Research shows that twenty percent of people who go through surgery for back pain get not much pain relief, and on top of that those left that do get relief can get minimal relief.

Yoga is not cure for back pain, but rather an ongoing treatment and prevention that works for the majority of people. This is because it helps build up strong muscles around the spine, and helps realign the spine itself. Another important point is that if you have back pain you must remain conscious throughout the day to make sure that you don’t do anything to aggravate it. These are some tips:

1. Sleep properly – you should try have a firm bed, this does not necessarily mean your mattress needs to be hard, but rather supportive. You should sleep on a flat pillow for your head, else you will bend your spine. If you get back pain at night or when you wake up, you should also put a pillow under your knees to help your spine reposition itself.

2. Don’t wear high heels. This is bad for your spine and throws it out of balance.

3. Be careful with how you exercise. Anything that you bounce or is high impact is bad for your back. If you want to keep your aerobic exercise swimming or a cross trainer is low impact for your back but still keeps you fit.

4. Ait properly. Try to avoid sitting on something really soft like a couch or cushion, and rather opt for the firmer, more supportive seat. Also make sure not to slouch. If you roll up a towel and put it behind your back when you sit, it will help keep you in proper posture (you can also buy special lumbar rolls to do this).

Yoga is good for the back because it has healing properties. Doing the yoga poses to stretch the muscles around the spine, using a series of safe and gentle positions. Over time the muscles around the spine, the abs, and the buttocks will get stronger, which will help to support the spine.

When you sit down and stand throughout the day, you build up pressure in areas of your back. Doing yoga helps to stimulate these areas, thus relieving the pressure points.

Be careful when you are doing yoga, move slowly and only push each position up to the point where you feel a mild pain, otherwise you could injure yourself and make your back pains worse.