Over the past three decades, as both a t’ai chi instructor and practitioner of Oriental medicine, I have encountered hundreds of students and patients suffering from low back pain. Some of these individuals were in extreme agony, their backs in spasm to such a degree that they could not stand upright, and some for whom low back pain was chronic, low grade, something they had learned to live with for years.
In working with these back pain sufferers as a teacher and healer, as well as from my own experience as a patient with a troublesome low back, I learned one thing—low back pain is not something that can be ignored—it makes every movement difficult and over time can nibble away at one’s quality of life.
The remedies for low back pain are many and varied, ranging from surgical intervention to physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and my own specialty area, acupuncture. But even with the most severe low back conditions, exercise—especially the right kind of exercise–can play a role in bringing about pain reduction and a return of function to the aching low back. Thus for many low back sufferers, t’ai chi can be an important element in helping a person get back to a normal life.
Does T’ai Chi Work For Relieving Low Back Pain?
The cause of low back pain tends to fall into two categories—trauma and degeneration. The trauma category is quite clear—through accident or injury, the back and its surrounding tissues are injured. I have seen many low backs that have incurred damage in traffic accidents, trauma on the playing field, and overexertion in the gym or the garden.
Regardless of the traumatic event, the spinal vertebrae, discs, and musculature can all be affected, and damage to them can lead to a weakened back that is no longer able to support the body or allow painless freedom of movement.
The second category is more perplexing and troublesome. Through illness, lifestyle, or age, the structures of the back degenerate, leading to chronic pain and debilitation. These sufferers can rarely point to a single event that led to their back pain—one day, their back began to hurt and refused to relent.
As an exercise and a treatment, t’ai chi can help those whose back pain falls into either category. In those that have suffered trauma, the gentle motion and relaxation of the t’ai chi movements can bring blood and other healing fluids to the pain site, helping to relieve inflammation and regenerate the tissues that were damaged.
In those who have a chronic condition, t’ai chi can help strengthen the structures that have degenerated, and restore normal function. T'ai chi helps both types of sufferers because, if performed slowly and correctly, over time, it enables the body to repair itself.
Sign Up for T’ai Chi Classes Near Fort Collins
If you suffer from low back pain and are curious if t’ai chi can help, I’d love to see at one of the many in-person t’ai chi and Ruler Tai Chi™ classes I teach in Greeley, Colorado. Head to my Courses page to see what’s on the schedule.
Will T’ai Chi Help Everyone With Low Back Pain?
While I have seen many low back pain sufferers achieve miraculous results from their practice of t’ai chi, it is by no means a panacea. Depending upon the degree of injury, many trauma sufferers receive only a modicum of pain relief from performing t’ai chi—their injuries are just too severe. I remember several t’ai chi students who had had steel rods surgically affixed to their spines in the hope of buttressing their badly-damaged backs, only to find that the rods themselves had become a source of pain. Similarly, I have had several t’ai chi students who were suffering from the ravages of bone cancer, which over the course of their illness had disintegrated their vertebrae. In their cases t’ai chi did little to relieve their physical pain—it did not cure their cancer or replace the diseased bone.
But even those who received little pain relief from their t’ai chi exercises due to the severity of their injuries or disease, did receive some benefit. The quiet, focused environment of class with people whose company they genuinely enjoyed improved their emotional well-being and brought peace and calm into their lives, despite their ongoing pain.
Is Doing T’ai Chi Worth The Effort For Relieving Low Back Pain?
While many low back pain sufferers achieve relief through the practice of t’ai chi, it is not the perfect exercise for alleviating all forms of low back pain. But given its benign and health-giving nature, as well as its potential for bringing emotional wellbeing to those who are suffering, it is an exercise that low back pain sufferers should consider when searching for relief from their affliction.
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