices would be those that are weight bearing on the neck and extreme cervical extension as in camel. keep his neck in neutral alignment as you work. also can add neck strengthening practices see page 180 of my book. For his pain also give plenty of pranayama and other practices that you find lead into a state of meditation. Of course like all practices you cannot effectively give what you don?t do yourself. So if you have grounded practice then you can share that if not then give what relaxation practices you have clearly experienced to work for yourself.

namaste mukunda