If you have ever had a herniated or slipped disc, you know how excruciating this kind of lower back pain can be. With shooting or burning pain down your leg, this crippling condition can put you out of action for at least a few weeks. In the best possible scenario, a slipped disc is diagnosed early and you learn which movements can help heal your spine. If you don’t change your movement habits, however, you may suffer long-term pain and eventually further deterioration of the spine. Yoga therapy for herniated discs can teach you which movements to avoid and which practices are suitable for each stage of the recovery. It also includes relaxation and breathing techniques, which are important to deal with the stress and the intense pain that this condition causes. In this way, yoga therapy offers a valuable, complementary support to physiotherapy or other back pain therapies. Read on to learn more about herniated discs and sciatica, and to find a rest position that may be soothing.

What is a herniated disc and how is it related to sciatica?

Other names for a herniated disc are a slipped or a prolapsed disc, or a herniated nucleus pulposis (HNP). They all refer to the bulging and rupture of one of the intervertebral discs, which act as shock absorbers between the spinal vertebrae. What really happens is that the intervertebral disc is pushed backward, or less frequently forward, by pressure from the neighbouring vertebrae. The nucleus inside presses against the outer cartilage ring, which then ruptures and allows the inner contents of thick gel to bulge out. Usually this happens to the back and side of the spine, where the bulge presses against a spinal nerve root. The most common place for this to happen is in the lower back or neck.

If the bulging disc presses on a nearby nerve, it causes radicular pain. This can feel like pain, burning, or sharp electric shock along the nerve route. There can also be other nerve sensations, such as tingling, dullness or weakness. When the herniation is in the lower back, between the vertebrae L4 and S1, it can press on the associated nerve roots of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels down the back of your leg. Therefore, sciatica is felt long the back of the leg, sometimes all the way to the lower leg and foot.

This painful condition is most common in adults between 25 and 55 years old. The causes can include genetic disposition, sedentary lifestyle, an accident or fall, bad posture, stress and vigorous physical activities.

Symptoms of a herniated Disc

A herniated disk is visible on an MRI scan. Unfortunately, most doctors do not prescribe one when you come into the surgery with newly developed back pain. They only carry out a full assessment with an MRI if the condition persists in a severe form. You may have a herniated disc if you combine several of the following:

-You are between 25 and 55 years old.

-The back pain started suddenly.

-You feel shooting pain down your leg.

-You feel reduced sensation, tingling or weakness in the leg.

-The pain increases when you twist or bend forward or sit for a long time.

Gradually, the body will absorb the bulge and the herniation will retract. What you do in this time of healing will determine whether you recover fully or whether you have frequent relapses and more lasting effects. Important to keep in mind is that the pain may have gone away after 3 months, but you still have to be careful. The full healing process can take 6 to 12 months.

Yoga Therapy for herniated discs

Few people know how effective tailored yoga therapy can be for a herniated disc. A carefully selected set of yoga poses and breathing practices can aid the recovery. Going to a regular yoga class, on the other hand, would make the condition worse. This isn’t to say that a general yoga class always exacerbates back pain. In the case of a slipped disc it most certainly would, because too many yoga poses are counter-indicated. The right yoga practices, however, will speed up the healing process.

My late teacher Dr. Robin Monro dedicated his life to researching yoga therapy for lower back pain and herniated discs. He taught us that a different yoga therapy approach is needed depending on your back condition and stage of recovery. He also insisted that it is very important to detect a slipped disc early. In my experience, a slipped disc can present together with other spinal conditions. The yoga therapy approach has to be adapted accordingly. It is therefore important to be taught by a qualified yoga therapist specialised in back pain, and herniated discs in particular. To learn how you can work with me, contact me here and book a free consultation call: https://beneyoga.co.uk/book-a-free-consultation-call/.

A slipped herniated disc needs 6 to 12 months to heal completely. During this time it is essential to avoid any activity that puts strain on the disc or that triggers the tingling down your leg. Avoiding certain positions and movements is hardest to remember once the pain has left. Nevertheless, it is very important to remain vigilant for about a year to prevent a relapse.

Movements to avoid

The movements that can interfere with the healing process are not random. Especially in the first 3 to 4 months it is important to avoid forward bends, twists and, worst of all, forwards bends combined with a twist. Because we do these movements every day, I created the “Keep your Back Safe at Home Guide”. Receive this guide for free when you subscribe to my blog.

In daily life, this means being extra careful with activities such as tying shoelaces, emptying the dishwasher, gardening and lifting. If you have to do any lifting, bend your legs and keep your back straight as you come up. Slouching or sitting for long periods are very unhelpful — hence the danger of long car journeys. Finally, one-sided sports such as tennis and golf, or impact sports like running and basketball, are also not advisable just now.

In my yoga sessions with students recovering from a herniated disc, I avoid yoga poses that involve any kind of forward bending. This even includes child’s pose at first. However, yoga has so many practices that can help you exactly at this stage. These are practices that relax the back muscles, place the spine in a gentle back bend or safely strengthen the abdominals. If you would like to get your own specialised programme, do have a look at my back pain page. You can contact me or book a free consultation call here: https://beneyoga.co.uk/book-a-free-consultation-call/.

Soothing rest position

This rest position may feel soothing if you have a herniated disc that is bulging posteriorly. Most herniated discs are posterior, bulging out at the side and back of the spine. This position gently stretches out the vertebrae and counters the pressure on the front of the discs.

Nevertheless, as always with yoga: should this pose not feel comfortable or cause pain, please don’t do it. Yoga teaches us primarily to listen to our body!

Lie face down on a firm but comfortable surface such as a carpet or yoga mat. Rest your forehead on your hands. Depending on how your neck feels, you can adjust the height by placing the forehead on the fingers or on both hands. You want to avoid crunching the back of your neck. Observe the natural rhythm of your breath and stay for about 5 minutes or for as long as comfortable.

However soothing this rest technique feels, careful movement is also important when you have back pain. So, to come out, carefully roll to the side and push yourself with your arm to come up to sitting. It’s crucial to use the strength of your arms instead of the back muscles to come up.

Namaste

In gratitude to the life-long work of Robin Monro

I owe my knowledge of yoga therapy for herniated discs to my late mentor Robin Monro. He was a pioneer in the field of yoga therapy in the UK and dedicated decades to researching yoga therapy for lower back pain. It is thanks to him that yoga therapists know the particular approach that a herniated disc requires.

Robin Monro passed away on 14 November 2024 in his mid 90s. At first a successful researcher in molecular biology, Robin worked alongside Nobel prize winners in the study of DNA. He left this line of work and dedicated the rest of his life to yoga therapy for lower back pain. He was passionate about integrating yoga practices with medical science. A forerunner in the field of yoga therapy, he helped to advance yoga therapy as a regulated and accredited profession. He set up the Yoga Biomedical Trust in 1983 and UK’s first yoga therapy training programme soon after. I graduated from this programme in 2011 and Robin Monro inspired me to specialise in yoga therapy for back pain.

With humility and total commitment to his life’s work, Robin Monro continued yoga therapy research until well into his 80s. In terms of herniated discs, his findings showed that yoga therapy is an effective intervention, especially when the herniated disc is detected early. Robin taught me and other training yoga therapists the exact questions and assessments to determine the presence of a herniated disc. He taught us that yoga therapy for a herniated disc requires a different approach from yoga therapy for lower back pain. Crucially, he proved that early detection can save many people from deteriorating back health and surgery.