Fundamentals for a Healthy Spine Part 3

Bandha is a Sanskrit word that means to bind or lock. It refers to an ability to control the flow of energy or prana throughout the body. It is a practice that can be incorporated into many aspects of yoga including asana, pranayama, and meditation. The bandhas are often associated with our core strengthening muscles and indeed there is an anatomical correlation. Those who study classical yoga will argue that bandhas are not synonymous with muscle contraction, but I believe that only the most intuitive students could work on an energy level before learning how to properly recruit our deep, core muscles.

The muscles that are associated with bandhas have unique and important characteristics that distinguish them from other muscles in the body. They are often dysfunctional in those who have pain. This dysfunction may include weakness and decreased muscular endurance but it also involves poor timing and coordination with other muscles. Dysfunction can also mean too much tension or gripping of the muscles.

Uddiyana bandha or ‘abdominal lock’ is associated with the transversus abdominis (TA). Normal function of the TA is extremely important for maintaining spinal health, especially for those who are naturally flexible, who have an advanced yoga practice and for women. The TA fibers run horizontally across the abdomen and attach to the fascia of the lower back. When the fibers contract it acts like a corset, cinching in the waist and providing an increase in the intra-abdominal pressure. This pressure creates transient stiffness in the lower back, which results in more stability.

A healthy TA will automatically fire before other muscles are used, for example when lifting the arms. It also works in coordination with the lumbo-sacral multifidi muscles which are short muscles in the lower back that connect the vertebrae together and are essential for a strong, stable spine.

Several research studies have shown that the TA in those who have had back pain does not function efficiently, if at all. But the TA can be retrained and there is decreased incidence of recurring episodes of back pain if the TA’s normal activity is restored. (O'Sullivan et al., 1998) (Hides et al., 2001) Other studies have shown that the TA provides increased stability to the sacroiliac (SI) joint. (Richardson et al., 2002) This is why it is so very important for flexible women with an advanced yoga practice to be sure that the TA/uddiyana bandha is functioning properly.

In order to engage uddiyana bandha or contract TA, first find a posture in which you can comfortably hold neutral spine position (NSP). Draw the navel in gently toward the spine. Perhaps you can also sense the multifidi in the lower back contract as well. Make sure that you are still in NSP. Then make sure that you are using your diaphragm to breath. The lower ribs will move out laterally with the inhalation and move back in on the exhalation. This is TATD breath as defined by Professional Yoga Therapy. Release any unnecessary tension that may arise, perhaps in the neck, the jaw or the hands. Try to hold this pattern for 2 minutes.

As you become more efficient with engaging TA contraction in a NSP, practice it in other static postures including forward bends. Then work on it during vinyasa or flowing poses. Notice whether your tendency is to do too much or too little. Do you become floppy or rigid? Eventually your experience with bandha may shift from perceiving it as a muscle contraction to feeling how it affects the flow of your energy during practice.

Mula bandha or ‘root lock’ correlates with the muscles of the pelvic floor (PF). At its worst, pelvic floor weakness can cause incontinence and organ prolapse. It may contribute to lower back and SI joint pain. PF muscles with too much tension can cause pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain in the SI joint or the lower back. A healthy PF works synergistically with the TA. The muscles should work in unison to provide that healthy intra-abdominal pressure that protects the spine during functional tasks and difficult postures.

Although this ‘Healthy Spine’ series is focused mostly on the lumbo-sacral spine, no discussion of the bandhas would be complete without jalandhara bandha. This is the ‘throat lock’ and correlates with the deep, stabilizing muscles of the neck called longus colli and longus capitus. Collectively these are the deep cervical flexors (DCF). Like the multifidi, they connect vertebrae to vertebrae and like all of the muscles we’ve discussed so far, their dysfunction is associated with pain. Weakness or decreased endurance of these muscles may cause neck pain, shoulder pain or headaches (Jull et al., 2002).

To find jalandhara bandha or contraction of DCF, sit upright in NSP. Tuck the chin back and drop it slightly. Then imagine lifting the breastbone up toward the throat. You should feel a slight tension but not excessive rigidity. You can check if you’ve overcompensated with the bigger, more superficial muscles by placing your thumb and index finger on both sides of the trachea (windpipe) and gently sliding it side to side. If it does not slide easily, then you are overusing other muscles such as the scalenes, hyoid muscles or the platysma.

In summary, learning how to properly incorporate the bandhas into a yoga practice will greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of asana practice especially for those who are very flexible. Clients who have a history of neck or back pain, especially if it is chronic or recurrent, will likely have dysfunction of their deep, stabilizing muscles. They will need individual training to relearn how to properly recruit those stabilizing muscles. This training can be difficult due to the subtle nature of the appropriate muscle contractions and the challenges of training patients with inhibition of normal neuromuscular control. Physical Therapists are ideally suited to treat patients with such inhibitions as we often have equipment for biofeedback and we can supplement this reeducation with hands-on therapy as needed, especially if the client is currently in pain.

References

O'Sullivan, P., Twomey, L., & Allison, G. (1998). Altered Abdominal Muscle Recruitment in Patients With Chronic Back Pain Following a Specific Exercise Intervention (Research Study). Retrievd from http://www.cebp.nl/media/m984.pdf

Hides, J., Jull, G., & Richardson, C. (2001). Long-Term Effects of Specific Stabilizing Exercises for First-Episode Low Back Pain. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2001/06010/Long_Term_Effects_of_Specific_Stabilizing.4.aspx

Richardson, C., Snijders, C., Hides, J., Damen, L., Pas, M., & Storm, J. (2002). The Relation Between the Transversus Abdominis Muscles, Sacroiliac Jointn Mechanics, and Low Back Pain. Retrieved from http://www.udel.edu/PT/manal/spinecourse/LumbarEval/Tabdominis.pdf

Jull G, Trott P, Potter H, et al. (2002). A randomized controlled trial of exercise and manipulative
therapy for cervicogenic headache, 27:1835–45.

About the Author: Lisa B. Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. You can read more about the therapeutic applications of yoga on her blog, ThePragmaticYogi.com.

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