YOGA FOR BACK PAIN

An estimated eight out of every ten people will suffer from back pain at least once in their lives. Recent studies find that yoga shows promise as a complementary treatment for back pain; it has been shown to be more effective than exercise or a self-care book for improving back functioning in people with back problems. In this two-part series, Loren Fishman, M.D., and Ellen Saltonstall, master yoga therapist, offer an introduction to the vast and rich topic of yoga as therapy for preventing and relieving back pain.

• The seven main causes of back pain, and how to identify them.
• Most effective and proven medical treatment approaches to each major cause of back pain and their drawbacks.
• Specific yoga poses for each major cause.
• Specific precautions when using yoga for people with back pain, as well as guidelines for a safe yoga practice to avoid low back injuries.
• Key ways to prevent back pain, including during convalescence after therapy or surgery, and safer practices on and off the mat to avoid back pain in the first place.
• Fishman and Saltonstall will describe their study of yoga injuries with 33,000 therapists and teachers worldwide, and address recent media allegations about the dangers of yoga.

This Course Also Includes These Bonuses! 

• Yoga Practice Video: Relieve back pain caused by too much activity, too little activity, or an alignment problem that's creating excess muscle tension. In addition to lengthening, strengthening, and realigning your back, Ellen Saltonstall also shows you how to identify issues in your posture that may be contributing to pain.
• Recordings of Both Sessions: Yours to keep. It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get the recordings of both sessions (mp3 & mp4) enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
• Transcripts of Both Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
• Osteoporosis Drugs: Bad for Your Body - And for Your Bones?: Osteoporosis is a near-epidemic age-related condition, often known as the "silent thief," because bone loss occurs without any symptoms. Forty-four million Americans are known to have low bone mass. That amounts to 55% of everyone over 50. An estimated 70% of hip fractures are related to osteoporosis and 50% of those fractures result in death or permanent disability. In fact, a woman's risk of hip fracture is equal to the combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer. 

Please note: The information found here is not intended to substitute for medical advice, nor to diagnose or treat a specific disease. Please consult with a qualified medical professional about the proper method to address your health concerns, and before beginning any type of exercise. 

Loren Fishman, MD

After graduating from Christ Church, Oxford, spending the year 1973 with Mr. Iyengar in Pune, attending every class, public and private, and taking daily instruction, Loren M. Fishman, M.D., was told “You can teach my yoga.” Dr. Fishman then went to medical school, and at Rush, in a Tufts-Harvard Residency program, and as Chief Resident at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, did indeed teach patients, health professionals, and also learned more about yoga and medicine himself. He has been practicing yoga daily since the year he spent with Mr. Iyengar, has written and edited more than 65 academic articles, chapters and books in the philosophy of science, and Rehabilitation Medicine, his field. His work has been reviewed in articles by Jane Brody, Spine, and a number of international periodicals. He is past President of the New York Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, currently Associate Editor of Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, on the staff at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Treasurer of the Manhattan Institute for Cancer Research, and has a private practice on Park Avenue in Manhattan.

Loren has published two books: Yoga for Osteoporosis with Ellen Saltonstall (for W.W. Norton) and Yoga and Multiple Sclerosiswith Eric Small. For more information about Loren, visit: www.sciatica.org
 

Ellen Saltonstall 

Ellen Saltonstall (E-RYT 500) is a yoga instructor and body therapist based in New York with extensive training in the Iyengar and Anusara methods. She has been a practitioner of yoga and meditation for over 40 years. She teaches Bodymind Ballwork, a method of self-massage using rubber balls which she developed, and she co-authored Yoga for Arthritis, 2008, and Yoga for Osteoporosis, 2010 with Dr. Loren Fishman. Her book Anatomy & Yoga: A Guide for Teachers and Students will be released in December 2016. She offers yoga therapy webinars through YogaOnlineU.com, and she teaches nationally and internationally with a specialty in anatomy and therapeutics. She is known for her clarity and depth of knowledge, and her enthusiasm in encouraging students of all levels to find freedom and joy through yoga. Please visit her website at www.ellensaltonstall.com.