Yoga for Neck Pain

horbola · 11-12-2009, 10:17 PM

Hi all yogis..

Hope all of you are doing well.
If any expert could advise on the following, it would be really very helpful.

The fact is that I had been suffering from chronic neck pain from the last 3 years. As I did not pay any attention at the begging, things started to get very bad rapidly. My work involves me to sit in front of the computer for around 9 hours/day. I feel pain around the neck continuously (almost 24/7). First checked with the orthopedics who mentioned there is nothing wrong with the bone. I tried to take deep tissue massage, acupuncture and Moxibustion which reliefs the pain for a short time like 1/2 days and things get back to as it is.

I used to practice yoga around 10 years ago, I was in a very good shape back then. Recently, when I started to do yoga to release neck pain, I found that how stiff my body has become. The asanas for neck pain, made my pain even worse.

Looks like the muscles or the ligament of neck has become stiff and causing the pain. Is there any way that I can release the stiffness and get back to normal life? I thought I was an expert on Yoga, but completely lost at this point.

Thanks in Advance..

InnerAthlete · 11-13-2009, 10:21 AM

That's a fascinating question you pose.

Since you are asking a question that qualifies as therapeutic could you please fill in the blanks about you as a person and practitioner? As a yoga therapist with 2,000 hours of training I need an intake to even get started with you. Male, female, 20, or 60? What is your level of fitness, the nature of your current practice? What is your diet like? I simply need to have you paint a verbal picture of who you are.

Also I'm perplexed by the comment "The asanas for neck pain, made my pain even worse". There are so many different styles of yoga, some without any therapeutic application whatsoever, others with 40 hours of teacher training. Could you outline the asana practice you were or are doing to help (which is not helping at all)?

I can tell you thins, right off the bat. If this tension is coming from a particular behavior or lifestyle choice, it would be foolish of us to think it would abate without a change in that behavior. Do you see where I'm going here?

gordon

ozone · 11-13-2009, 11:52 AM

i hope it gets better, ill try to get my teacher to make video about sore necks

Xamilo · 11-13-2009, 10:04 PM

Are you sure is just a "muscle thing" Have you been checked ever about your pain? Most muscle problems can be decreased by stretching and a physical practice like yoga, but some diseases (specially bone related) can get worst and become severe injuries with minimal effort or exercise, so I would recommend to have yourself checked by a doctor before starting any physical activity.

InnerAthlete · 11-14-2009, 12:50 PM

Which "diseases (specially bone related)" are you referring to that would be exacerbated by "minimal effort or exercise"?

horbola · 11-14-2009, 10:45 PM

Thank you for the replies and sorry for not posting enough information to visualize the situation. Here goes some info that may be helpful to visualize:
Age: 31, Sex: Male, Height: 166 cm, Weight: 66 KG, Daily travel time (train+bus+walk): 3 hours (round trip), Diet: Not vegetarian, try to take 3 meals/day with a proportion of 55% carb, 30% protein and the rest is vegetable/fruits. Minimum water intake is around 3 liter/day. Smoker (10 cig/day), goes to the gym at least 1 day/week for weight training, swimming.
Now, I have checked with couple of doctors (orthopedics, neurologist, chiropractor) and all of them did not find any specific reason for the pain. The last time I checked with a orthopedics (3/4 weeks ago), I was told that it may be related to some ligament problem which the doctor was not sure about.
I had been following a yoga book by Mr. Srinilmoni Daas published from kalkatta. According to that book, the recommended yoga fro neck pain were: Cobra Pose, Cow Face Pose, Seated Spinal Twist, Savasana, Boddha Paddasana (could not find the english name of this asana, a advacned posture of lotis posture). The "Seated Spinal Twist" is the pose which was giving me pain. After a day's work, when I feel severe pain, I try to do savasana on my yoga mat in a quiet place for around 20/25 mins and later I feel very good and no pain for around 1/2 hours.
There could me a lot of things that are causing this pain, but would really appreciate, I you could give me a guideline, overall.
Thank you guys, this forum is full of nice and helpful people.

