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Spinal Movements: How to Keep Your Spine Safe

09:49 | Labels: safety, Shari Ser, spine, spine anatomy

by Shari

We recently received this query from a reader about contraindications for spinal movements:

When are extension and flexion of the spine contraindicated. I have a patient who has issues with L5 and L6. I guess extension (backbends) would be contraindicated, correct? Also what about folks who have issues with inter vertebral discs? And what about people who have a hump in the cervical-thoracic region?

These are actually very complex questions but I will try to stay on track here. My previous post All about the Spine gave some background on how the spine changes shape in various movements, including forward bending, back bending, twists, and side bending. Now I like to think about the spine as a train where the head on the neck is the “engine, the subsequent vertebra are the train, and the coccyx is the “caboose.”

All these separate vertebrae are connected to each other by numerous ligamentous attachments. Anterior is a long ligament that runs down the front of the vertebrae from C1-S1 and posterior is long ligament that runs down the back portion of the vertebrae. This sandwiches the vertebrae so they don’t slide forward or backward in relation to the individual top- and bottom-connecting vertebra. There are also many other types of connecting ligaments between different portions of the spine. Again, the function of all the ligaments is to keep the spine stable, and to allow coordination of movement but not too much movement at specific vertebral levels!

Anterior and Posterior Long Ligaments of the Spine

Now the interesting thing about ligaments is that they don’t have much stretch to them. In fact they don’t really stretch at all because they are stabilizing structures. What that means is that they limit movement in the spine. This is a good thing since the spine houses the spinal cord.We really don’t want to tug or pinch our spinal cord because it is the main power house that connects our brain literally to our bones and muscles and allows us to move when and how we want to.

Between each vertebra sits a cartilaginous structure called an intervertebral disc that is connected to both the top and bottom vertebra. The discs are the shock absorbers of the spine and they absorb the motion at each vertebral level.

Lumbar Vertebrae (L1-L5)

Now lets talk about what happens when there is a problem at a specific vertebral level. We can have “cranky” backs and sometimes it doesn’t take a whole lot to have your back “go out” (actually I dislike this expression because the back isn’t going anywhere so it can’t really go “out”). However, there can be areas of the spine that are more sensitive to movement. The question asks about L5 and L6 specifically. Now there aren’t a whole lot of people who actually do have an L6. Typically we only have 5 lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5), and L5 is often injured or fragile in a lot of people from different causes.

When there is a specific vertebral level that is injured, it is important to understand what the actual injury is because then you can understand how to take care of it.

There are specific spinal conditions where forward and backward bends should specifically avoided, including recent spinal surgeries, recent or acute disc injuries, or any acute injury where pain is a true warning sign not to proceed. For spinal instabilities like spondylolisthesis back bends should be avoided, and if you have facet arthritis of the spine in lower back or neck, backbends may aggregate this kind of arthritis pain. Also, with rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions where ligaments are adversely affected, all yoga postures will need modifications to avoid over stressing ligamentous attachments.

But specific level vertebral injuries can be challenging because you can’t just stop that area from moving Movement allows the intervertebral discs to get nutrition and hydration. When the spine is prevented from moving whether from medical intervention (like surgery) or wearing a rigid brace to prevent movement, sometimes the injured area heals but due to immobility a lot of other areas of the body aren’t very happy. When there is a disc injury, allowing some flexion and extension is encouraged but the issue is the degree of motion. So what you can do is to learn how to move without causing further injury.

When I say it is important to learn how to move, what I mean is that often when people do forward- or back-bending asanas, the movement isn’t well distributed along the spine and certain areas take more of the movement in an unhealthy way. When vertebrae are stiff or there is a particular loss of motion in one area, another corresponding adjacent area will move more to correct the motion loss. This isn’t a conscious action but the body learns how to make due with what happens. So if the L5 doesn’t move well then the vertebra above it, L4, will begin to move more to compensate for the loss of movement at L5, and S1 (the top of the sacrum) will also move more than it should to also compensate. This motion loss can occur anywhere along the spine, though certain areas are more predisposed to motion changes and this is how problems develop.

