Almost everyone experiences back pain at some point in life. According to current statistics from BUPA health insurance provider, each year, close to five million working days are lost due to back pain in the U.K. alone. (bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/backpain.html) In both America and the U.K. eighty percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Most people affected by back pain are between the ages of 35 and 55. In America, back pain is the cause of more lost days of work than anything but the common cold.

Simple back pain can be caused by poor posture, carrying loads that are too heavy, accidental falls, and poor sitting positions. Other sources of back pain can be related to spine abnormalities or pressure on nerves by bulging vertebral discs. Causes of severe back pain need to be evaluated by medical professions for diagnosis and treatment.

Back pain in most people is linked to the way the ligaments, bones and muscles of the back work together. It can come up suddenly or gradually, and it may come and go at different times depending on the level of activity. This simple back pain can become chronic if care is not taken to strengthen the back.

Yoga is an ideal preventative for people who have chronic or occasional back pain. It is helpful in that it provides increased flexibility, improved muscle strength, wider range of motion, improved balance and agility, and a calm mental state.

John Hopkins University Press recently published an article with evidence that shows Iyengar Yoga can ease chronic back pain. (Back Pain and Osteoporosis, Oct. 24, 2006)
Iyengar yoga features precise alignment and use of props to help those who are less flexible and or injured to achieve the correct yoga pose. Teachers are well trained. They are on a "stepladder of increasing levels of accreditation, and at every entry level certified teachers undergo a rigorous education program that includes in-depth knowledge of anatomy and physiology and demonstrated expertise in teaching."

In a randomized trial of Iyengar Yoga and back pain at John Hopkins University, sixty participants were engaged in either regular Iyengar yoga practice for sixteen weeks or they were placed in educational study groups. All sixty had experienced back pain for over eleven years, and almost half of them regularly used back pain medication. At the end of the test period and also again three months later, results showed that those who practiced Iyengar Yoga had significant reduction of pain intensity, reduction of functional disability and reduced use of pain medication.

York University in England is currently conducting studies on the value of Iyengar Yoga in reducing lower back pain.