Xamilo · 11-15-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InnerAthlete

Which "diseases (specially bone related)" are you referring to that would be exacerbated by "minimal effort or exercise"?

Couple of examples:

Cervical microfractures, Facet disease, cervical radiculopathy caused my disk herniation, discoid fibromiopathies (not bone related but works for the example)

Xamilo · 11-15-2009, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horbola

Now, I have checked with couple of doctors (orthopedics, neurologist, chiropractor) and all of them did not find any specific reason for the pain. The last time I checked with a orthopedics (3/4 weeks ago), I was told that it may be related to some ligament problem which the doctor was not sure about.
.

Great. Since a lot fo things have been discarded then, I see no problem on re-starting your yoga practice...

Willem · 11-15-2009, 03:25 AM

Dear Horbola,

Thank you for giving us more information about yourself. By the way, between the lines you have probably given us both the source and solution for your neck pain: You have said that there are no apparent medical reasons for your pain. You also point out that your work and travelling hours are very long and that relaxation in savasana helps. It is common for computer workers to develop some stress that eventually evolves into (neck) pain. Perhaps the solution consists of a change in lifestyle with more frequent relaxation, a better working posture and a more appropriate yoga program.

When seated, always maintain a lumbar curve by using a chair with a lumbar roll. This is a prerequisite for maintaining a proper neck position: Always maintain a retracted head. Retract the head as far as it will go and then release the last 10% of this movement.
There are many references on the web giving ideal ergonomics for the office workstation (feet on the floor, thighs horizontal, lumbar spine supported, straight upper arms, horizontal fore-arms, head looks down ~20º at the screen, use a book holder and a telephone headset).
Modify working routines to have frequent breaks. Never sit for more than an hour without retracting the head and extending it five or six times. This applies especially to computer work and to long-distance driving. You could do some simple yoga exercises in your office chair.
Sleep on a firm mattress and do not sleep on the stomach. Use a pillow that gives proper support to both head and neck. The pillow should fill in the natural hollow between the head and neck whilst keeping the head in a neutral position. Feather pillows are best, followed by fillings of chips made of rubber or foam plastic.
Never slouch or protrude the head after vigorous activity. Thoroughly exercised spinal joints may distort if they are overstretched due to poor posture.

In terms of yogasana, I would recommend the pavanmuktanasana or joint freeing series. This has been published by the Bihar School of Yoga as the anti-rheumatic group and by Mukunda Stiles as the joint freeing series. There are gentle movements of all the joints. The movements are coordinated with the breath. For the neck there are forward/backward bends, sideways bends and rotations. You could add forward/backward movements (“chicken tuck”) to this. Gentle movements with breath coordination lead to deep relaxation and pacifying stress conditions. Always relax in savasana after the series, with a minimum of 5 minutes.

It would be ideal if you learned this from a yoga teacher. It would be even better if you saw a yoga therapist who could assess your posture and muscle strength/tightness to give you an individualised program.

The joint freeing series are probably more appropriate for you than the other asana that you chose from a book. There may be appropriate asana, but these are best recommended by an experienced teacher or yoga therapist after assessment.

Please continue with swimming. It is relaxing.

Please consider giving up cigar smoking and gradually adapting a more sattvic diet. Lots of water is excellent.

Please think about reducing your travelling time. Two hours round trip is better than three, for example.

Blessings and best wishes for your health!

Everything Zen · 11-15-2009, 11:33 AM

Im curious , have you had both Xrays and an MRI ? I have two injured/buldging discs in my neck and had to have an MRI before I knew what my injury was. I also had no bone damage at all viewed on xray, but my discs cause me pain evety single day.I have also been curious what asanas would help lesson the pain in my neck and are safe to do with this injury.
I stronly feel if you have not had an MRI that it would be a good idea to make sure you dont have something more serious going on that cannot be viewed on xray.

