A herniated disc in the lumbar spine can take a long time to heal. Even when the often-accompanying sciatic pain has gone after a few months, the healing process can last about a year. During this time, it’s crucial to aid the recovery by avoiding certain positions and practising the right ones. This blog about yoga therapy for a herniated disc discusses which movements are important to avoid. It also describes one relaxation position that may relieve the pain. I have re-written this blog in memory of my mentor Robin Monro, a pioneer in the field of yoga therapy in the UK. He 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
Before delving into the subject of this blog, I would like to write a few words about Robin Monro, who passed away on 14 November 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 and yoga therapy for lower back pain in particular. 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 probably 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.
What is a herniated disc?
Other names for a herniated disc are a slipped, prolapsed or bulging disc, or a herniated nucleus pulposis (HNP). They all refer to the bulging of one of the intervertebral discs, which act as shock absorbers between the spinal vertebrae. What really happens is that the nucleus inside an intervertebral disc is pushed forward or, more likely, backward by pressure from the neighbouring vertebrae. This causes it to leak through the weakened or torn surrounding area. Usually this happens to the back and side of the spine, where the bulge can press against a spinal nerve root. The most common place for this to happen is in the lower back, where it may press against the sciatic nerve and result in ‘sciatica’. The shooting nerve pain down the leg is very intense and difficult to bear.
The causes of a HNP are not always known, although bad posture and heavy lifting can contribute. Younger people, between 25 and 45 are more likely to suffer from it. Medical specialists used to advise surgery in the past. Recently, however, research has suggested that non-surgical treatment is more effective in the long term. For more information on this: https://beneyoga.co.uk/guidelines-for-the-treatment-of-low-back-pain-and-yoga-therapy/.
How a herniated disc can heal with yoga therapy
Gradually, the body will absorb this bulge and the herniation will retract. What you do in this time of healing will determine whether the recovery takes a long time and you suffer frequent relapses, or whether the pain eases relatively quickly. Important to know is that the pain may have gone away after 3 months, but you still have to be careful because the healing process is not finished.
With these recurrences you may wonder which movements are safe. Avoiding most movements will lead to greater tightness in your body. Instead of holding and tightening muscles unnecessarily, it’s good to know which movements can be harmful and which are safe. Yoga therapy for a herniated disc can teach you exercises that are beneficial while keeping the rest of the body moving and more flexible. If you would like to learn if yoga therapy can help you with a herniated disc or other back condition, feel free to set up a free consultation call with me here: https://beneyoga.co.uk/book-a-free-consultation-call/.
Movements to avoid
The movements that can interfere with the healing process are not random. Especially in the first 3 to 4 months it’s important to avoid forward bends, twists and forwards bends combined with a twist. Because we do these movements every day, I created the “Keep your Back Safe at Home Guide”, which you get for free when you subscribe to this 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 all 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 and leg muscles, place the spine in a gentle back bend or safely strengthen the abdominals. If you would like to get your own specialised programme, please have a look at my back pain page and contact me or book a free consultation call here: https://beneyoga.co.uk/book-a-free-consultation-call/.
Soothing rest position
What I would love to share with you today is a rest position that may feel soothing if you have a posterior bulging disc. 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 and adjust the height by either 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, 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
To find out more about yoga therapy for lower back pain and herniated discs, here is a YouTube video made by Attila Bazso in collaboration with Robin Monro. I remember him asking if they could use one of my pictures.
