Can You Do Yoga With Lower Back Pain?

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If you struggle with lower back pain, you’re far from alone. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low back pain affected 619 million people worldwide in 2020. Although numerous research studies have shown that practicing yoga helps prevent lower back pain, what about when you’re already in the throes of achy, throbbing or mind-bendingly intense pain? Even if you can muster the stamina to practice yoga with lower back pain, should you?

Can Yoga Help With Lower Back Pain?

The answer, as with so many things in life, is it depends.

In general, you don’t want to avoid movement when your back is sore. Physical inactivity can actually worsen the discomfort associated with most lower back issues.

Years of research indicates yoga is not only a safe form of movement for most individuals experiencing moderate low back pain but that it’s more effective in reducing discomfort and improving function than resting or doing no physical activity at all.

Perhaps even more encouraging is evidence that suggests yoga can be as helpful as physical therapy in restoring function and reducing pain. The American College of Physicians, for example, recommends yoga as an alternative therapy for those with back pain.

Although yoga delivers necessary stretching and strengthening of the back muscles, researchers in recent years have also been drawing attention to yoga’s emphasis on the breath and meditation. It’s believed they also play a role in reducing pain and alleviating depressive symptoms that tend to accompany chronic low back pain.

How to Practice Yoga With Lower Back Pain

Each experience of acute or chronic low back pain (CLBP) is unique, so it’s essential that you consult with your doctor or physical therapist to learn a diagnosis and identify movement patterns that you should avoid.

Your yoga practice will need to be specific to your situation and will likely require you to skip or modify certain poses that place excessive stress on your lower back muscles and spine. Most research on yoga for lower back pain focuses on poses that are modified with the use of props to reduce the stress, torque, or pressure on the spine and muscles by avoiding or modifying certain poses.

The following are general considerations when practicing yoga movements for lower back pain. One of the most reliable ways to minimize the risk of exacerbating back pain from yoga is to always stay within a range of motion that feels comfortable for your body. The following suggestions can help you do exactly that.

• Avoid practicing yoga if you have a compression or vertebral fracture, spinal nerve issues, or a herniated (slipped) disc.
• Avoid extreme backbending poses, such as Wheel, Camel, Dancer, and Sphinx. Instead, focus on passive backbends, such as Supported Bridge Pose.
• Avoid poses that ask you to twist the spine, such as a Reclined Spinal Twist, Revolved Chair, and even subtler twists such as Triangle Pose.
• Avoid placing weight on your head and neck, for example, inversions such as Headstand and Plow.
• Avoid extreme forward bending of the spine, such as trying to bring your chest toward your thighs in a seated or standing forward bend. Instead, keep your lower back straight and lean forward only to the degree that is comfortable.
• Use yoga props. This can also look like placing a pillow or bolster beneath your forehead in a forward bend such as Child’s Pose or a Seated Forward Bend. It could also mean using blocks beneath your hands in Pyramid Pose or Half Standing Forward Bend to lift the floor so that you can exert less strain. Reach for your props anytime they can help support the weight of your upper or lower body in a pose.
• Listen to your body. If you experience sharp or dull pain in a pose, stop immediately.
• Remain aware of your breath and focus your attention on it.

RELATED: 7 Ways You Can Modify Yoga Poses for Back Pain