Quote:

Originally Posted by horbola

Hi all yogis..

Hope all of you are doing well.
If any expert could advise on the following, it would be really very helpful.

The fact is that I had been suffering from chronic neck pain from the last 3 years. As I did not pay any attention at the begging, things started to get very bad rapidly. My work involves me to sit in front of the computer for around 9 hours/day. I feel pain around the neck continuously (almost 24/7). First checked with the orthopedics who mentioned there is nothing wrong with the bone. I tried to take deep tissue massage, acupuncture and Moxibustion which reliefs the pain for a short time like 1/2 days and things get back to as it is.

I used to practice yoga around 10 years ago, I was in a very good shape back then. Recently, when I started to do yoga to release neck pain, I found that how stiff my body has become. The asanas for neck pain, made my pain even worse.

Looks like the muscles or the ligament of neck has become stiff and causing the pain. Is there any way that I can release the stiffness and get back to normal life? I thought I was an expert on Yoga, but completely lost at this point.

Thanks in Advance..

InnerAthlete · 11-16-2009, 10:01 AM

Since this is a yoga board (not a run-of-the-mill social community) I'd like to point out the following:

For some people a diagnosis from a allopathic practitioner is very helpful and therefore appropriate (for them). However this is not the case for all. Some folks can live with their malady but not their diagnosis. Pictures and a doctor's statement do not help them at all. Here's why.

The mind is so incredibly powerful (and we have only scratched the surface of that power). A thought placed in just such a way can be manifested. Some people, when told they'll never walk again, get up and battle and do walk, while others are debilitated from the words and accept that pronouncement as "truth". And so from the perspective of yoga it is absolutely critical that we speak mindfully to others knowing our words can manifest.

Tell a student they are well and they may be or become well. Tell them that they have high blood pressure and anxiety and they might manifest that.

I'm simply suggesting two things. Mindful words especially to those with therapeutic issue and no presumption that everyone runs to an allopathic physician whenever their throat is sore.

Of course working closely with your healthcare practitioner of choice is very important when you've determined that to be a necessary course of action (so I am not suggesting one forget or ignore that which comes up for attention).

gordon

Everything Zen · 11-16-2009, 05:59 PM

I wasnt advising anyone to run to the Dr. for just "anything" . My apologies if that was how my post seemed. It certainly was not intended that way . I suffered from a neck injury after falling down a flight of stairs and my pain wasnt going away and was causing migraines and vomiting so I had an MRI to rule out any kind of serious spinal cord injury. I opted not to have surgery and I agree with you about the power of the mind.
Again, my apologies for any misunderstandings..

Namaste

Quote:

Originally Posted by InnerAthlete

Since this is a yoga board (not a run-of-the-mill social community) I'd like to point out the following:

For some people a diagnosis from a allopathic practitioner is very helpful and therefore appropriate (for them). However this is not the case for all. Some folks can live with their malady but not their diagnosis. Pictures and a doctor's statement do not help them at all. Here's why.

The mind is so incredibly powerful (and we have only scratched the surface of that power). A thought placed in just such a way can be manifested. Some people, when told they'll never walk again, get up and battle and do walk, while others are debilitated from the words and accept that pronouncement as "truth". And so from the perspective of yoga it is absolutely critical that we speak mindfully to others knowing our words can manifest.

Tell a student they are well and they may be or become well. Tell them that they have high blood pressure and anxiety and they might manifest that.

I'm simply suggesting two things. Mindful words especially to those with therapeutic issue and no presumption that everyone runs to an allopathic physician whenever their throat is sore.

