I’ve had spondylolisthesis since I was a teenager. It bothered me quite a bit about 10 years ago, thanks to a lot of physical therapy, strength training and during the last two years lots of yoga my pain level was much better. Unfortunately during the last few weeks some of my pain is back. Which poses / practices would you recommend with spondylolisthesis and which poses / practices should I avoid.
Thank you so much for your amazing site and for your help
nice question. Please send the reply
Do not do movements that encourage the upper vertebrae to move over the lower ones, such as lying on your back and hugging your knees to your chest or Balasana.
Strengthen the muscles that can provide support for the lower back area, including the paraspinals (the muscles on either side of the spine), hip rotators (muscles that connect the hip to the femur bone), abdominals and the leg and buttock muscles.
Avoid Down Dog, Natarajasana, any Back Bends, Spinal Extension, Percussive Activities (Running, Jogging, Jumping…), Rowing, Bowling, Cycling (these sports encourage the upper part of the body to slide forward over the lower part), high heels.
Do pelvic tilts, Koegals, Yoga Sit-ups, to strengthen the core and abdominal muscles, Supta Padangusthasana I, II and Parivrtta Supta Padangusthasana (with strap), Kneeling Lunge (keeping the knee that’s on the floor directly under the hip and tuck the tail), Parighasana (again, tail under), and Standing Twist at a wall (be sure the back is not over arched). Hope this helps. I am trained in Yoga for back care and scoliosis.
helps a lot i have a “grade 1” spondylolisthesis but sometimes it doesn’t feel so “grade 1”. ive been given strength exercises by a PT but yoga is my practice so id much rather heal on the mat
It is definitely effective. Glad this is helpful.
I tried to search the word scoliosis on this site and no classes came up. I have slight scoliosis and consider myself between new and intermediate yoga level. I’m notice from some yoga positions I get a bit more relief and began to realize yoga could help with my scoliosis as I grow older. Are there any classes based around helping scoliosis?
Thank you!
Upward facing dog extension also helps relieve pain for some. It’s part of the McKenzie method too!