What yoga/pilates positions helps lower back pain best?
364598
downward dog, intense spine stretch, bridge... go to a class and learn the correct postures.
669583
Stand up and stretch your arms above your head! The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) suggests, "Do the 'hug your best friend.' Wrap your arms around your body and turn as far as you can to the left, then to the right." \nExercise regularly to keep the abdominal muscles strong to help support the spine. \nAvoid wearing high–heeled shoes. Choose shoes that offer good foot support and comfort. Some styles can affect the body's center of gravity. Flat shoes are better. \nLook at yourself in the mirror. Is your posture good? Think about your posture and how to maintain it throughout the days' activities. Practice makes perfect!
1050735
Reflexology sounds like a good idea. I got a spa with therapeutic jets for the back. I haven't had lower back pain since I use it regularly. It also relieves my whiplash.
1053503
if you have a pain that lasts more than a couple of days, go see a doctor, because it could be more dangerous than you think. but if you are able to move around and it just hurts when you sit in a certain position or sit for to long, try a back patch. they work pretty well. also try the cold/hot. try a cold patch then a hot patch and continue to alter it. also try taking hot showers and letting the water roll down your back. you are also try sleeping on your side instead on your back, and then again you can try sleeping on the floor for a few nights. if you don't like sleeping on the floor, get a piece of wood (old door) and place between your mattress and spring, to give you extra support. try to take it easy for a while. it better to take care of it now than later.
476951
My advice:\n\n1.   At night, sleep on your side, legs slightly bent, with a thin pillow between your knees.  This will reduce the presure on your spine as you sleep.\n\n2.  Stretch your back several times a day.  A good one is lay flat on your back, rotate your trunk, with your left leg straight and your right leg bent, try to touch your right knee to the ground to your left. Then straighten your right leg, bend your left leg, rotate your trunk, try to touch your left knee to the ground to your right.  Another good one is when sitting, reach your right hand behind your head, and touch your left shoulder blade, then reach your left hand behind your head and try to touch your right should blade.\n\n3.  If your a student, you should have access to the campus health club.  Join, and ask to be shown stretches and exercises specifically for your back (explain that you've had some back issues).
59126
Pilates or Yoga would be awesome.  Both of them are great for burning calories and they are both concentrated on core building.  To be honest all of them work just about the same so it doesnt matter who you buy.  They all come on different levels, so start on level one and then progress.\n\nYoga and Pilates use the weight of the body as resistance to challenge the muscles to become stronger. Yoga has more standing exercises that develop leg strength as well as balance. Pilates is mostly done lying on your back, on your stomach, on your side and sitting down. That's why I like to do both forms of exercise to have a good blend of standing and mat exercises. \n\nYoga also tends to have more exercises that challenge the upper body (chest, upper back, arms) than Pilates does unless you are doing machine-based Pilates, in which case the springs attached to the machines deliver sufficient resistance to strengthen the upper body muscles.\n\nAerobic or cardiovascular exercise is any exercise that is done continuously for 15 to 60 minutes or more while using the arms and legs in a rhythmic fashion. The goal of aerobic exercise is to increase the amount of blood pumped per beat to improve the efficiency and stamina of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Examples are walking, running, swimming, dancing, etc. \n\nIt's not that easy to calculate how many calories you burn in yoga and Pilates since the intensity of the class depends on the kind of exercises being done and the strength level of the class participants.\n\nIn general, a 130-pound person would burn approximately 260 calories an hour for a light to moderate Pilates mat-class and 236 calories for a yoga class. "Intense" Pilates would burn approximately 346 calories while an intense yoga class would burn about 400 calories per hour.\n\nYour weight affects how many calories you burn (the more you weigh, the more calories you burn), so use the following formula to make it more accurate: Divide the number of calories burned by 130 pounds. Multiply the answer by your weight in pounds. \n\nFor example, divide 260 calories by 130 pounds. The answer is 2 calories per pound. Multiply that by 110 pounds. The answer is 220 calories.\n\nNo doubt, Pilates has the most number of exercises that focus on the abs, waist, and trunk. Almost every variation you can think of for the abs is offered in Pilates. If abdominal and waist whittling is what you are looking for, Pilates is the ticket for you. This is not to say that yoga will not strengthen your abs and trunk because it will but Pilates just has much more focus on that area.
1041334
First, you need to decrease the pain.  Depending upon how long you have had the injury/problem would depend upon the advice I would give.  Ice normally works well for recent injuries - use for 10 minutes every hour.  If the problem is older than 7-10 days, try heat for 15-20 minutes.  If in doubt, use ice as heat can sometimes make it worse (even though it feels good).\n\nWhat sort of positions help to decrease your pain?  Different back problems respond to different exercises.  A really good website is www.mckenziemdt.org.  You can also find a certified McKenzie therapist who can determine the cause of your back problem.  This is a well researched technique which I use extensively with my back pain patients.\n\nOnce things start to calm down, I always use Pilates mat exercises, with modifications as necessary.  These will work the core muscles in your lower abdomen.  By getting these stronger, you can almost form a corset of muscular strength around the lower back.  Pelvic floor exercises/Kegals can also be important, especially if you have had a baby or other pelvic floor problems.\n\nA referal from your doctor to a good physical therapist should be able to determine the cause of your back problem and you will receive the correct advice to your problem.\n\nGood luck!
640281
Yoga. There are many positions to do when lying down. Yoga breathing will give you some good deep breathing.
