Ayurveda, Back Pain, backache, conventional treatments, alternative remedies, complementary therapies, integrative therapies, mind-body therapies

Ayurveda recommends an integrated approach to managing backache incorporating herbs, herbal oils, stretching exercises of yoga and diet to correct the underlying dosha deficiency. Most back pain can be effectively treated with these ayurvedic treatments, but a ruptured or slipped disk often requires intensive medical care.

Herbal Remedies

Yogaraj guggulu, 1 tablet 3 times a day
Kaishore guggulu 1 tablet 2 or 3 times a day.
Musta - Musta is an herb that is a muscle pain killer. Take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.
Tagara and valerian - These are muscle relaxants. Take 1/2 teaspoon of either with some warm water. It will relax your muscles and will also help induce restful sleep.

Herbal Oil Rub (Massage)

1. Rub the painful area of the back with mahanarayan oil. This is very effective for relieving the pain. Vata and pitta types should just rub the oil on the surface, while kapha types should give a deeper massage to the area for some time.

2. Apply a paste made of ginger powder mixed with sufficient water to the affected area. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, wash it off, and then rub the back with some eucalyptus oil.

Hot Herbalized Bath

Apply the mahanarayan oil on your back. Put 1/3 cup ginger powder and 1/3 cup baking soda into the hot water in your tub. Soak in the tub for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat this bath 2 or 3 times a week. This provides extra healing and muscle relaxation.

Enema

Individuals who suffer from backache often get constipated. It is often difficult to determine which came first - the backache or the constipation. Either one can induce the other. For example, the backache may be due to chronic constipation, or the spasming muscles and anxiety caused by the back pain may induce constipation. A simple enema of dashamoola tea will help in either case.
Boil 1 tablespoon of dashamoola powder in a pint of water for about 5 minutes, cool it clown, and add 1/2 cup sesame oil. When it is cool enough, use it as an enema, retaining the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes. A dashamoola-sesame oil enema is soothing to vata and will help relieve both the constipation and the pain.

Yoga Stretches

The following yoga postures may be helpful:

Camel pose Cow pose
Spinal Twist
Locust pose
Lotus pose
Forward Bend
Palm Tree pose
gentle, modified Fish pose

All these postures may be used both as a preventive measure and to help remedy back pain.
Be sure to get advice from a trained teacher. When you have a backache, you should not do any yoga postures without expert guidance. This is especially true if your pain comes from a slipped disk.

Diet and other Tips

Ayurveda suggests that backache is often due to excess vata.