by Linda Harrison
Tuesday November 29,2011
AT first I found it more annoying than worrying. It was a dull ache that hovered around my right shoulder, a niggling pain that refused to budge even though I tried to ignore it.
That was about 14 years ago and I’d recently started working as a journalist in Brighton so I blamed the computer.
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| Linda says she is convinced by the healing powers of yoga |
But over time the ache got worse and moved across to my left shoulder until eventually my upper back, neck and both shoulders were in almost constant pain.
I was given new equipment at work, an ergonomic keyboard and phone headset. While these provided temporary respite they didn’t address the root of the problem.
A few years later I landed a job in London. As I worked longer hours things got worse. Some days I could hardly carry a shoulder bag which sounds pathetic. I was 33 but I felt like an old woman so I decided to seek professional help.
First stop was my GP. She signed me off work for a week with repetitive strain injury (RSI) and also recommended physiotherapy.
My physiotherapist blamed working at a desk but also highlighted other aspects of my life such as my commute from Brighton to London (my back didn’t like the jerky vibrations of the train). She eased out my shoulder muscles, telling me not to be alarmed by the sharp cracking noises and suggested regular massage. It all helped until I sat at my computer and then I was back to square one.
A colleague suggested I try osteopathy. One osteopath found many potential hazards in my life including swimming breaststroke (to be swapped for front crawl) and driving.
Another urged me to change my lifestyle and to try yoga. Although I’d tried Pilates before I’d never been totally convinced by yoga. For a start, I didn’t fancy sitting still and meditating but after going freelance last year I was spending most of my day hunched over my laptop.
My body started seizing up. I was in constant pain even at night in bed. In desperation I signed up for yoga.
During my first class something miraculous happened. Sitting on our mats we gently stretched and twisted our bodies.
“Take a deep breath, exhale and try to twist further,” the teacher said. I felt a sharp “pop” as something shifted around the middle of my spine. As I held the pose I can only describe the feeling as a total, blissful release in my muscles. I wanted to cry. I was a convert.
That was eight months ago and I now religiously practise yoga twice a week. If I miss a class I soon feel the pain start to creep back into my upper back, neck and shoulders.
London yoga teacher Louise Cashin believes this ancient discipline can help any type of back pain as the postures are designed to encourage the full range of motion of the spine.
“It’s all about posture and body awareness,” she says. “Certain postures can really help different types of pain.
“For example, ‘twists’ can be great for upper back and shoulder pain because they stretch and work the muscles around the shoulder blades and upper spine.”
Standing forward bends are good if you work at a desk as they help back muscles to relax.
When you’re sitting at a desk, your back muscles are always in contraction because they are keeping you upright,” explains Louise. “The back can get weak and fatigued. When you do a forward bend your spine opens.”
They also stretch the hamstrings which can relieve lower back pain as this helps expand the motion of the pelvis. Back bending can strengthen lower back muscles and keep the spine mobile.
“Back bends stretch and strengthen the deep abdominal muscles in the front of the body,” says Louise. “These muscles in turn help to support the spine and keep the body comfortably upright.”
She also advises finding an experienced teacher and alerting them to any back problems because some postures might not be suitable for certain conditions. Some forward bends could actually make a herniated disc worse.
She adds: “If done correctly, I am a huge believer in the healing power of yoga for back pain.”
I don’t need any convincing. Yoga has quite simply changed my life. I am now mostly pain free. I haven’t needed any physiotherapy, osteopathy or massage since last year.
It is wonderful.
http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/286559/How-yoga-cured-my-backache
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