FYB Feel Your Best - Yoga Teacher Training, Pilates Teacher Training and Stress Management Teacher Training

Mind, Body & Spirit:

Question and Answers

About Yoga, Pilates & Stress Management

By Debra Mundt, RYT500, CPT
FYB (Feel Your Best)^®

Yoga, Pilates & Stress Management

Teacher Certification Training School

Chronic Back Pain

Q: I suffer from chronic back pain, and have tried everything under the sun to make it go away. Anti-inflammatory medications, injections, nerve blocks, pain pills, acupuncture, natural herbs, massage…you name it, I’ve done it! Sometimes, a new treatment or medicine will work for a while, but it never lasts. Exercise of any kind seems to make it worse, but sometimes stretching seems to ease the pain a little. Would Yoga be too much for me, or make my pain worse? -- S.C.

A: According to Mayoclinic.com, 4 out of 5 adults have back pain at some point throughout life, and it is one of the most common reasons for
seeking healthcare. What you are describing is very typical of the chronic pain cycle…treatment might be successful for a time, but then the pain returns.

While dealing with chronic pain can be very frustrating, with seemingly no end in sight, how you approach it can determine your success with
pain management. What has been most helpful for my own chronic pain (resulting from complications due to spinal meningitis), as well as for
working with my clients challenges, was the realization that there might not be a “magic bullet” out there. When I moved from a perspective of trying to find anything to take away my pain, to one in which I began finding ways to manage it (do you see the difference?), I regained control of my pain rather than it controlling me!

Many of the treatments you describe, while helpful for acute pain, can actually cause rebound pain, or increase the chronic pain cycle. I
recommend that you seek out someone who specializes specifically in treating chronic pain, to help you determine your triggers, assess your
lifestyle, and create a course of action to manage your pain.

Exercise is critical to maintain your health, and can even help to manage your pain, if done wisely and in moderation. Following is an article from Mayoclinic.com, on the benefits of exercise and chronic pain: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-pain/AR00017. Yoga can be extremely beneficial, as you’ve already experienced by stretching to ease your pain. Yoga differs from other exercise disciplines in that it takes into account the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), which research has shown to be helpful in pain management. A good Yoga program for you will be one that is gentle and therapeutic, teaches you how to modify postures for your condition, and one that incorporates relaxation techniques, to prevent stress (a common trigger for pain) and help you manage pain when it occurs. Additionally, you’ll receive the most benefit in your Yoga practice by focusing on slowly increasing your flexibility, gently strengthening the muscles that support and stabilize your spine (including the abdominals, the erector spinae, the hip flexors, the trapezius, and the gluteals), and gaining internal awareness of your pain before, during, and after it occurs.

As well as Yoga, learning and practicing proper body mechanics and utilizing ergonomically-correct equipment have proven to be quite
beneficial in the prevention and management of back pain. How you position yourself while at work, during household activities, and at play can make a big difference in how you feel. Remember, YOU are in control, not the pain!

Did You Know?

“Playing the Edge” is something you may hear in Yoga classes, and is crucial to those who experience chronic pain. It means that every stretch has a place in which you are just beginning to experience sensation (minimum edge), and a place in which you are experiencing intensity, just before pain (maximum edge). The difference between intensity and pain is important: intensity is a welcome challenge, when our muscles are working, our breath may even bit a bit labored, but we are not tense or pushing into pain. Pain evokes a fearful, stress response…and does not allow our muscles to relax into the stretch, which means we cannot gain flexibility. Practice playing your edge during Yoga, and see how it makes you feel!

Do you (or does someone close to you) have a medical condition, or have an injury that you think Yoga, Pilates or Stress Management might be helpful in treating? Perhaps you have general or specific Yoga, Pilates or Stress Management related questions. I’d love to hear from you!
Please send your question to Info@FeelYourBest.com. I regret that I will not be able to personally answer each question submitted, due to time and space constraints.

Debra Mundt, RYT500, CPT, is the founder of FYB (Feel Your Best)^® Yoga, Pilates, & Horizons (Stress Management). She is also Director of the FYB Teacher Certification Training School. Debra and the School Faculty members may be reached at 262-241-8796, or by e-mailing Info@FeelYourBest.com.