If you’ve been dealing with chronic lower back pain, you’ve probably heard the statistics. SI joint dysfunction accounts for 15 to 30% of all back pain cases. When you factor in other lumbar issues that present similarly, we’re looking at 57% of back pain sufferers who share overlapping symptoms.
Maybe you’re one of them, and maybe you’ve tried everything.
Sarah was.
For 15 years, she managed persistent back pain that started with a slip on an icy parking lot. One foot in the car, one foot out, and everything changed. What followed was a decade and a half of chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, massage, dry needling, tennis balls, heat, and ice. The works. Sarah is an extremely active person and so tried every healing modality under the sun to fix her low back pain.
She’s a massage therapist herself, practices yoga, and climbs the Alaskan mountains regularly. This wasn’t someone unfamiliar with body awareness or holistic approaches to healing.
But something wasn’t working (that is, until she tried to give yoga therapy a try!).
When Sarah came to work with me at Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy, I approached her case differently than she’d experienced before. We didn’t just focus on the pain site or try another stretching protocol.
We looked at what muscles were weak and worked on fixing those weaknesses first.
Sounds simple, right? But here’s what surprised Sarah: despite regularly hiking mountains and being quite active, specific muscle groups around her hips, glutes, and core were underdeveloped, particularly on one side.
This created instability, leading to compensation patterns in the body that result in seized muscles and chronic pain.
Her SI joint wasn’t just “out of alignment.” It lacked the muscular support to stay stable during the activities she loved.
Yoga therapy takes a more holistic view of each client. We look at MRIs and listen to what doctors have recommended, but we ask different questions and always try to get to the root cause of the imbalance.
These two things can look completely different for every individual which is why working 1:1 with an experienced yoga therapist is crucial to see the results like Sarah.
For Sarah, the protocol was straightforward. About 15 minutes of targeted strengthening exercises every day. She started every other day, which worked well initially.
Within a month, she noticed significant pain reduction. The chronic muscle pain decreased. The constant need for therapeutic intervention stopped and most importantly of all, Sarah now has the tools and practices to fix her own pain when it starts to crop up (that same day!).
She’s back to climbing mountains and hiking 13 miles. Living actively without fear of throwing her back out.
But perhaps more importantly, she’s learned to listen to her body. She understands what movements her structure can handle and how to modify exercises that might aggravate her condition. She’s developed the awareness to maintain her progress independently.
That’s the goal of yoga therapy. Not creating dependence on treatments, but empowering people to understand and care for their own bodies.
Lower back pain is pervasive. The statistics bear that out. But a large percentage of people can find meaningful relief through the right process.
Yoga therapy addresses both the physical instabilities in your system and the movement patterns that keep re-injuring you. This dual approach creates lasting change rather than temporary relief.
We’re not just treating symptoms; we’re correcting the underlying issues that allow pain to persist.
If you’ve tried everything and still struggle with chronic back pain, it might be time to look at what muscles need strengthening, not just what areas need stretching or adjusting.
Trust me, your body has the capacity to heal. Sometimes it just needs the right support and guidance.
If Sarah’s story resonates with you, consider working with a Breathing Deeply yoga therapist to fix your low back or SI joint pain. Our IAYT certified therapists specialize in creating personalized protocols that address root causes, not just symptoms, to give you real and lasting results.
If you’re interested in becoming a Yoga Therapist yourself and helping others heal from their chronic pain (and many other physical and mental conditions), find out more about our programs here.
Breathing Deeply is a Yoga Therapy and Meditation School founded by lead teacher Brandt Passalacqua in 2014. Breathing Deeply offers two levels of yoga therapy certification including the Foundations of Yoga Therapy and an IAYT Accredited Advanced Program, offering C-IAYT eligibility. With many other courses, including an annual online meditation teacher training certification, Breathing Deeply is an active and thriving community of meditators and yogis, caregivers, therapists, teachers, medical professionals, parents & children with the same intention—to serve others, lessen suffering, and co-create a new paradigm in wellness.
Brandt talks about common questions applicants have about the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program. Tune in to get the full program details.