Whether you’re blown out from a bad lift or bent out of shape from your desk job, practicing yoga can help you kick your back pain to the curb, says a new German study review.
Up to 85 percent of Americans are afflicted by lower back pain, according to the Clinical Journal of Pain. While most alignment ailments tend to resolve with rest, these injuries still put you at high risk for a chronic condition, and possibly a serious disability. So researchers looked through multiple studies to determine the effects of yoga on sore vertebrae and found that the activity helped people ease both short- and long-term discomfort.
The reason: Yoga works parts of your body in ways they aren’t typically challenged when you exercise, says David Romanelli, cofounder of At One Yoga in Scottsdale, Arizona. Conventional workout routines build strength, but they also create tightness, and when you don’t loosen certain spots—like your hamstrings and hips—you become more susceptible to injuries, especially in your back.
New to yoga? Add this easy move to your regular workout warmup. It stretches your hamstrings, calves, and hips while strengthening your legs and knees.
The Forward Fold
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, gently hinge forward at the hips, and lower the torso toward the floor. Bend your knees generously to take any uncomfortable pressure out of the low back and hamstrings. Grasp opposite elbows with opposite hands. Breathe deeply and let gravity take the body toward the ground. Relax your head, neck, shoulders and torso. Slowly sway your torso or gently shake your head. Hold for one minute and roll back up to standing.
Find more great athlete-approved positions in the Men’s Health Yoga Center.
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