317878
You're a great guy to be so empathetic for her. Lower back pain isn't fun, and I'm glad the laminectomy helped. \n\nIt may sound odd, but abdominal exercises help the back because strong abs can support themselves instead of pulling on the back muscles. So have her do crunches... lie on her back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. She can put her hands behind her head or resting on her abs. (Having hands behind the head makes the exercise more difficult.) Then she should slowly curl up about halfway, and then go back down slowly. She should start with ten reps and do three sets, or whatever she can tolerate. Gradually work up to 20 reps for each set.\n\nFor her back, have her buy one of those inflatable exercise balls. I like the medium-size one -- about 18 inches across. She should get on her knees in front of the ball, lie face-down across it, cross her arms over her chest, and curl backwards. In other words, she should use her back muscles to curl and uncurl. \n\nOne yoga exercise that relaxes the back is the "Child's Pose." She should get on her knees and bring her head all the way to the floor, so she's completely folded up in a fetal position. Then place her hands alongside her feet. It stretches the back and helps to relax the muscles and ligaments. When she's in this position, you might also try gentle massage on her lower back. But put the pressure on either side of her spine, not directly on it.\n\nI hope she feels better soon.
643424
Try mssaging the hip area with dragon balm or tiger balm.\nIt is POSSIBLE that you have inflammation in the joint, arthritis, a muscle or ligament tear, sciatica caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve or any one of many other problems - IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DIAGNOSE REMOTELY.\n\nDo you know a good osteopath or chiropractor?\n\nThey will assess your injury, most likely massage your lumbar area - including gluts and piriformis - and then adjust you (crack). There is a high success rate with this kind of thing. Numbness usually indicates that there is pressure on a nerve, shooting pains too. Sounds a LOT like sciatica.\n\nI wonder what you did that brought this on?\nSome advice:\nDon't carry your wallet in your back pocket anymore - sitting will be uneven. \nNo crossing the legs either.\nYou can try lying down on the ground - on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.\nLean sideways and slide a rolled up towel (1-1/2 inches diameter) under you lower back and lie straight again. Slowly lower your knees to the floor so that you basically have a bump under your hips. If this hurts the towel is too thick or you are in too much muscle spasm for this gentle stretch to help.\nIf it doen't hurt, just feel into the stretch - allow the muscles in the lower back to relax. You can stay here for 3-4minutes.\nLean sideways and pull the towel out.\n\n\nThe above will all help - I urge you to see a professional - you don't have to live with this pain.
1184265
omg do pilates\nits a miracles
748945
I have tried both at some point at local fitness centers in my area.  I like pilates alot better than I like yoga.  Yoga tends to focus more on flexibility, meditation, and holding certain poses or movements.  It's good for some, but I got bored with it. (Not to mention that none of my goals in life were to eventually become a contortionist) Pilates increases flexibility (although not to the extent that yoga does), but the exercises are more fast-paced and focus on core stregnth which worked better for me.  I went to amazon.com and ran a search on pilates dvds and chose one based on reviews and what I wanted out of a workout dvd.  You could do the same if you wanted to get into it.  I have been doing pilates for a couple months now, and it has worked for me.  I'm toning areas that I hadn't previously given much thought to in a traditional workout. (like my back for example)
125258
Pilates is good in that it does not involve a lot of jumping around.\n\nThe stretching and muscle-strengthening techniques also help to alleviate the pain that results from the sedate life-style of those suffering from physical disability.
430895
I teach Yoga and Pilates.  They are the best thing for you- all natural forms of exercise, they will STRENGTHEN your lower back safely, tone you up and make your stronger. (Yes they help you loose weight. Your heart rate will increase when doing it correctly for longer than 30 minutes at a time which will burn calories. It will also tone your muscles. As your muscles become more massive, you will also burn more calories..its a win/win situation.) I have a student that took my Yoga class 1/week for two months, and gradually added up to three classes a week by her 5th month. She lost about 8" all around, gained 200% in upperbody strength and lost about 7 pounds. And she wasn't even a big girl to start with. Just a little flabby here and there. \n\nHealthier eating schedule is VERY important...especially with Yoga. Yoga is mind/body process which foucuses on get rid of the toxins in your body. The less toxins you put in, the better your results.  I would say drink only water or herbal tea, ever. That's the rule I go by. THat alone makes a huge weight loss difference for a lot of my students. Additionally, avoid unnatural foods, and try to eat AFTER your Yoga or Pilates workout. \n\nNow as far as DVDs go... they are not really good for beginners. You need to find a class or two- preferably one that meets 3 times a week so that you have a living breathing human in front of you to show you how to do the exercises.  Yoga without proper alignment is pointless, and you can't be SURE of proper alignment without a qualified instructor present. Same goes for Pilates. Not to mention that variety in your class will keep your body "on its toes" since variety is key in any workout. Videos obviously only repeat, so they will become useless after a time.\n\nGood luck!
126435
I don't know the full scope of your back condition.  But I would recommend a non-medication approach.  Try Chiropractic or Acupuncture.  Both are great a relieving even long-standing back pain (depending on what is wrong with you, of course).\n\nSorry, I know this doesn't really answer your specific question, but I hope it offers some healtier alternatives.  Good luck!
205375
anti-inflammatories are good.\n\nI wouldn't suggest a chiropractor.\n\nWith all four of my pregancies my pain worsened every time...use a heating pad whenever you are laying down or "reclining".  Sleep with a pillow in between your legs, it helps for a lot of things even if you aren't pregnant.\n\nDepending on your current fitness activity too much can simply make it worse.\n\nin short...heating pad, anti-inflame drugs and sleep with a pillow in between your legs
103329
Yoga I see it as something positive so do anything you see would help but since you had a spinal sugery maybe you shouldn't do some of the moves that would put pressure on that region.