Spinal Degeneration — Disc Issues, Spinal Stenosis, Bone Spurs & Related Medical Terminology
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Adaptation
Overview
In this lesson we introduce conditions of the spine, including disc issues, stenosis and bone spurs, and how yoga may help.
Objective
Become familiar with conditions of the spine including disc degeneration and herniation, stenosis, bone spurs and vertebrae issues plus considerations for teaching yoga to students with such conditions.
What You'll Get
Cite research showing the spines of yoga teachers had significantly less degenerative disc disease than non-practitioners. Discuss prevention of spinal degeneration. Name and define general types of disc dysfunction. Differentiate disc herniation from a bulging disc. Discuss disc herniation including how it occurs, its prevalence, symptoms and it’s lack of predictive relationship to low back pain. Define spinal stenosis, bone spurs, facet joint syndrome and radiculopathy. Provide a general approach for yoga with students experiencing disc degeneration and a general approach for those with spinal stenosis. Note sources for consideration when teaching students experiencing degenerative disc disease, spinal bone spurs or stenosis.
Research
Spines of yoga teachers had significantly less degenerative disc disease than non-practitioners (2011) link
- “The effects of yoga in preventing or eliminating low back pain are well documented. Now a new study shows that yoga may even reduce degenerative disc disease in the spine, a condition thought to be the precursor of numerous back pain conditions.”
- Study compared MRI images of spines of yoga teachers with 10 + years experience versus a group of people who do not practice yoga.
- “The yoga teachers were found to have significantly less degenerative disc disease… They all practiced a gentle and slow form of yoga, and as a group, they proved to have significantly less spinal degeneration than the group of control subjects who were matched for age, sex, general health, and were non-smokers.”
- “This study showed that long-term yoga practice could prevent several conditions otherwise lying at the root of chronic back pain as people get older.”
- Published in the European Health Journal.
Disc Issues Overview
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Discussion
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