Of course working closely with your healthcare practitioner of choice is very important when you've determined that to be a necessary course of action (so I am not suggesting one forget or ignore that which comes up for attention).

gordon

Xamilo · 11-16-2009, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Zen

I wasnt advising anyone to run to the Dr. for just "anything" . My apologies if that was how my post seemed. It certainly was not intended that way . I suffered from a neck injury after falling down a flight of stairs and my pain wasnt going away and was causing migraines and vomiting so I had an MRI to rule out any kind of serious spinal cord injury. I opted not to have surgery and I agree with you about the power of the mind.
Again, my apologies for any misunderstandings..

Namaste

Everything Zen my firs recommendation would have been to get a TC and an MRI, and I do advice to run to the doctor before starting any physical activity.

Just fo you to know someone here supports your position

horbola · 11-16-2009, 09:57 PM

Thank you Willem, InnerAthlete, Everything Zen, ozone for your advise and help.
Yes, doctors had checked my X-ray and MRI and cleared that there was no issue.
I am focusing on e healthier lifestyle and easy-to-do yoga. Started with the joint-free yoga.
If you have any article/training material/vdos/e-books focusing on neck pain, please share.
I will keep you posted on the improvement. Thank you again and take care.

Willem · 11-17-2009, 12:12 AM

You are welcome.

I don't know about your background in yoga. It could be very worthwhile to visit an experienced yoga teacher or yoga therapist. This is much better than a book. It is very difficult to do diagnosis and recommendations on yourself. I have tried this and failed, with more than 20 years of hatha yoga experience at the time!

If you are practicing the joint freeing series on your own, please make sure that you perform the movements within the pain-free range of motion. Meaning: do not move your head - or any other limb - into a position that causes even slight discomfort (let alone pain!). If you do, the benefits of the series will not arise.

Blessings.

horbola · 11-17-2009, 02:38 AM

Thank you Willem. May be this question is inappropriate to you, but would like to have other member's suggestion for a yoga therapist in Tokyo. I also thought several times that it is better to learn from a teacher rather than form the books.
I will also search the whole forum for a yoga therapist.

11-13-2009, 10:21 AM	#2
InnerAthlete Mostly Good Egg Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 2,128	That's a fascinating question you pose. Since you are asking a question that qualifies as therapeutic could you please fill in the blanks about you as a person and practitioner? As a yoga therapist with 2,000 hours of training I need an intake to even get started with you. Male, female, 20, or 60? What is your level of fitness, the nature of your current practice? What is your diet like? I simply need to have you paint a verbal picture of who you are. Also I'm perplexed by the comment "The asanas for neck pain, made my pain even worse". There are so many different styles of yoga, some without any therapeutic application whatsoever, others with 40 hours of teacher training. Could you outline the asana practice you were or are doing to help (which is not helping at all)? I can tell you thins, right off the bat. If this tension is coming from a particular behavior or lifestyle choice, it would be foolish of us to think it would abate without a change in that behavior. Do you see where I'm going here? gordon __________________ Gordon Kaplan Certified Purna Yoga Teacher (CPYT) Yoga Alliance RYT-500 International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) M.S. Kinesiology, Indiana University http://www.teamyoga.com http://www.yogamojodojo.com http://www.innerathlete.net/forum

