Miracle of Yoga : A Man who broke his back yet walks again
It was a spur-of-the-moment mistake and one that nearly cost Professor John Aplin his life. While out hill-walking in the Peak District in 1996, his two young sons Daniel, then 11, and Matthew, six, got stuck on rocks above a ravine and called for help. In a panic, John attempted to climb a cliff to reach them, only to fall 30ft on to rocks.He suffered fractures to three vertebrae, a punctured lung, a broken wrist, several broken ribs, fingers and toes, and doctors feared he might never walk again.
Yet despite his horrific injuries John was out of hospital in six weeks and back at work full-time within three months.
Twelve years on and he is as fit as ever. Last year he went climbing in the Dolomites in Italy as well as running in the Great Manchester 10km Run, his first long-distance competitive race.
John, a 56-year-old professor of reproductive biomedicine at Manchester University, credits his swift recovery to a special yoga programme he devised himself and now he is hopeful his experience could soon be helping others.
The first large-scale study of yoga as a treatment for back pain was completed last December. Before his accident John was a yoga enthusiast and took a course to enable him to run classes part-time.
Those running the new trial, funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC), heard about his experiences and asked him to help lead the study. The final results will not be published until 2010.
However, if the positive early indications are right, GPs could soon be prescribing yoga classes rather than painkillers.
Half of all adults suffer back pain in any one year and more than 100million working days are lost annually in the UK because of the condition. It costs the NHS more than £1billion per year and the annual cost to the economy has been estimated at up to £20billion.
Existing treatments, including resting, osteopathy and physiotherapy, have only a limited effect.
'If I had fallen a matter of inches in either direction my injuries could have been fatal,' says John. 'The doctors said I was lucky not to have suffered any paralysis.'
While in hospital, John had to lie without moving his spine for six weeks to allow the broken bones to knit together and to prevent the risk of spinal cord damage.
He did some light physiotherapy to build up muscle strength and tone and left hospital using a walking frame.
To aid his recovery, John looked to yoga for help.
'Yoga has a long history of being used to treat back injuries,' he says.
'By holding the body in certain poses, it works by gently building muscle to support the joints.'
John approached his predicament scientifically. He began by trying out a simple yoga posture using chairs and walls as support. He gauged the effects the following day and amended his daily workout accordingly.
Little by little he progressed, gaining confidence when he reached milestones such as being able to walk up and down stairs, and riding his bike. He decided against telling his orthopaedic specialist about his DIY rehabilitation programme.
'On the whole I got it right, although sometimes I would be aware I was not ready to perform particular movements and so would leave them until I was stronger. I was elated when I was able to do something new, such as touching the floor while standing up,' says John.
'I was particularly anxious the first time I did a headstand as I knew it would weight the spine in a completely different way to normal but was relieved to find it felt OK and I had no ill effects.'
Today, John is teaching his own yoga classes and recently completed 12 weekly sessions for one of the many groups involved in the new trial. Half of more than 300 participants have attended yoga sessions while the rest have received their usual treatments.
A small study published in 2005 found back-pain sufferers who did yoga were better able to cope with daily activities, reported less pain and needed fewer painkillers.
Yoga is not currently available on the NHS. Primary care trusts are unlikely to fund it until it has been shown to be cost-effective in at least one large-scale trial.
Mike Hurley, professor of physiotherapy at King's College, London, says: 'Over the years we abuse our bodies by slouching in chairs or playing football and after a while our bodies start to growl. Yoga is an exercise in which you are stretching and re-educating muscles into recognising position and postures.
'Learning to relax encourages better circulation and reduces muscle pain. Any rehabilitation needs to stretch muscles, build up muscle strength and build up endurance. Whether it is yoga, Pilates, the Alexander technique or physiotherapy, it makes sense.'
Before, during and after the ARC study, the volunteers were asked to rate their pain and its impact on their lives. The researchers are just starting to analyse the data, but anecdotal feedback is positive.
Gayle Lea, a 50-year-old nurse from Manchester, took part in the study under John's tuition. For five years she has suffered occasional episodes in which twisting movements trigger a muscle spasm that locks her back and forces her to spend several days in bed.
She says: 'I have found the yoga, the breathing and thinking about my posture very helpful. I stand up a lot in my job and tend to get aches and pains. I do the exercises and the pain tends to ease.'
John adds: 'My hope is that we can find the evidence that will allow healthcare providers to provide yoga for the 90 to 95 per cent of back-pain sufferers for whom I believe it to be both effective and cost-effective as a treatment.'
Two pain-relieving poses
These are two poses used to ease back pain – always speak to your GP first if you have suffered problems. You need a yoga mat, a chair, a belt, a blanket, comfortable clothes and bare feet.
RECLINING BIG TOE POSE
Lie on mat, on your back with both legs raised and the soles of your feet facing the ceiling. Press up through your heels towards the ceiling and down to the floor. Lengthen the back of your neck by bringing in your chin towards the collarbone. If your neck is uncomfortable, use a folded blanket under your head.
Now bend your right knee and bring your thigh towards your torso, hugging the right thigh to your chest. Place the left foot on the floor. Place the belt across the sole of your right foot holding the strap in both hands.
Straighten your leg as much as you can by pressing your heel towards the ceiling. Shoulder should be relaxed. Extend the other leg left along the floor pressing the left heel forward.
Hold for up to three minutes.
STANDING TWIST
Put the back of a chair against the wall and stand near the wall facing the side of the chair with your feet together. Put your right foot on the chair and make sure you are steady.
Twisting from the waist put both hands flat on the wall, pressing firmly. Keep right thigh parallel to the wall and stand firmly on the left heel. Inhale to lift the chest, and exhale to twist until shoulders are parallel to the wall.
Hold for a minute then repeat on the other side.
http://www.globalhinduism.com/2012/01/miracle-of-yoga-a-man-who-broke-his-back-yet-walks-again/
Ravi
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