Having a degenerative spine condition doesn’t necessarily mean that you must give up the activities you enjoy. In fact, low-impact exercises like yoga can actually help preserve your spine health and improve your quality of life.

Yoga is an ancient practice that incorporates controlled breathing, meditation and the adoption of certain body postures to stretch muscles and improve overall wellness. Because yoga strengthens the core, stretches hamstrings and elongates the muscles that support the spine, some physicians recommend yoga as part of a conservative degenerative spine treatment plan.

Yoga poses that may help back pain

Before you roll out your yoga mat, be sure to speak with your physician about what poses you should try to help your specific condition and what postures to avoid. Certain yoga poses may place undue pressure on the spine and make your symptoms worse. In general, however, some popular beginner-level poses for back pain include:

• Downward facing dog
• Dolphin pose
• Pigeon pose
• Child’s pose
• Cat and cow pose
• Upward forward bend
• Legs-up-the-wall pose

When practicing yoga, be sure to listen to your body. Go slow, take water breaks as needed and stop if you feel anything beyond a gentle stretch. No one is an expert when they first begin, so give yourself grace and allow yourself to make mistakes.

Degenerative spine treatment options

If you have been diagnosed with a degenerative spine condition, such as spinal osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis, then your physician will likely recommend that you try conservative treatments in addition to regular low impact exercise to help preserve your spinal health and reduce your discomfort. This approach works for many degenerative spine patients, but others may require surgery to address severe symptoms that do not respond to other types of treatment.

The leader in minimally invasive spine procedures, USA Spine Care, offers a safer and effective alternative to traditional open spine operations.^ Contact us today to learn how our outpatient procedures can help you manage your degenerative spine condition.

To discover if you are a candidate for treatment at USA Spine Care, ask us how to receive a free MRI review.*

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