11-15-2009, 03:25 AM	#9
Willem trishatá Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 327	Dear Horbola, Thank you for giving us more information about yourself. By the way, between the lines you have probably given us both the source and solution for your neck pain: You have said that there are no apparent medical reasons for your pain. You also point out that your work and travelling hours are very long and that relaxation in savasana helps. It is common for computer workers to develop some stress that eventually evolves into (neck) pain. Perhaps the solution consists of a change in lifestyle with more frequent relaxation, a better working posture and a more appropriate yoga program. When seated, always maintain a lumbar curve by using a chair with a lumbar roll. This is a prerequisite for maintaining a proper neck position: Always maintain a retracted head. Retract the head as far as it will go and then release the last 10% of this movement. There are many references on the web giving ideal ergonomics for the office workstation (feet on the floor, thighs horizontal, lumbar spine supported, straight upper arms, horizontal fore-arms, head looks down ~20º at the screen, use a book holder and a telephone headset). Modify working routines to have frequent breaks. Never sit for more than an hour without retracting the head and extending it five or six times. This applies especially to computer work and to long-distance driving. You could do some simple yoga exercises in your office chair. Sleep on a firm mattress and do not sleep on the stomach. Use a pillow that gives proper support to both head and neck. The pillow should fill in the natural hollow between the head and neck whilst keeping the head in a neutral position. Feather pillows are best, followed by fillings of chips made of rubber or foam plastic. Never slouch or protrude the head after vigorous activity. Thoroughly exercised spinal joints may distort if they are overstretched due to poor posture. In terms of yogasana, I would recommend the pavanmuktanasana or joint freeing series. This has been published by the Bihar School of Yoga as the anti-rheumatic group and by Mukunda Stiles as the joint freeing series. There are gentle movements of all the joints. The movements are coordinated with the breath. For the neck there are forward/backward bends, sideways bends and rotations. You could add forward/backward movements (“chicken tuck”) to this. Gentle movements with breath coordination lead to deep relaxation and pacifying stress conditions. Always relax in savasana after the series, with a minimum of 5 minutes. It would be ideal if you learned this from a yoga teacher. It would be even better if you saw a yoga therapist who could assess your posture and muscle strength/tightness to give you an individualised program. The joint freeing series are probably more appropriate for you than the other asana that you chose from a book. There may be appropriate asana, but these are best recommended by an experienced teacher or yoga therapist after assessment. Please continue with swimming. It is relaxing. Please consider giving up cigar smoking and gradually adapting a more sattvic diet. Lots of water is excellent. Please think about reducing your travelling time. Two hours round trip is better than three, for example. Blessings and best wishes for your health! Last edited by Willem; 11-15-2009 at 03:33 AM.

11-16-2009, 10:01 AM	#11
InnerAthlete Mostly Good Egg Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 2,128	Since this is a yoga board (not a run-of-the-mill social community) I'd like to point out the following: For some people a diagnosis from a allopathic practitioner is very helpful and therefore appropriate (for them). However this is not the case for all. Some folks can live with their malady but not their diagnosis. Pictures and a doctor's statement do not help them at all. Here's why. The mind is so incredibly powerful (and we have only scratched the surface of that power). A thought placed in just such a way can be manifested. Some people, when told they'll never walk again, get up and battle and do walk, while others are debilitated from the words and accept that pronouncement as "truth". And so from the perspective of yoga it is absolutely critical that we speak mindfully to others knowing our words can manifest. Tell a student they are well and they may be or become well. Tell them that they have high blood pressure and anxiety and they might manifest that. I'm simply suggesting two things. Mindful words especially to those with therapeutic issue and no presumption that everyone runs to an allopathic physician whenever their throat is sore. Of course working closely with your healthcare practitioner of choice is very important when you've determined that to be a necessary course of action (so I am not suggesting one forget or ignore that which comes up for attention). gordon __________________ Gordon Kaplan Certified Purna Yoga Teacher (CPYT) Yoga Alliance RYT-500 International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) M.S. Kinesiology, Indiana University http://www.teamyoga.com http://www.yogamojodojo.com http://www.innerathlete.net/forum

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11-12-2009, 10:17 PM	#1
horbola catúr Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4	Hi all yogis.. Hope all of you are doing well. If any expert could advise on the following, it would be really very helpful. The fact is that I had been suffering from chronic neck pain from the last 3 years. As I did not pay any attention at the begging, things started to get very bad rapidly. My work involves me to sit in front of the computer for around 9 hours/day. I feel pain around the neck continuously (almost 24/7). First checked with the orthopedics who mentioned there is nothing wrong with the bone. I tried to take deep tissue massage, acupuncture and Moxibustion which reliefs the pain for a short time like 1/2 days and things get back to as it is. I used to practice yoga around 10 years ago, I was in a very good shape back then. Recently, when I started to do yoga to release neck pain, I found that how stiff my body has become. The asanas for neck pain, made my pain even worse. Looks like the muscles or the ligament of neck has become stiff and causing the pain. Is there any way that I can release the stiffness and get back to normal life? I thought I was an expert on Yoga, but completely lost at this point. Thanks in Advance..

