Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

DEFINITION: Narrowing of the canal the nerve rootlets pass through within the lumbar section of the vertebral column. BENEFICIAL POSES: Dandasana, Balasana, Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana, Paschimottanasana. EXPLANATION: Forward bending stretches the ligamentum flavum, a structure at the back of the spinal canal that frequently swells and buckles, causing the symptoms and signs of spinal stenosis. By stretching that ligament, these poses thin it, as you would thin a rubber band by stretching it, and also promote its flexibility, so it will not buckle as much. REFERENCE: Chou R1, Qaseem A, Snow V, Casey D, Cross JT Jr, Shekelle P, Owens DK; Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians; American College of Physicians; American Pain Society Low Back Pain Guidelines Panel. Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Oct 2;147(7):478-91.