Yoga Poses for Disk Herniation

Published on July 22, 2008

A herniated disc occurs when the nuclear pulposus, the inner material of the disc, pushes through a tear in the disc’s membrane, and compresses the nerve exiting the spinal cord. Ninety percent of disc herniations occur in the lower two lumbar vertebrae where the spine has the most flexibility. Symptoms of a herniated disc include: pain in back and/or leg; stiffness, numbness, weakness or tingling in leg or back; and/or shooting pain down leg.

With a posterior (backside) disc herniation, back bends will help reduce inflammation and help press the nucleus back into the disk. Spine lengthing poses will reduce the pressure on the disks and improve posture. Twists will help improve circulation of blood, fluids and energy to the effected area. Forward bends and poses that round the back are contraindicated. As the disks can rupture in different areas other than posterior, please check with your MD / PT to make sure the following poses are appropriate to your specific condition.

Click on an image or posture name for detailed instructions, contraindications and modifications.

[/ihc-hide-content]

Premium Content

Please login as a premium member to view the additional content on this page. If you are not a premium member you can upgrade your basic account or sign up for a premium membership to access this page and receive all of the benefits of supporting our site.
Please contact customer service if you are having trouble viewing premium content.

Share with

Friends

Our Latest

Yoga Articles
  • Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

    10 Tips for Harnessing the Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

  • Best Time to Meditate

    Finding the Best Time to Meditate: Tips and Advice on When to Sit

  • Purusharthas

    Purusharthas: The Four Goals of Life

  • Trimurti

    Trimurti: The Hindu Trinity of Brahma Vishnu Shiva

  • Brahman

    Brahman: Definition, Meaning, and Philosophy

  • Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra: Meaning, Benefits, Videos and Tips

  • Living Like a Yogi

    17 Rules for Living Like a Yogi

  • heart opening yoga poses

    The Best 16 Heart Opening Yoga Poses

Remove Ads with a

Premium Membership

Viewing ads supports YogaBasics, which allows us to continue bringing you quality yoga content. Sign up for a premium membership to remove all ads and enjoy uninterrupted access to the best yoga resources on the web.

Explore More

Yoga TipsAdviceArticlesPracticesBasicsTechniques

  • Tantra Yoga

    Tantra Yoga – Defined and Demystified

  • Equanimity Through mantra meditation

    7 Ways to Find Equanimity Through Yoga

  • yoga skin care tips

    7 Essential Skin Care Tips Every Yogi Should Know

  • comfortable yoga clothes

    Tips To Dress Comfortably While Practicing Yoga

  • Home Yoga Studio

    15 Tips for Creating an Amazing Home Yoga Studio

  • A yoga community

    The Importance Of Having a Practice Community

  • yogi

    What is a Yogi? And How Do You Become One?

  • Ways to Realign Your Chakras

    11 Ways to Realign Your Chakras

  • Tips to Sit Cross-Legged

    Tips to Be Comfortable Sitting in a Cross-Legged Position

One response to “Yoga Poses for Disk Herniation”

  1. asva Avatar
    asva

    Any comments concerning which yoga poses were of best help/relief for disc herniation.

    Thanks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Timothy Burgin Avatar
About the author
Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has studied and taught many styles of yoga and has completed a 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training. Timothy has been serving as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com since 2000. He has authored two yoga books and has written over 500 articles on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Timothy is also the creator of Japa Mala Beads and has been designing and importing mala beads since 2004.
Yoga Basics