But in situation described by the reader (issues with L5 and L6), should the student practice forward and back bends? Well, there isn’t really a simple answer. Remember, the spine needs to move. So, the answer is yes, but with careful attention to form and detail. I like to think about making the movement long and soft, not short and tight. There is always a quality of “work” in every active asana, but the key is how much work is safe? There should never be sharp point of specific pain and there should never be asymmetrical pain.

Now the last part of the question, about the hump in the cervical/thoracic region, In a previous post Kyphosis (Dowager's Hump), Baxter described several causes for this rounding of the upper back. While it is sometimes caused by a structural issue like scoliosis or osteoporosis, other times rounding of the upper back is due to long-standing postural habits and a long life of sitting at a desk working with the head in a down position. At a certain point the individual may no longer be able to correct the curvature by standing up straight. In these instances, where there is no actual medical contraindication, then gentle passive backbends are a wonderful approach to the upper back rounding.

A passive backbend over a bolster or blanket roll (lying on your back with your knees bent using a bolster or a blanket roll perpendicular to the torso) to help change the upper back curve is beneficial as long as the neck and lower back are protected so they don’t arch too aggressively. Also, learning to relax as well as stretch the diaphragm are also helpful, which you can do with a gentle Cobra pose or supported Upward Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana) with a chair. Another very accessible backbend for the upper back is Supported Bridge pose (setu Bandha Sarvangasana on low blankets (one for torso and one for legs, with or without a belt tied around the legs).

Ultimately, to keep healthy, your spine needs to move daily through a full range of motion. Our daily lives limit our motion dramatically, so this is where your yoga practice plays a powerful role in spinal health. With attention to your breath, intention of non aggression in your practice, and a healthy dose of common sense we can encourage our spines to move safely in our practice. Then the key is to take these skills back into our daily lives to encourage more healthy motion.

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Friday Q&A: Kyphosis (Dowager's Hump)

13:21 | Labels: hunch back, kyphosis, osteoporosis, spine

Q: I teach chair yoga for older people. Several of my students have pretty bad kyphosis, a rounded curve in the upper back. They are not yet into a dowager's hump but they are on the way. When we do down dog with a chair, their upper backs are very humped. If I have them try to do cat/cow stretches with hands on the chair seat, their upper backs barely move. I have suggested that they try to lie on their backs with a small blanket roll under the bottom tips of the shoulder blades. Do you have any suggestions for how they might try to reverse this curve or at least stop it from getting worse?

A: This is an interesting question: what to do with the student who has kyphosis of the thoracic spine, the part of the spine in the area of the rib cage? What can we do as yoga practitioners to prevent the progression of the spinal changes we are seeing, and is it possible to reverse the excessive posterior curve in the upper back? And should we be more attentive to this area when we are younger and possibly avoid this kind of change in the upper back (yes!)?

As we have discussed in the past, the normal anatomy of the spine involves a gentle, undulating set of curves from head to tail. From the backward curve of the back of the skull, as we move into the cervical (neck) spine, the spine curves forward toward the front of the body. As we travel down into the thoracic (rib cage area) spine, there can be a natural backward curve, although in indigenous peoples and from ancient sculpture there is evidence that minimal curve in this area might be a healthier variation (see the work of Esther Gohkale). As we proceed further south and enter the lumbar (lower back) spine, the spine curves toward the front of the body once again. Finally, the sacrum curves backwards to complete the serpentine trail of the spine.

According to the Mayo Clinic website (I love these folks!):

“Kyphosis is a forward rounding of your upper back. Some rounding is normal, but the term "kyphosis" usually refers to an exaggerated rounding — sometimes called round back or hunchback. While kyphosis can occur at any age, it's most common in older women where the deformity is known as a dowager's hump.”

Today, I am interested in kyphosis that occurs in older adults. In my experience, I have encountered this pronounced curve in both older men and women. The Mayo clinic notes that it occurs more often in women, likely due to the earlier onset of osteoporosis (OP) in women. What’s the OP connection?

