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 course, Loren Fishman, M.D., and Ellen Saltonstall, yoga therapist, offer an introduction to the vast and rich topic of yoga as therapy for preventing and relieving back pain.
Topics include:
• 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:
• 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: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions – both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), 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.
About the Teachers
Dr. Loren Fishman: In over three decades of practice, Dr. Loren Fishman has gained an international reputation as a back pain specialist, a diagnostician and a pioneer in the treatment of many disorders, including piriformis syndrome and rotator cuff tear. He has authored more than 85 academic journal articles and seven books. Over the past years, he has used yoga as therapy to successfully treat more than 90 percent of his patients with rotator cuff injuries and rotator cuff tears. Dr. Fishman studied yoga in India with BKS Iyengar, uses it in his rehabilitation practice and has written extensively about yoga as an adjunct to medical treatment, including Yoga for Osteoporosis and Yoga for Arthritis, both with co-author Ellen Saltonstall. He is currently preparing a book outlining the yoga cures he has documented, many with research backing, over the past 35 years, to be published by W.W. Norton.
Ellen Saltonstall is an E-RYT500 certified yoga instructor, movement educator and author based in New York City with over 30 years of teaching experience. Ellen’s earlier career in dance and bodywork laid the groundwork for her specialty in anatomy and therapeutics, which she teaches nationally and internationally at colleges, hospitals and yoga studios. She is known for her clarity and depth of knowledge, and her creative approach to therapeutics. In addition to the two books with Loren Fishman mentioned above, Ellen has written Kinetic Awareness; Discovering Your Bodymind and she has several other books in process.
This course qualifies for 2.5 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
