At least 40 percent of adults experience lower back pain at some point in their life, with your risk of being plagued by this nasty condition increasing with age. Lower back pain sneaks up on you — at first it’s not so bad, then it might even keep you up at night, and after a while you realize that it’s starting to impact your entire life! You can’t deal with the pain anymore and you need it to stop, but your doctor just tells you to pop an ibuprofen. What now?
Yoga has been shown time and time again to be incredibly effective for treating chronic lower back pain — even in severe cases. Yoga, an ancient Indian practice, is composed of many physical, spiritual, and mental poses and practices. The practice itself is thousands of years old but in the modern age we have many newer tools to help us with yoga. Yoga blocks are much newer and this rectangular foam block recently became popular. You've probably seen it in sports stores and wondered what it is. The yoga block is fairly cheap and easy to use, so why not make use of it?
What Causes Lower Back Pain?
Lower back pain can be caused by a variety of different factors and identifying the source of your lower back pain will help you figure out exactly what to do. When it comes to any back pain there are two types — acute and chronic. Acute lower back pain is the more common of the two and will often go away on its own after a few days or a week. Chronic lower back pain, on the other hand, can be defined as back pain that remains with you for 12 weeks or sometimes even longer (including years, unfortunately). Around 20 percent of people suffer from chronic lower back pain, but what causes it?
The older folks and those who aren’t very physically fit are especially prone to getting lower back pain. Your job could also be causing lower back pain — whether it involves lifting heavy items or sitting at a desk all day. Injuries like sprains, strains, or spasms will also lead to lower back pain. Lower back pain can also result from arthritis and ankylosing spondylit, in which case you will need to talk to a doctor.
Lower back pain isn’t just caused by physical things, though. Your mood can, in fact, greatly impact your body and cause back, neck and shoulder pain. If you are constantly stressed out, that may be why you’re experiencing lower back pain. Anxiety and depression can also cause lower back pain.
What Is a Yoga Block?
Yoga blocks first appeared on the market as early as 1970, and the first versions were made out of wood. B. K. S. Iyenger, the founder of Iyengar yoga, was the first person to start using wooden blocks as props in a yoga practice.
Back then, the wooden yoga blocks were very heavy, hard to carry, and overall pretty uncomfortable — not to speak of the possibility of getting splinters stuck in your body; can you imagine? Now, we have access to yoga blocks made out of sturdy but lightweight foam, which is much more comfortable and portable.
Yoga blocks are used to help you out with many different yoga poses, which may be very difficult without this support system, especially if you already suffer from chronic pain. Those who are just beginning yoga or aren’t very flexible and fit will love the yoga block. However, not just beginners can benefit from yoga blocks, and pros use them, too!
How to Use Yoga Blocks to Treat Lower Back Pain
Yoga blocks are great for treating lower back pain as they can be used in many poses to stretch your back and improve mobility. Before you try any poses, though, you may want to try simply putting the yoga block behind your back while sitting, as it helps straighten your back! You can also lie on top of the yoga block to stretch your back out.
Keep in mind that one yoga block will serve you just fine, but if you really want to access the full spectrum of possibilities, it’s best to buy two — it’s worth it!
With so many yoga poses out there, you may be having trouble choosing which ones to start out with. We picked some of the best yoga poses specifically for helping you out with your lower back pain by stretching and exercising your back:
- Fish Pose — Try the fish pose if you have a lot of tension in your upper back, and feel those stress-related "knots" around your shoulders, but also if you have been suffering from lower back pain. This pose requires two yoga blocks.
- Standing Forward Fold — This pose will not only stretch your back out but also increase your flexibility! You’ll need two yoga blocks to perform this pose.
- Downward Facing Dog — The Downward Facing Dog, or just Downward Dog, is a popular resting yoga position and has been shown to ease back pain and increase flexibility in your spine! Yup, this pose too needs two yoga blocks.
- Child’s Pose — If you’re having any trouble with the last few poses, this one may be better for you. It’s great for stretching your back but also isn’t that hard to do and is great for those who aren’t flexible will like this one. You’ll need two blocks to perform this pose.
- Shoulderstand — Shoulderstand is often used as a last pose to relax after your finished with the other poses. With this pose, you can stretch not only your lower back but also your hamstrings! Also great if you only have one yoga block!
If any of these poses sound good to you, feel free to look them up on YouTube for a visual representation — we'd describe the poses for you, but it's just much better to follow along with someone actually doing them, to make sure you're helping rather than hurting your back. Of course, these aren’t all your options and there are many more great yoga poses for lower back pain.
Lower back pain is very unpleasant, especially if you’ve had it for a while, but yoga blocks are here to help you! If nothing else has worked for you, it’s a great idea to try yoga blocks! Yoga blocks are a gentle way to get into yoga and they really do make a difference. They don’t only help with lower back pain, by the way.
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