If you have arthritis of the spine, yoga can be a great way to help you manage your symptoms and maintain range of motion. Staying active and mobile is an important part of your treatment plan, not only for pain relief but also to help promote a healthy spine. If yoga appeals to you as a way to stay active with spinal arthritis, here are a few poses that can help you get started.

Popular yoga poses that can help with spinal arthritis

There are numerous yoga poses that can improve flexibility and range of motion in the spine while helping to ease pain caused by arthritis of the spine. Here are three of the most popular poses:

1. Child’s pose. Start on your knees and sit your hips down toward your feet and bring your forehead down to the floor. You can extend your arms out in front of you or rest them next to your legs, depending on what you find most comfortable. This gentle stretch is particular helpful for the lumbar spine (lower back).
2. Cat and cow pose. Start on your hands and knees with your spine in a neutral, straight position. Arch your spine up toward the sky while keeping your head down for cat pose. Tilt your pelvis to push your stomach down toward the ground and raise your head for cow pose. Alternating between the two can help with spinal flexibility and range of motion.
3. Sun salutations. This movement involves starting in a standing position, bringing your arms over your head, slowly bending forward to bring your hands to the ground, stepping your feet back into a pushup position, dropping your waist to the ground and stepping back into downward-facing dog (on all fours with hips raised). This series of motions helps to extend and flex the spine and does not require any twisting motion.

Remember to listen to your body while doing yoga and avoid any position that worsens your pain. If you take yoga classes, you may find it helpful to speak with your instructor ahead of time to help identify ways to modify certain poses to better suit your needs.

When to consider other treatment options

If your symptoms persist or worsen despite the use of conservative treatments such as yoga, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive spine surgery at USA Spine Care. Our minimally invasive procedures are muscle-sparing, require less than a 1-inch incision and typically have shorter recovery times when compared with traditional open spine surgery.^

Contact USA Spine Care today to find out if one of our procedures is the right treatment option for your arthritis of the spine.