Yoga In the Ojai Valley, Breathe New Life Into Your Bones!
Your Daily Yoga Vitamin--Handstands for Healthy Bones
Photo Credit: Ruth Miller
Today a young woman brought her mother to my Gentle Yoga class. She explained that her mom had never taken yoga before and, as I could see from the mom's rounded spine, that she had osteoporosis. The daughter placed her mom's mat by the wall, alongside the rest of the students, who ranged in age from 62 to 84. The young woman explained that she took yoga from various teachers, and that she was here to accompany and observe her mom. She placed her own mat into a far corner of the room where, I realized five minutes into the class, she thought she would be able to do her own practice.
While my experienced students were hanging in Downward Facing Dog Pose in the lower yoga wall ropes,
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I showed the new student (the mom) how to lie down on the floor to relax her back. I put two folded blankets under her head and a ten-pound yoga sandbag across her pelvis. After checking to be sure that her upper and lower body were in line, she rested her lower legs on a chair seat. This is an easy position that passively stretches the back muscles.
It soon became evident that this new older student (the mother of the younger, experienced student), was a quick learner and soon she was practicing Downward Facing Dog Pose with the rest of us. While teaching, I could see the daughter out of the corner of my eye practicing other poses. "You know," I finally said, "This is not going to work. Come over here and take the class with us."
We practiced a series of lying down hip openers, leg stretches and twists. Then we stood up and practiced the weight bearing Standing Poses, with the back foot against the base board, the upper hand holding the upper wall rope, and lower hand on a chair or block, to make sure that everyone moved from their "hip hinge," critical for people with osteoporosis. Standing poses are key poses for strong, healthy bones.
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About half an hour into the class, the young student suddenly exclaimed, "I'm stretching more than in my other classes. We usually move around more. Here we are holding the poses much longer!"
Aha! That explains why she had planned to observe her mom and do her own thing in the corner. She must have read the class description, "Gentle Yoga Over 60," and assumed it would be too easy. Instead, practicing the same basic poses as her mother, she said it was one of the most challenging classes she had ever taken.
Yoga for Healthy Bones
One of my teachers, Ramanand Patel, assists a student in his 70's, in Handstands(Full-Arm Balance)
The challenge as we grow older is to exercise in a way that does not contribute to bone fractures or have a negative effect on our joints. The usual forms of weight-bearing high-impact exercise, such as jogging and various other sports, are known to stimulate the cells that build bone. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, such forms of movement often contribute to joint destruction that can result in hip and knee replacements.
Recent studies report that yoga improves the actual congruence of joints, undoing (reversing) the wear and tear that is responsible for osteoarthritis. Non impact, non weight-bearing exercise, such as swimming, won't wear out your joints, but it won't strengthen your bones, either. The good news is that a balanced yoga practice can give you all the positive benefits of weight-bearing exercise without negative wear and tear on the joints!
Yoga is the ideal exercise prescription for prevention of osteoporosis, for those already at risk, and for bone regeneration. The 206 bones in the human body are living, breathing, changing tissue that requires a steady supply of blood and nutrients and a flow of energy or prana. Yoga postures, besides providing a superior form of weight-bearing exercise that stimulates bones to retain calcium, also help stimulate and distribute the flow of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints between the bones. Jogging, dancing, weight lifting, racquet sports and other forms of exercise, while strengthening bones, may cause further imbalance in the muscular system. Conversely, yoga postures balance the muscular system while bones are strengthened. When the muscular system is balanced, the skeletal system is brought back into alignment, reducing the risk of wear-and-tear conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Ten Reasons Why Yoga Builds Better Bone Strength at Any Age
1. In yoga, weight is borne through the entire body. In weight-bearing standing poses, [0] inverted poses and partially-inverted poses like Downward Facing-Dog Pose, [0] active backbends, and various arm balances, weight is systematically applied to the bones in the hands, wrists, arms, upper body, neck and head, and feet and legs.
2. Because yoga postures are learned gradually, the weight applied to the bones increases safely and incrementally, as the student becomes stronger and can hold postures for longer periods.
