asana: in supine position, change weight on the lumbar spine

yogabook / asana / alternating lumbar spine in supine position

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last update: 30.12.2018
Trivia name: in supine position, change weight on the lumbar spine
Level: A

Classification

Contraindication

Spinal canal stenosis, facet syndrome and spondylolisthesis are all contraindications to significant movement of the legs away from the upper body. Contraindications to significant movement of the legs away from the upper body, although in the case of facet syndrome no adverse effects or worsening of the patient’s condition are generally to be expected apart from pain. Care should be taken not to curve the lumbar spine convexly in the case of herniated discs.

Preparation

Follow-up

Diagnostics

Lumbago usually leads to the occurrence of the familiar bright, stabbing pain somewhere between the extreme positions described, rather not in a position of the legs close to the upper body, but also frequently in less flexion in the hip joints when the iliopsoas has to hold a greater load. Pain caused by spinal canal stenosis, facet syndrome and spondylolisthesis can also be caused in positions where the gravity perpendicular legs is behind the hip joints.
Pain in the position of the legs close to the upper body may indicate disc disease.

Instructions

  1. Lie on your back with your legs bent wide and your arms around them.
  2. Loosen your grip on your arms and place them next to your body.
  3. Slowly move your bent legs away from your upper body, observing the sensations in your lower back (lumbar spine).
  4. When the centre of gravity of the legs is clearly behind the pelvis, reverse the movement again, i.e. move the bent legs back towards the ribcage.
  5. Continue as described.

details

  1. As long as the centre of gravity of the legs is cranial to the hip joints, they will move the lumbar spine more or less out of the physiological lordosis in the direction of the steep position of the lumbar spine. If the legs are now moved further away from the ribcage, this effect decreases more and more until at a certain point the legs no longer exert any effect on the lumbar spine. From this point onwards, any further movement of the legs away from the ribcage will tend to cause hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine. Whether hyperlordosis actually occurs depends largely on the use of the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis and synergistically the oblique abdominal muscles), which can completely counteract this effect if they are used and have sufficient strength to do so.
  2. If this exercise works well, the legs can slowly be moved further and further away from the upper body. They can be increasingly stretched to increase the effect, which corresponds to a supta dandasana with smaller flexion angles in the hip joint.
  3. In the case of acute lumbago (acute form or chronic form in recurrence), the change in load in the lumbar spine can trigger the familiar highly intense, bright, stabbing pain. In contrast to pain triggers in a more upright posture, such as when leaning forwards, a full 10 on the NRS is rarely reached here, as the load on the affected muscles is much lower. In addition, the movement can be performed in very fine increments as it requires very little effort. In this way, the exact geometry of the pain triggering and the localisation of the pain can be determined, and the often excessive fear of triggering the pain can be somewhat relativised. Furthermore, the alternating force ratios are good for the regional musculature and help with healing, even if the pain is triggered in between.
  4. In the position of the legs away from the chest as well as in the position close to the chest, the legs can be stretched to change or intensify the effect. The extent to which the legs are stretched in the position close to the chest naturally depends largely on the flexibility of the hamstrings. If this is restricted, stretching the legs may even move the thighs away from the ribcage. In the position of the legs away from the ribcage, the hamstrings plays an increasingly minor role. On the other hand, the effective lever arm of the legs (to the centre of rotation in the hip joint) increases and therefore the load on the iliopsoas, which has to hold the legs, also increases. If the abdominal muscles are not used very intensively, this inevitably leads to hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine. In the case of acute lumbago, the typical pain is certainly triggered somewhere between the two extremes. However, a helpful effect is exerted on the regional musculature in both extreme positions.
  5. A slight lateral movement of the legs can also be integrated, which may cause the pain to be triggered earlier refering to the change in flexion in the hip joint, as well as the beneficial effect on the regional musculature.