5 Yoga Poses to Avoid if You Have Back Pain

As back pain sufferers search for non-opioid solutions, more and more of my patients are asking about yoga as a way to find relief. Yoga provides real benefits including improved flexibility, better balance, and mild cardiovascular exercise.

Some Flow Yoga and Sculpt Yoga studios here in Greenville also offer more substantial cardio and strength training. Yoga may also help preserve spinal mobility and prevent falls as we age.

But there are some important cautions that anyone with back pain or disc problems should know before stepping onto the mat.

Here is something worth understanding first: your lower back muscles work hard all day, every day, through every normal movement of daily life, lifting, pulling, bending, and carrying. It is typically the abdominal muscles that are weak and underused. When you want to strengthen your core, that is the better area to target.

Which brings me to the yoga poses most likely to cause or worsen back pain. These exercises generally extend the lower back in ways that irritate the discs and surrounding soft tissue.

1. Camel

Avoid this one. If it comes up in class, concentrate on working your quadriceps and contracting your abs as you lean back slightly while keeping your back straight. Do not drop into the full extension.

2. Superman, Locust, and Cobra

There are many variations of these poses that involve lying on your stomach and raising your arms, legs, or both. Do them very gently if at all, and concentrate on keeping your abdominals engaged. It is also a completely fine time to just rest while the class moves through it.

3. Wheel

Even if you can do wheel, it is not a good idea for your lower back. If you must, press into it through your shoulders, demonstrate that you can do it, and then immediately and gently lower back down and hug your knees to your chest.

4. Heel to Knee Hamstring Stretch

This stretch is commonly recommended for tight hamstrings, which often go hand in hand with tight lower backs. But this particular version, where you lie on your back with one heel on the other bent knee and then pull that knee toward your chest, puts an uneven strain on your lower back and can aggravate existing injuries. There are better ways to stretch your hamstrings that do not load the spine asymmetrically.

5. Upward Facing Dog

This one can be done safely if you move into it slowly with your abs and quads engaged, being careful not to drop your back and belly into an exaggerated lumbar extension. The problem is that is easier said than done as a class progresses and fatigue sets in. As soon as you notice your form slipping, move directly from plank into down dog rather than passing through up dog during a vinyasa flow.

The Bottom Line on Yoga and Back Pain

It is more important that your lumbar spine be stable than flexible. Taking care of your lower back with a few smart modifications means you can continue to enjoy the many real benefits of yoga for years to come.

If you are dealing with back pain that is not responding to stretching and exercise, it may be time to find out what is actually causing it. At Brown Chiropractic Center we treat back pain, sciatica, and disc problems in Greenville every day. A thorough examination is the first step toward real, lasting relief.

Dr. Jeff W. Brown, D.C.

Brown Chiropractic Center, Greenville, SC

(864) 271-0001