Yesterday I wrote about yoga as an exercise for preventing pulled groin muscles. Along the way, I mentioned it helps your back as well, so let’s talk about back health.
As I have mentioned, when I began yoga, one of my desires was to stop injuring groin muscles while playing hockey. What I wasn’t expecting was to stop getting back injuries. Then again, I wasn’t getting back injuries from hockey, at least, I wasn’t right up until I was.
As I have mentioned, hockey ain’t natural, and its unnaturalness leads to forces the body isn’t really designed to take. Those forces lead to injuries, especially as we age. Around 45 I was playing with my boys at the beach and my back went, “Click,” and I spent 5 days on bed rest and Robaxacet. Later, I was skating around the ice during the warmup, and my back went, “Click,” and I spent 5 days on bed rest and Robaxacet.
This didn’t happen often, only once or twice a year, but hoo boy howdy it was mighty unpleasant when it did. I needed to fix it and the fix, as you may have guessed involved yoga.
Just as practicing yoga stretched and strengthened those wretched groin muscles that like to get injured, so it stretched and strengthened those back muscles that liked to get injured. How much so? The last time I felt that “Click” in my lower back I needed an Advil, some Voltaren, a heat pack and an afternoon of bedrest. Next day, back to normal.
An unexpected, and really welcome side benefit? I rarely get cricks in my neck any more.
So, guys who-hate-to-do-yoga, I ask: Do you like to play your favourite game? Is your desire to play your favourite game greater than your dislike of yoga? What is a life free of back pain worth to you? How about improved posture?
Looking better, feeling better, recovering faster. What’s it worth?
Cross posted at Medium.com
