Stretching the pain away
08/11/18 13:58 Filed in: Wellness
I have lower back pain. Okay, probably like most us, right? In my case, I really had no idea what was going on down/back there. I'd tried lots of ibuprofen to knock down the inflammation, then spent a couple months going to the chiropractor. Neither of those approaches really gave any lasting relief at all. Finally, I went to my doctor and presented my symptoms, hoping to get an MRI for a new perspective. He agreed, and the radiologist who reviewed the images gave me a diagnosis of bulging lumbar disks. Not severe enough to require surgery, but my regular doctor and I agreed on a course of physical therapy. Good! This was what I was actually hoping for; if I couldn't fix the problem, at least I could mitigate it!
My physical therapist gave me a series of really helpful exercises, many of them based on yoga positions. I'd never really tried yoga before, but this seemed to do the trick. Sure, I still wake up in the morning with some stiffness and pain, but these exercises really do give me some relief. During the course of that PT, I found an app that I could use for some further guidance at home. It's called Yoga Studio, from the folks at Gaiam. Not only do they have all sorts of pre-defined yoga routines (including several focused on offering relief for back pain), but you can also create your own custom routines, piecing together whatever sequence of poses you choose.
Now, please know that I am not a physician. I'm not a physical therapist, nor am I a yogi! I also don't have any artificial joints or fused vertebrae (yet), nor do I have hypertension or any other cardiovascular problems (yet!). I discussed my use of Yoga Studio with my physical therapist, and I continue to use the app every day. You should discuss this approach with your physician or physical therapist, too, before you start using this or any other app. Being able to do yoga in the privacy and comfort of your own home (where you might have a nice piece of furniture to lean on while you're doing some of this stuff) is awfully handy, though.
Check it out! There's a free trial period, after which you'll be "invited" to sign up for a subscription. The $20 annual fee was a no-brainer for me.
My physical therapist gave me a series of really helpful exercises, many of them based on yoga positions. I'd never really tried yoga before, but this seemed to do the trick. Sure, I still wake up in the morning with some stiffness and pain, but these exercises really do give me some relief. During the course of that PT, I found an app that I could use for some further guidance at home. It's called Yoga Studio, from the folks at Gaiam. Not only do they have all sorts of pre-defined yoga routines (including several focused on offering relief for back pain), but you can also create your own custom routines, piecing together whatever sequence of poses you choose.
Now, please know that I am not a physician. I'm not a physical therapist, nor am I a yogi! I also don't have any artificial joints or fused vertebrae (yet), nor do I have hypertension or any other cardiovascular problems (yet!). I discussed my use of Yoga Studio with my physical therapist, and I continue to use the app every day. You should discuss this approach with your physician or physical therapist, too, before you start using this or any other app. Being able to do yoga in the privacy and comfort of your own home (where you might have a nice piece of furniture to lean on while you're doing some of this stuff) is awfully handy, though.
Check it out! There's a free trial period, after which you'll be "invited" to sign up for a subscription. The $20 annual fee was a no-brainer for me.
- Rob M.