The most common site of fracture in people with osteoporosis is the spine, and more specifically the thoracic spine. The typical fracture in the area is called a wedge fracture, in which the body of the vertebrae, that kidney bean-shaped biggest part becomes so thin that the front part collapses, and when seen from the side, it looks like a wedge. If you get several of the vertebrae in a row doing that, then the whole upper spine begins to bow forward like the Kokopelli image.

In some instances this will result in stiffness and difficulty maintaining an upright posture, and for some pain will also arise. Along with pain, in more severe cases of kyphosis, the change in spinal curve can affect your lungs, nerves, and other tissues and organs. So we need to do at least one important thing before we start moving these students of our reader around a lot: have them see their family doctor for an X-ray of the thoracic spine to see if fractures have already happened and get a DEXA scan to rule out OP if this has not been done. Once you know their OP status, you can make better decisions around yoga poses and practices.

Two other important factors that can contribute to kyphosis in older adults are disc degeneration (we have written about this, too) and cancer and cancer treatments (which can weaken the vertebrae and contribute to fractures as well).

Your western doctor may recommend certain treatments:

If there is OP present, medications to treat osteoporosis might be prescribed.
If pain is present, pain relieving meds could be recommended.
If the person’s condition is compressing a nerve or causing some other significant problem, surgery to fuse bones could be suggested, but the risk of complications is high and tends to minimize this option.
Physical therapy exercises are prescribed to improve flexibility in the spine, as well as ones to strengthen the abdominal muscles to help support better posture.

Obviously, this last area, improving flexibility of the spine and strengthening abdominal muscles, is where yoga practice could be helpful.

If you don’t yet have a copy of Loren Fishman’s book Yoga for Osteoporosis and you are working with older adults, perhaps today’s the day to order it! It is a good resource of suggested poses and ways of doing them that you will likely find invaluable. A valuable piece of advice from the book regarding patience with these students is:

“Although yoga can be slow, requiring months or even years to achieve major effects, the trip is pleasant…”

So, with patience in mind, in regards to the reader’s observations, I’d suggest that for Downward-Facing Dog with the chair, if they are putting the hands on the seat of the chair, bring them up to the back rung, and if already on the back rung, do a higher version of Half Dog Pose at the Wall.

Half Dog Pose at the Wall

Let them bend their knees a bit and focus on lengthening their spines to whatever degree they can pain free. Even if not much seems to be happening in Cat/Cow pose, keep doing it anyway. I like the effect of dynamic movements like that for loosening tightness up gently. Along those lines, have them stand in Mountain pose with their backs to the wall, perhaps with the kyphosis lightly touching the wall. Then have them inhale one arm forward and up overhead and exhale it back down. Repeat with the other arm. Do several sets of these. The mere act of taking the arm overhead will begin the encourage extension of the upper back, exactly what you are looking for here, and strengthen the upper back muscles that assist in this goal. You could obviously do this sitting as well.

If they can easily get down to the floor for Savasana, I find that no lift is needed under the thoracic spine, but a lift is definitely needed under the head so it stays level with the chest. Over-extending the neck has its own set of worries you don’t want to cause! In that reclining position, you can again have them work the arms as we did in Mountain pose.

To strengthen the abdominals, you could create a variation of Boat pose (Navasana) done sitting at the front edge of a chair, lifting one bent leg up a few inches and holding it in position for a few breaths, then lowering that foot to floor and repeating with the second leg. Again, if they can get to the floor and you can teach them Locust pose (Salabasana) or even one-legged Locust (which takes the spine into extension), you can have them do that at home or even in bed if they have a firm mattress.

One-Legged Locust Pose

I’ve already gone on a bit too long today, but I do believe that by intervening now and getting these people to practice at home as well as in class, you have a good chance of stopping the progression of the kyphosis and in some cases, where no wedge fractures have altered the anatomy, maybe even helping to reverse it! Please let us know how things go.

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