11-13-2009, 11:52 AM	#3
ozone dashan Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 19	i hope it gets better, ill try to get my teacher to make video about sore necks

11-13-2009, 10:04 PM	#4
Xamilo saptatí Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 79	Are you sure is just a "muscle thing" Have you been checked ever about your pain? Most muscle problems can be decreased by stretching and a physical practice like yoga, but some diseases (specially bone related) can get worst and become severe injuries with minimal effort or exercise, so I would recommend to have yourself checked by a doctor before starting any physical activity.

11-14-2009, 12:50 PM	#5
InnerAthlete Mostly Good Egg Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 2,128	Which "diseases (specially bone related)" are you referring to that would be exacerbated by "minimal effort or exercise"?

11-14-2009, 10:45 PM	#6
horbola catúr Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4	Thank you for the replies and sorry for not posting enough information to visualize the situation. Here goes some info that may be helpful to visualize: Age: 31, Sex: Male, Height: 166 cm, Weight: 66 KG, Daily travel time (train+bus+walk): 3 hours (round trip), Diet: Not vegetarian, try to take 3 meals/day with a proportion of 55% carb, 30% protein and the rest is vegetable/fruits. Minimum water intake is around 3 liter/day. Smoker (10 cig/day), goes to the gym at least 1 day/week for weight training, swimming. Now, I have checked with couple of doctors (orthopedics, neurologist, chiropractor) and all of them did not find any specific reason for the pain. The last time I checked with a orthopedics (3/4 weeks ago), I was told that it may be related to some ligament problem which the doctor was not sure about. I had been following a yoga book by Mr. Srinilmoni Daas published from kalkatta. According to that book, the recommended yoga fro neck pain were: Cobra Pose, Cow Face Pose, Seated Spinal Twist, Savasana, Boddha Paddasana (could not find the english name of this asana, a advacned posture of lotis posture). The "Seated Spinal Twist" is the pose which was giving me pain. After a day's work, when I feel severe pain, I try to do savasana on my yoga mat in a quiet place for around 20/25 mins and later I feel very good and no pain for around 1/2 hours. There could me a lot of things that are causing this pain, but would really appreciate, I you could give me a guideline, overall. Thank you guys, this forum is full of nice and helpful people.

11-16-2009, 09:57 PM	#14
horbola catúr Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4	Thank you Willem, InnerAthlete, Everything Zen, ozone for your advise and help. Yes, doctors had checked my X-ray and MRI and cleared that there was no issue. I am focusing on e healthier lifestyle and easy-to-do yoga. Started with the joint-free yoga. If you have any article/training material/vdos/e-books focusing on neck pain, please share. I will keep you posted on the improvement. Thank you again and take care.

11-17-2009, 12:12 AM	#15
Willem trishatá Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 327	You are welcome. I don't know about your background in yoga. It could be very worthwhile to visit an experienced yoga teacher or yoga therapist. This is much better than a book. It is very difficult to do diagnosis and recommendations on yourself. I have tried this and failed, with more than 20 years of hatha yoga experience at the time! If you are practicing the joint freeing series on your own, please make sure that you perform the movements within the pain-free range of motion. Meaning: do not move your head - or any other limb - into a position that causes even slight discomfort (let alone pain!). If you do, the benefits of the series will not arise. Blessings.

11-17-2009, 02:38 AM	#16
horbola catúr Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4	Thank you Willem. May be this question is inappropriate to you, but would like to have other member's suggestion for a yoga therapist in Tokyo. I also thought several times that it is better to learn from a teacher rather than form the books. I will also search the whole forum for a yoga therapist.