Any pose which stretches the psoas tends to allow my lower back to relax. The only problem is stretching this muscle pulls on the lower back so positioning is important. One sided poses best. Deep lunges, warrior 1 both good.

Great news,
i want the results of this study once you have it. It will be useful in my practice as an occupational therapist working in private clinic specialized in people with low back pain. Thanks.

I started Yoga in the first place because of lower back pain. After about three months of Yoga, my back pain went away. I still need to be careful with my lower back, but the awareness that I have learned from Yoga practice allows me to take care of it. Although I am now a Yoga teacher and practice all types of poses on a regular basis, the poses that worked best for me and also usually help my students with lower back pain are: Cobra (Bhujangasana) 8 breaths, Child (Balasana) 16 breaths, repeat several times and end with Lying spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana) 8-16 breaths on each side. Athough I understand that lower back pain may have many different causes and respond best to a variety of different treatments, this sequence has worked wonders for me.

Will keep you posted when the results of the trial are revealed.

A further note on lower back pain: Lower back pain is often the result of tight hamstrings. If your hamstrings are tight, you are stressing your lower back every time you bend forward and straighten. The weight of your head and upper body is concentrated like a fulcrum on your lower back and that weight is multiplied. This often leads to lower back problems. Any asanas that stretch the hamstrings without stressing the lower back can help this problem.

Back pain is also very strongly related to hip position when standing and walking. People with an exaggerated posterior or anterior pelvic tilt may experience pain or discomfort. My advice would be to find the imbalance in yourself, either through self-observation, or asking a trained instructor, and then discuss appropriate poses. Personally, if I have tightness in the back, Eagle pose works very well.

Where can I follow up for results of this study?

I have been dealing with sudden onset of lower back pain for the last three years (off ad on with about 4 months duration). Prior to all of this, I practiced yoga, along with running, weights and a whole slew of other activities. Now find myself limited to gentle stretching and limited yoga. Backbends are the most difficult.

My issues are at L5 and S1 - not uncommon. Curious what routine the subjects are following. Please send any info to jilljohnson829@yahoo.com.

Thanks!
~JJ

I am a new yoga teacher and started class a few weeks ago with yin yoga forward bends: 1 leg fwd bend and butterfly. 1 student complained of a foot cramp in that position, and another had cramp in her ribs. 2 days later, both of these women experienced back pain, and one chose to go to a chiropractor and not come back.
The rest of class involved being on our backs, practicing breathing and ending with legs up the wall pose for about 10 min followed by relaxation.
For my own practice, my body naturally wants to start with forward bends and yin poses and then move into a yang sequence. I am learning that beginners, especially those over 40 who aren't excercising regularly, do it differently.
Any suggestions on formatting a beginners class?