Australian Yoga Journal — July 2017

Body of knowledge

How can I prevent low-back

pain in twists?

By Dr. Ray Long

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ALL TOO OFTEN when we move into

a yoga pose, we prioritise getting the

shape right over creating that shape

safely. Twists are a prime example

of this. Think about the last time you

did Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved

Chair Pose). Did you move into the

posture with the primary goal of

going ‘deep’ into the twist, without

first considering which muscles

you’d need to engage so you could

rotate safely? If you answered “yes”,

that might be one reason you

experience low-back pain when you

practice twists.

It doesn’t help that many of us are

primed for low-back pain in general.

For starters, as we age, many people

develop degenerative disc disease, a

condition in which the intervertebral

discs dry out and lose height. This

can lead to stiffness and low-back

pain, which tend to worsen over

time. Many people will also develop

some type of asymptomatic

(painless) herniated disc during their

lifetime. These disc deficiencies limit

the spine’s mobility, which can make

twisting – a movement that demands

both agility and spinal flexibility –

potentially more painful.

However, when done properly,

twists have the potential to help your

low back feel great. Twisting can

activate the muscles around the

lumbar spine and abdominal core,

increasing stability as well as blood

flow and oxygenation to the area.

Twisting also appears to increase

hydration of the intervertebral discs,

which may help to counteract the

changes caused by degenerative

disc disease.

Before you twist

Before you ever even rotate, the first

step is learning how to stabilise your

core by engaging the muscles

surrounding the lumbar spine.

Step two involves not twisting too

deeply— at least until this

stabilisation work has become

second nature. If you already suffer

from low-back pain, this work is

especially important: Research

shows that those with low-back pain

tend to lack the ability to engage the

muscles surrounding the lumbar

spine and also have weak core

muscles. The good news? Do the

work I describe here and there’s a

good chance you’ll not only stay

pain-free as you twist, but you may

also have less low-back pain off the

yoga mat.

To stabilise anything in the body,

you must contract muscles. In this

case, you want to focus on the

muscles surrounding the lumbar

spine. These include the psoas,

quadratus lumborum (QL), and

gluteal muscles, all of which are

connected to the fascia that

surrounds the spine.

PHOTO: RICK CUMMINGS; ILLUSTRATION: MICHELE GRAHAM

LATISSIMUS

DORSI

THORACOLUMBAR

FASCIA

QUADRATUS

LUMBORUM (QL)

GLUTEUS

MAXIMUS

HAMSTRING

ILIOTIBIAL (IT) BAND

QUADRICEPS

TENSOR FASCIAE LATAE

TRANSVERSE

ABDOMINIS

ABDOMINAL

APONEUROSIS

INTERNAL

OBLIQUE

EXTERNAL

OBLIQUE

INTERCOSTALS

75

july 2017

yogajournal.com.au

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