SpinenevadapatienteducationSerieS•acenterofexcellenceforneck&Backpaininthereno/tahoeregion

Start positionCobra position

HOW YOGA CAN HELPREDUCE BACK & NECK PAIN

Low Lunge

Yoga can be appropriate for everyone, but depending on your medical condition, you may need to modify or avoid certain poses. Patients with advanced spinal stenosis should avoid extreme spine extension movements. Patients with cervical spine disease should avoid headstands and shoulder stands in yoga. Those who diagnose and treat themselves with home remedies and exercises do so at their own risk. ALWAYS discontinue any exercise that causes pain. Loss of control of the bowel or bladder or weakness in an arm or leg are emergency symptoms that need to be seen by a physician within 48 hours to avoid permanent damage. Artwork copyright © 2012 Prizm.

Start from a standing position or downward-facing dog, exhale and bring your left foot forward between your hands, aligning the left knee over the heel. Then lower your right knee to the floor and, keeping the left knee fixed in place, slide the right leg back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the right front thigh and groin. Turn the top of your right foot to the floor. Inhale and lift your torso upward. Hold for 20 seconds. Exhale and return to starting position. Repeat with the right foot forward for same period of time.

The “Cow”Start on all fours in the position shown below (Start position), keeping your back straight. Then create an arch in your low back by lowering your abdomen toward the ground, while at the same time raising your head. Hold for 10 seconds. Go back to starting position. Repeat exercise 20 times.

Yoga is becoming an increasingly popular recre-ational activity for both men and women. Yoga involves holding various poses to develop core strength. Many moves can actually be helpful to a bad back as they involve extension and flexion of the back muscles.

For example the “Cat” and “Cow” poses involve both flexion and extension of the spine. This can aid in circulation and provide a natural way to bring ox-ygenated blood and nutrients to the intervertebral discs. For disc herniation these movements may be helpful. It is important to note that some disc her-niation patients may find that spinal flexion worsens their symptoms, while extension movements offer relief. The opposite can be true with spinal stenosis patients who find flexion exercises to be more com-fortable and extension exercises to be less comfort-able.

Ideally, if you have back or neck pain, you should consult a spine spe-cialized therapist to evalu-ate your back problem and customize an exercise program for your particular back problem.

Thaïs Mollet, PT, DPT (shown above with patient)

is a spine specialized physical therapist at Spine Nevada. In treating her patients, Thaïs draws upon techniques from Kaltenborn, Evjenth, Maitland, and Butler schools of thought. “My goal with each pa-tient is to identify the approach that will best de-crease pain and discomfort, and increase overall function,” Thaïs explains.

Want to get started? Let the physical therapists at SpineNevada customize a home exercise pro-gram for you. “Our goal is to make the patient in-dependent of therapy within a short period of time,” Thaïs adds.

Help your patients get back to activity this spring. Hand them this overview of quick tips that will help them on the way to a pain-free year. Call our physician liaison Karen Poindexter at 775.348.8800 and she’ll drop off 50 copies of this exercise sheet for your patients.

Cobra Start by lying flat on your stomach, with your hands on the floor under your shoulders. As you inhale, begin to raise your upper body slowly, while keeping your pelvis flat to the floor. Try to create an arch in your low back. Go up as far as you can without experiencing discomfort. Work up to the position shown here, also known in yoga as the Cobra position. Hold the finish position for 15 seconds,breathing easily. Exhale as you release

back to the floor.

EXTENSION yOga POSES

Start position

Finish position

Reno Main Office at

Renown Regional Medical Center

75 Pringle Way, Suite 502 & 605

Reno, NV 89502

Sparks Office at

Northern Nevada Medical Center

2385 E. Prater Way, Suite 204

Sparks, NV 89434

James J. Lynch, M.D., FRCSIBoard-certified Neurosurgeon, Fellowship-Trained Spine SurgeonDr. James Lynch specializes in complex spine surgery, cervical disorders, degenerative spine, spinal deformities, trauma, tumor infection and minimally invasive spine surgery. Dr. Lynch was the only Nevada spine surgeon selected for the 2011 Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review’s list of “100 of the Best Spine Surgeons and Specialists in America”. Dr. Lynch is one of a handful of spine surgeons with three fellowships in the specialty of spine surgery. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and went on to complete a spine fellowship at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queens Square, London, UK, followed by a spine fellowship at Mayo Clinic and an additional spine fellowship under Volker Sonntag, MD, at the prestigious Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ.

Jonathan D. Burns, M.D.Board-certified Physical Medicine, Fellowship-Trained Pain ManagementDr. Jonathan Burns completed an interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship at The SMART Clinic in Sandy, Utah. Dr. Burns specializes in the assessment, diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of back and neck pain problems. He is proficient in EMGs and pain-relieving spinal injections. He completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he also served as clinical instructor, elective coordinator and research coordinator. He is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports & Occupational Rehabilitation.

For Referrals & Appointments: 775.348.8800Toll free: 877.497.0076Online spine encyclopedia at SpineNevada.com

Bridge

PatIent eDuCatIon SeRIeS: HoW YoGa Can ReDuCe BaCK & neCK PaIn

Start position

Finish position

Start by lying on your back with hands to the side. Knees should be bent with heels close together. Exhale and raise your hips upward so your back forms a straight line. Tighten your stomach muscles as you do so. Keep your thighs and feet parallel. Lift your buttocks so that thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Raise your chin slightly away from your chest, this will result in your shoulder blades moving toward your back. Press the top of your chest toward your chin. Remain in this pose for 30 seconds. Exhale and bring your spine back down to the floor.

FlEXION yOga POSES

SpineNevada develops patient educational inserts as a community service. This insert can be reproduced and distributed to your patients. Contact us at 775.348.8800 and we will send additional copies for your patients. We can also provide 20 copies of our 36-page Home Remedy Book with exercises that relieve symptoms.

Begin in a seated position with right leg extended. Slowly lean forward into a comfortable stretch, make sure the bent leg doesn’t go under the extended leg. Hold for 30 seconds and relax. Inhale as you return to the start position, repeat the instructions with the legs reversed.

Head-To-Knee Forward BendThe “Cat” Start on all fours in the position shown below (Start position), keeping your back straight. Your head should be in a neutral position, eyes looking to the floor. Then arch your back UPWARD, and lower your head at the same time. Hold for 10 seconds, and return to starting position. Repeat exercise 20 times.

Start position

Finish position

Start positionForward bend position