3. While building strength, yoga poses simultaneously promote mobility in the hips and shoulders, remove stiffness in the joints, and bring flexibility to the whole body.
4. Standing poses and other poses that require one to strongly engage the bones and muscles of the legs affect the pelvis and spine. This increases circulation and benefits the health of the whole body.
5. Yoga prevents and can even reverse the most visible and obvious symptom of osteoporosis and aging: the rounding of the spine. Yoga poses encourage concavity of the spine, rather than a convex humped shape. Decreased height is not always the result of bone loss. Years of poor posture and lack of stretching can also make us shorter than we once were. Some height loss results from the shrinking of spaces between vertebral disks, even when bone density is good. Yoga helps keep the space between the vertebrae open, plump and supple.
6. Weight bearing through the arms and upper spine in poses such as Downward-Facing Dog and Handstands and other weight-bearing inversions keep the upper spine strong. Yoga's upper-body weight-bearing poses are particularly beneficial in preventing the hairline fractures in the vertebrae that result in the upper-back curvature common in older people.
7. While other weight-bearing exercises tighten the body and wear out the joints, yoga increases flexibility and "lubricates" the joints by giving them an internal massage.
8. Seated postures help keep our hip joints healthy as they require a wide range of movements that increase mobility.
9. Yoga postures also have a balancing effect on the endocrine glands, which contributes to the formation of strong, healthy bones. Restorative yoga poses such as Supported Legs Up the Wall Pose replenish the adrenal glands, thus reducing stress levels and inhibiting excess calcium secretion. Supported backbends—which can be as mild as restorative poses, such as lying over a bolster, or more intense, such as using a chair or backbender as support — promote deep relaxation and restore the health of the endocrine system.
10. Yoga improves balance and coordination, helping to prevent falls. Agility and flexibility derived from a range of movement , help us to maintain our balance and avoid falls.
Next: Safe Yoga for people with osteoporosis.
Photo Credit: Jim Jacobs
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Comments (18)
Hi Suza, do you offer a class for those under 40, too? I'd love to come to a class. I'm more of a Pilates gal, but I'm willing to give yoga another try.
Comment #1 Posted by: Lisa Snider | February 20, 2008 03:00 PM
"Recent studies report that yoga improves the actual congruence of joints, undoing (reversing) the wear and tear that is responsible for osteoarthritis"
I'm sorry, Suza.
"Congruence" is a word that just isn't used in this context.
At least I have never heard it used.
And as far as "undoing (reversing) the wear and tear that is responsible for osteoarthritis", in a word
IMPOSSIBLE.
Well I guess you could "parse" the phrase and say that you could "stop" the "wear and tear" (you know, like Savasana), but as far as undoing the anatomic changes of osteoarthritis, it simply doesn't happen.
Except perhaps in the magical kingdom we call the Ojai Valley.
"Symptoms" may come and go, but the "condition" remains.
Dr. Anonimo
Comment #2 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 20, 2008 03:01 PM
Hi Lisa, All ages are welcome to come to my classes! My daughter and her friends come too (in their 20's).
Hola Dr. Anonimo, I knew you were going to give me a hard time! I did not make this stuff up. I am a consultant for research studies on yoga, as are several of the teachers I study with. After I post the photos, clear the deck, I will cite references.
And if I am mistaken, I will straighten it out!
By the way, I worked for a chiropractor for over ten years. As you know, X-rays do not tell the whole story!
Comment #3 Posted by: Suza | February 20, 2008 03:12 PM
To Dr. Anonimo (Comment #2)
Here's Part One of my reply to the items you question. (And I welcome your comments and questions. Please continue to challenge anything that does not sound right!)
A few months ago I received an advance review copy of "Yoga for Arthritis," by Loren Fishman MD. It will be available in March. This book discusses the physiological basis of treating arthritis ("joint inflammation") with yoga, and explains the two items you question in great detail.
One thing is for sure: Yoga helps distribute synovial fluid, lubricating the joints and all points of contact. Yoga moves the joints into extreme but safe positions, allowing obscure corners and crevices of each joint to be awash with lubricating, life-sustaining fluid.
(To be continued. My cats are walking across my keyboard DEMANDING to be fed! One is biting me...)
