The Benefits of Yoga for Pain Relief
Jul 19, 2023
Should You Try Yoga for Pain Relief?
People have been practicing yoga for thousands of years for their physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Though several variations exist, yoga is good for the body and mind from helping to reduce stress to relieving chronic pain. The low-impact exercise focuses on posture, slow movement, breathing, and meditation.
If you’ve ever considered yoga for back pain or aching joints, knowing the health benefits of yoga and how to incorporate it into your daily routine can help you use yoga for pain relief. Combine yoga with Doctor Hoy’s® natural topical analgesics and discover safe, clean, and effective relief from back aches, joint pain, and chronic inflammation.
Why is yoga good for you?
Yoga uses controlled breathing, mindful meditation, and focused movement to stretch and strengthen the muscles. Studies around the world have researched the benefits of yoga from promoting faster healing to serving as a promising treatment for chronic back pain. Though not all evidence is 100% conclusive, there are evident physical and mental health benefits of yoga, including:
Improves Balance, Posture, & Flexibility
Slow, static movements and deep breathing during yoga increase blood flow to the muscles, which helps build strength as you stretch, ultimately improving flexibility, too. The poses in yoga, or “asanas,” help increase body awareness which can improve posture and balance.
As you focus on how your body moves between asanas and learn how to relax muscle tension, you release unnecessary stress within the body. Increased muscle strength, regular movement, and better flexibility encourage greater mobility, making yoga ideal for those 65 and older struggling with joint health or mobility issues.
Reduces Body Inflammation
Research suggests that yoga may reduce biochemical markers of inflammation within the body and help relieve chronic inflammation from conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, and more. Body inflammation can come from several factors like poor sleep or built-up stress. Yoga helps by improving these factors and thus helps reduce inflammation and chronic pain.
When practicing yoga for chronic pain, consider using Doctor Hoy’s Arnica Boost Recovery Cream before or after your session. Arnica Boost uses the natural anti-inflammatory properties of Arnica Montana to provide lasting relief from joint pain, neuropathy, and body inflammation. It can also help soothe skin irritation and promote faster healing for bruises.
Helps Prevent & Relieve Back Pain
The American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic lower back pain. With better flexibility, posture, and muscle strength, yoga helps prevent common causes of back pain like prolonged sitting or slouching. Stretching during yoga also helps ease pain and improves mobility.
In 2020, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that, among several yoga studies on lower back pain, yoga improved pain and function for those suffering for up to a year. Similarly, the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that a weekly yoga class can increase mobility better than standard medical care for chronic low back pain.
Chronic back pain can make routine activities like getting out of bed, grocery shopping, or doing yardwork extremely difficult. Doctor Hoy’s Pain Relief Gel provides relief for back aches, muscle aches, and more, easing back pain so you can get on with your day. Doctor Hoy’s can make yoga for back pain easier by relieving muscle soreness. Use it alongside your exercise treatment for fast-acting, long-lasting relief.
Eases Joint Pain & Symptoms
Yoga is good for your bone health and can even ease symptoms of joint pain and arthritis. Most poses are isometric exercises, which are known to increase bone density. These exercises involve stretching muscle groups without overusing your joints which strengthens supporting muscles without harming joint health.
One 10-year study revealed that doing yoga for 12 minutes a day can significantly improve bone health. Another review of studies by John Hopkins found that yoga could help ease pain from tender or swollen arthritic joints. Regular yoga can improve pain and mobility for those with chronic joint pain.
If you suffer from arthritis and want to try yoga for joint pain, use Doctor Hoy’s Pain Relief Gel or Arnica Boost Recovery Cream for penetrating relief from joint pain. Our pain-relieving gel uses a cool-warm sensation for fast, lasting relief for arthritis while Arnica Boost soothes joint pain by minimizing inflammation.
Minimizes Stress
According to the National Institutes of Health, scientific research reveals that yoga can help manage stress and improve mental health. During yoga, the heart rate slows down, blood pressure lowers, and breathing becomes more focused, all of which contributes to reduced stress. Yoga is a healthy and natural way to relieve stress.
Yoga for stress relief should also feature meditation. Through meditation, you can practice mindfulness, or the ability to be fully present and aware of what you are doing and where you are rather than feeling overwhelmed by your surroundings.
Boosts Immunity
Chronic stress affects the body’s immune system. Using yoga to minimize stress and fight inflammation within the body can lead to a healthier immune system. Regular exercise like yoga and eating a healthy diet full of immunity boosting foods can help you stave off some illnesses like the common cold.
Promotes Healthier Sleep
People who have a hard time sleeping due to racing thoughts or an inability to relax might have an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep after practicing yoga before bedtime. Yoga naturally improves sleep by calming the mind and putting it in a meditative state. You might also have an easier time sleeping with less pain and stress after doing yoga.
Who should practice yoga?
Anyone can try yoga and discover its benefits. Not only are there several variations, but yoga instructors can modify positions to accommodate for an individual’s abilities, experience level, or health condition. They can also establish personalized plans to focus on certain muscle groups like your lower back, hips, or shoulders.
Yoga is good for all ages including children looking for a way to calm their minds and the elderly who want improved flexibility or balance. Though you should talk to your healthcare provider first, yoga can also be safe for pregnant women and might help lessen pregnancy-related stress, anxiety, and depression.
If you have chronic pain, are recovering from surgery, or seeking relief after an injury, talk to your doctor before trying yoga for pain relief. Your doctor might recommend a modified version for treatment to avoid overstretching or reinjury.
How often should you do yoga?
You can practice yoga at home or by attending a class at a local gym, yoga center, church, or wherever you find yoga classes near you. At home, you can find beginner level yoga poses by watching online videos, browsing the internet, or downloading a yoga app. You can practice yoga as often as you like since it is low impact, but never push your body beyond its limits and stop if you feel pain.
Most in-class yoga sessions range from 45 to 90 minutes long and often have a planned itinerary. First, you will begin with breathing exercises to help you relax and free your mind from current stressors. Then, the instructor will guide you through different poses and encourage you to focus on your breath. Yoga classes usually end with several minutes of focused breathing and meditation.
Using Doctor Hoy’s & Yoga for Pain Relief
Whether you have chronic back pain, joint pain, or want to improve your mental health with calming exercise, yoga is beneficial for the body and mind. Doctor Hoy’s pain-relieving gels and creams are the perfect complement to your yoga routine, providing natural relief from joint pain, muscle soreness, inflammation, and more.
References:
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Jeter, P. E., Nkodo, A.-F., Moonaz, S. H., & Dagnelie, G. (2014). A Systematic Review of Yoga for Balance in a Healthy Population. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20(4), 221–232. doi:10.1089/acm.2013.0378
Lu, Y.-H., Rosner, B., Chang, G., & Fishman, L. M. (2016). Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 32(2), 81–87. doi:10.1097/TGR.0000000000000085
Yoga for pain relief. (2015, April 29). Harvard Health.
Link, R. (2017). 13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science. Healthline.
Deepeshwar S, Tanwar M, Kavuri V and Budhi RB (2018) Effect of Yoga Based Lifestyle Intervention on Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Front. Psychiatry 9:180. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00180
