Lower back pain is referred as: Katishoola in Ayurveda terminology.

Low back pain is the most common health complaint seen in all the age groups. Sometimes, it is associated with several other diseases as well, such as Anemia, Sciatica, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Haemorrhoids, Urinary calculi, Uterine disorders, Constipation etc.,

Kati refers to ‘low back’ (hip) and Shoola refers ‘pain’.
Pain is confined to lower part of the spine (back bone) especially lumbar region or Lumbo-sacral area (rarely Sacro-iliac region also). Rarely, radiating pain may be complained by the patients towards lower limbs. Often the movements of Lumbo-sacral region like flexion and rotation are hampered either partially or completely.

Pain is confined to lower part of the spine (back bone) especially lumbar region or Lumbo-sacral area (rarely Sacro-iliac region also). Rarely, radiating pain may be complained by the patients towards lower limbs. Often the movements of Lumbo-sacral region like flexion and rotation are hampered either partially or completely.

Causative factors:

There are 3 types of causes:

1)Dietary -too much dry, too spicy, cold food intake, too much fasting, regular intake of such food which create

2)Lifestyle -excessive workouts, more than once capacity weight training, too much walking, too much of sitting in one place, any trauma or accident, avoiding natural urges, day time sleeping

3)Psychological -Chinta (worry), shook (sadness), bhaya(anxiety), anger

Symptoms

• Muscle ache
• Shooting or stabbing pain
• Pain that radiates to the legs
• Limited flexibility of the low back
• Inability to stand up straight

Management through Ayurveda:

Arrest the process of degeneration and help regeneration of soft tissue management by Ayurvedic Panchakarma therapies:

–Snehana (Ayurveda hot herbal oil massages)
–Swedana (fomentation with hot pouches) i.e. kizhi e.g. podi kizhi, patra Pinda, jambeer and Navara kizhi, Kati vasti (herbal hot oil retention therapy) Kati pichu, avagaha.
-Dhara
-Shodana (snehana purvak virechana or detoxification)
– (enema with herbal oil and herbal decoctions) matra vasti, kashya vasti, ksheer vasti
–Rasayana prayog (rejuvenation treatments for prevention)
As well as dietary, lifestyle changes and internal medicines.
Dietary changes:
Avoid vaat aggravated food like potatoes, raw salads, raw sprouts. Try to incorporate ginger, turmeric, cinnamon like spices in your diet which are good pain reliever.
Lifestyle changes:
Good posters are a key in lower back pain, so learn the good posters to sit, bend and some stretching exercise and yogasana which you can practice in your daily routine.
Try to avoid excessive amount of sitting for long hours, take breaks, do some office stretching workouts to avoid stiffness of back.

Ayurveda internal medicines:

Ayurveda shaman chikitsa i. e internal medicines are a major treatment part in lower back pain.
As per the patient’s symptoms like Kati graha (stiffness in lumber region), avarana, Dipan pachana chikitsa, astikshaya chikitsa (degenerative changes treatment), sopha hara chikitsa (to reduce swelling), malanulomana, bruhana chikitsa can be given.
Medicines in form of decoctions (Kashaya), Arishta vati (tablets), lehya can be given. e.g. nagaradi lepam, rasnadi Kashaya, Abhayarishtam yograj guggulu vati etc.