Comment #4 Posted by: Suza | February 20, 2008 05:55 PM
To Dr. Anonimo,
Here's Part Two of my reply.
Research by Gail Greendale, M.D., a gerontologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA), found that one-hour yoga sessions twice a week for 12 weeks helped participants increase their height, reduce the forward curvature of their spines, and improve their scores on physical tests that assessed a variety of everyday tasks.
A study by California State University, Los Angeles, among women age 20 to 70 showed that yoga postures significantly increased bone density in the spine. Study sponsor Steven Hawkins, assistant professor of kinesiology and nutritional science, states that doctors had previously though that only high –impact or heavy-lifting exercises could build bone mass. “For many older people, particularly those who are sedentary, such activities are contraindicated. But yoga is a very gentle form of weight-bearing exercise.”
Other pilot studies suggest that yoga improves the actual congruence of joints, undoing the “wear and tear” that causes osteoarthritis.
Preliminary studies suggest that unaccustomed tugs of the sinews and ligaments that take place when practicing yoga can not only arrest but reverse osteoporosis.
The wording in question, "yoga improves the actual congruence of joints," to the best of my knowledge, comes directly from these studies.
My most recent book, "The New Yoga for Healthy Aging" has personal stories by yoga practitioners who believe that yoga has kept their joints more open and functional than before they were diagnosed with osteo-arthritis and osteoporosis.
Comment #5 Posted by: Suza | February 20, 2008 06:26 PM
PS, El Anonimo, If you are seriously interested, Google, "yoga as a complimentary therapy for arthritis."
Here's one by a teacher whose resarch I've followed for many years:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/525187
"By broadening yoga's application beyond stress-related ailments to include preventative and curative therapies, physicians today have an advantage in treating patients' illnesses and disorders. Specifically, yoga therapy complements patients' traditional medical treatment of osteoarthritis and other bone and joint disorders. Following anatomical guidelines, yoga teachers can adapt postures (asanas) to ensure patients' organs, joints, and bones are aligned to achieve physiologic changes.
Recent studies performed by this author assessing the effect of yoga therapy on rheumatic diseases, such as osteoarthritis, and repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, showed that yoga therapy caused physiologic changes, relieved pain, and improved motion."
Time to watch the eclipse!
Comment #6 Posted by: One More From Dr. Zues | February 20, 2008 06:51 PM
I hate to sound like a prick but I (and many others) actually spent as much as $100,000 on a true medical and/or chiropractic education and some of us managed to stay awake for most of it.
"rheumatic diseases, such as osteoarthritis".
Osteoarthritis is not a rheumatic disease.
I am not going to go into a point by point correction of mistruths, half-truths, and fantastical scenarios.
Let it be said that in general I recommend Yoga all the time, hopefully done consciously (not as an athletic competition).
Above All, Do No Harm...
Comment #7 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 21, 2008 07:05 AM
Dear El Anonimo, in regards to comment #7:
You have thrown me for a loop! I wish you would explain yourself and not peeter out!!
As a writer, I have a responsibility get my facts straight. I don't want to go around perpetuating "mistruths, half-truths, and fantastical scenarios."
What should I do?
There are about 110,000 entries on the web for "Rheumatic diseases, such as osteoarthritis."
It is common to see statements like:
"Arthritis literally means joint inflammation. Arthritis is not a single disease. Arthritis refers to a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases and other conditions that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints."
Or
"There are over 100 types of arthritis, rheumatic diseases and related conditions."
And
"Information about the causes, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment options for the most common types of arthritis, rheumatic diseases and related conditions."
I appreciate your feedback and if my sources are not accurate, I will do what I can to remedy mistakes.
Comment #8 Posted by: Suza | February 21, 2008 08:01 AM
El Anonimo, since you made that jab about, "I (and many others) actually spent as much as $100,000 on a true medical and/or chiropractic education," I should mention that my quote in comment #6 came from Marian Garfinkel, EdD, Medical Researcher and Adjunct Professor, Temple University, College of Health Professions, Department of Kinesiology; Medical Researcher, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Department of Rheumatology; Veterans Administration Hospital, Department of Rheumatology; Director, BKS Iyengar Yoga Studio of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
My main teacher is a PhD., Physical Therapist and author of six books. A growing number of medical doctors are writing yoga books and teaching workshops.
