Over the last decade, yoga’s popularity in the United States has risen exponentially. An estimated 36 million Americans regularly practice yoga, at least one in three. While yoga is the most common among younger and middle-aged women, more than two times more men have practiced yoga in the past couple of years, and the number of men practicing yoga has tripled over time.
Benefits of Yoga for Pain Management
Help in Pain
In certain pain conditions, yoga can be helpful for arthritis in the knees, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and headaches. There is growing evidence of yoga. Yoga’s success in treating chronic low back pain is perhaps the most important testimony. Yoga has been shown to be effective at reducing back pain in some studies, and in at least one study, the use of pain medicine in patients with yoga was decreased. The new American College of Physicians’ evidence-based recommendations strongly suggest yoga for low-back pain.
Function
Research also seems to suggest that yoga can enhance the role of daily work. In daily yoga practice, strength can be increased for the legs, upper part of the body, and heart, and even essential flexibility and balance for the elderly. Many studies have shown that both low-back pain and arthritis patients have become more interested in yoga.
Well-being
Yoga also may provide indirect relaxation through an improved sense of well-being, stress management, motivation, and resilience. Research also shows that yoga may be related to other healthy lifestyle patterns, such as smoking cessation, healthy eating, and weight loss. Yoga also has mental health benefits. Research has shown that it can play a valuable role in depression and anxiety recovery.
Compared to seeing yoga simply as practice, it benefits both the mental and the body. If you’re new to yoga, figuring out where to start can look overwhelming, particularly because there are so many different kinds of yoga. Ashtanga and Vinyasa, yin, and Iyengar focus on postures and alignments.
Health Benefits of Yoga
1. Strengthening by Holding Yoga Positions
In different muscles and muscle groups, yoga has impacts on strengthening them. Yoga holding positions is not intended to be uncomfortable. Concentrations and precise use of muscles in the body are therefore important. By staying in yoga poses and integrating different movements, muscle strength increases.
Most positions in yoga softly strengthen the muscles of the back and the abdomen. The back and abdominal muscles are essential backbone muscles that help the body remain upright and move. Back pain may be significantly minimized or eliminated if these muscles are well-conditioned.
2. Stretching and Relaxation
Yoga requires stretching and relaxation, reducing intense muscle tension. Yoga requires the individual to have mild poses between 10 and 60 seconds. In the pose, some muscles contract while others stretch, facilitating muscles and joint relaxation and flexibility.
3. Body Balance and Posture
Yoga makes the body flexible and supple. Practice makes the body have better posture and improved body balance. The body gets a better balancing sense keeping the head, shoulders, and pelvis in the right alignment.
To learn yoga poses and to get help with this ancient practice, visit a pain clinic in OKC. At Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management, we will help you eliminate the pain.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.