Tag Archive for: ayurveda

Using Ayurveda to Ease Back Pain: Introduction

It just so happened that fall started settling in about the time that our Ayurveda unit fired up in YTT. As the wind came up and the temperatures went down, I noticed my low back tightening up more than usual. I’ve been experiencing chronic low pain from 2 torn discs and a genetic disorder of the spine for about three years, and I’ve tried nearly every remedy from Western and alternative medicine that I could find, usually with lack-luster or temporary results. Throughout all that, I’d never thought about whether the pain pattern shifted based on variables like time of year or temperature. It was actually quite an enlightening moment when I realized a connection between the increased discomfort and decreased temperature.

From the reading I’d been doing in The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad, I’d already identified that my vata dosha was out of balance and I’d read about the common link between aggravated vata and low back pain. So, I tinkered with vata-balancing diet and routine recommendations for the week of our Ayurvedic experiment, but that didn’t give me enough time to really dive into my back pain and whether I could decrease pain by applying Ayurvedic principles. So for my personal experiment, I formed this hypothesis: If I apply vata-balancing and back pain recommendations from Ayurveda, along with asanas prescribed for back pain from B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, I can better manage my low back pain.

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Using Ayurveda to Ease Back Pain: Process

Here are the items (mostly from Dr. Lad’s book) that I incorporated into my experiment, along with a few notes on the experience:

– Herbal Remedies – Valerian  (muscle relaxant) – took in the form of a capsule each evening for one week before bed; slept noticeably better and woke feeling more rested, although I was concerned about continuing to take Valerian since I’ve heard it’s habit forming, so I didn’t continue to take it daily after the first week. I may try one of the other recommended remedies in the future, including yogaraj guggulu, kaishore guggulu, musta, or tagara, but I haven’t been able to track those down yet.

– Abhyanga (massage with sesame and mahanarayan oils) – aimed to do a self-massage before showering each day, giving special attention to my mid and low back; the combination of the oil and the hot shower did relax my muscles, at least temporarily, although the moment I walked outdoors for work and the cold wind hit, I felt them tense right back up.

– Dashamoola Basti (enema) – did this once; no noticeable changes in back pain, though digestion was improved temporarily.

–  Meditation – aimed to do this daily; allowed myself to lean against a wall to give my back extra support and found I was able to maintain a comfortable seat for longer than usual.

– Mantra – aimed to recite Mahamrtanjaya (Healing) Mantra daily; I had a hard time initiating the tune on my own, so I just spoke the mantra.

– Recommended Back Pain Asanas (from Lad’s and Iyengar’s books) – I aimed for 30 minutes of asana daily, first thing in the morning to stretch my back, which provided noticeable relief throughout the day. I incorporated standing Poses, backbends, twists, forward folds, and  inversions.

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Using Ayurveda to Ease Back Pain: Reflections

In hindsight, beginning to do all these things at once makes it difficult to break down exactly what’s helping and how much,  but with only a few weeks to conduct the experiment and with the hope of relieving pain, I was willing to forego some of the scientific approach for the trade-off of feeling better.

For the first week of the experiment, I completed the above routine five out of seven days, and I have to say, on days when I consistently followed the routine, the combination of treatments did provide noticeable improvements – including better sleep, less discomfort sitting through the day, and the ability to stretch deeper into poses and feel more opening in my back.

Despite the relief, I have been inconsistent in maintaining the routine day after day since the first week. It’s been the first thing to go when I’m tired, sick, or busy. I’m very disappointed that I haven’t been disciplined enough to maintain it, but I do find comfort in the fact that I’ve learned some new techniques for managing my pain. I have no doubt that I’ll continue to use the techniques in the future, and I’m hopeful that I might even re-establish it as a daily routine once that’s something that is more possible for me to follow in the new year.

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