Comment #9 Posted by: Suza | February 21, 2008 08:22 AM
Suze-
let me see if I can clarify.
And please remember I have not practiced for a few years so perhaps new information has slipped me by.
Perhaps a practicing "Rheumatologist" (which includes rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout and systemic lupus erythematosus among other disease processes, many of which are auto-immune) or a specialist in "Osteoarthritis" also called DJD or "Dejenerative Joint Disease" (Chiropractors actually are the specialists in these) can fill in with better information
The confusion began when several generations ago it was common to talk about "the rheumatism" when talking about pain in the joints. Since then there has been a distinction and if I remember my classes well enough there are actually 8 distinct categories of "Arthritis", with different causes and treatments.
Please don't make me dig out those musty, dusty textbooks and journals
Comment #10 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 21, 2008 08:25 AM
I won't make you dig up your musty, dusty textbooks and journals... go enjoy the day and leave me to my fate chained to the computer!
Comment #11 Posted by: Suza | February 21, 2008 08:39 AM
Suza, thank you for this and previous posts that are very informative about some basic, important yoga asanas.
My mother suffered terribly with osteo arthritis after leading a quite sedentary lifestyle.
I have osteopenia in my lower back and wrist/shoulder issues. After decades of a "off and on" yoga practice,I began a more consistent and sustainable practice in my 50's. I have noticed profound changes in my body, mind and spirit. I feel stronger, happier, more aware and focused than ever before.
And in spite of what EA says I can FEEL my bones getting stronger. Admittedly this is from a citizen of the magical kingdom...and happily so : )
Comment #12 Posted by: dianne | February 21, 2008 10:30 AM
Suze-
In regards to #9-
see if you can get Dr. Garfinkle to stand behind her comment about rheumatoid diseases such as OA...
by the way a growing number of medical doctors are selling cookies as weight loss cures:
http://www.cookiedietonline.com/
it's all business and has nothing to do with health and healing
Comment #13 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 21, 2008 11:19 AM
Ha! Ha!
And to think that this cookie doctor "actually spent as much as $100,000 on a true medical education!"
Yes, will be happy to try to connect with the Yoga Doctor in question.
Comment #14 Posted by: Suza | February 21, 2008 11:33 AM
Dear All,
I would throw in 3 things:
1 - Suza, I admire your willingness to work to communicate as clearly as possible, and to correct miscommunications!
2- The “wear and tear” is not “responsible” for osteoarthritis (OA), it is a feature of OA.
3 - The statements that reversing OA is “IMPOSSIBLE”, and that reversing the condition “simply doesn’t happen”, are interesting. Would it be more accurate to say that there is little or no evidence demonstrating the reversal of gross anatomical deformity associated with OA? It is quite obvious that yoga and other factors can, and do improve the physiologic states and the functional states associated with OA. Is that reversing OA? Do we currently have enough understanding of the complexity of the causative factors involved in OA to intelligently begin to fully reverse the process? Maybe it is just IMPOSSIBLE until we learn more.
In closing, I would echo the profound words of Dr. A, “I hate to sound like a prick but...”
Comment #15 Posted by: Kristofer Young, DC | February 21, 2008 04:07 PM
Dear Dr. Young
I look forward to your further posts be they of a scientific, mystical or colloidal nature.
After all, we are all in the MATRIX!
Comment #16 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 21, 2008 09:26 PM
My yoga practice has addressed spine curve and bone density.Anyone who has an in depth understanding and practice
can witness the amazing cluncks and clicks of
sipbone and spinal adjustment as evidence of
regenerative power of yoga.
Namaste'
Comment #17 Posted by: pete lafollette | February 22, 2008 10:58 AM
i am having physio therapy for my neck the diagnosis was cervical lordosias i practice iyenga yoga my physio therapist says i should stop yoga for a while do you agree?
Comment #18 Posted by: anne snedker | April 27, 2008 12:01 PM