Take a look at the two infrared scans of my spine and back. The colored bars indicate deviation from “normal” posture and position of the vertebrate. I took an intensive approach to test my physical limits and to see how much progress I could make toward relieving the back pain that I have been experiencing for several years now. I began practicing competitive Olympic Style Target Shooting at the age of 13. Today, I am 46 years old and the years and decades of inattention to my spine and rigorous pistol practice led to the development of back issues (and also pain symptoms) that you see in the first picture below. I am glad to share with you that I believe that I have discovered a solution. I am not a medical professional and strongly recommend that you consult with your physician before acting on any of the personal experiences I describe in this article or making drastic changes to your lifestyle based on this information. However, what I found to be of most help to me, was Bikram Yoga. From my experience, and those of fellow students, Bikram works! I find it to be a great way to stay healthy and make great progress toward healing the ailments you may be struggling with today. Recently, I met people who commute for more than 2 hours to participate in the yoga classes that I attend in Southeast Michigan. Also, I recently read that two of my favorite actors, Daniel Craig and George Clooney practice Bikram!

Most recently, I took on a 40-day yoga challenge, which I designed myself, starting on October 9th and finishing on November 17, 2010, without missing a day! You can clearly see evidence of improvement in the second picture of my back, below. I implemented a daily exercise routine of 15 minutes of foam rolling, inversion table exercise (10 minutes per day), and Migun therapy sessions (20 sessions, 35 minutes each). I complemented my routine with a diet based on waterless and greaseless cooking with Zepter Masterpiece Cookware (MyZepter.com), which my family has been using for over a decade.

How did I come up with this idea?

A few months ago, I purchased several books (listed below) about pain relief, specifically dealing with back problems. A couple of ideas that I took from them were multifidus muscle exercise, and the McKenzie method (MDT). Your chiropractor can be a great resource and source of temporary relief, but even they may not be able to resolve all of the issues permanently. The McKenzie method includes exercises that are contained within the Bikram Yoga program, based on my experience with Bikram. Robin McKenzie advocates self-treatment for most back issues, and after my experience with Bikram, I tend to agree with his advice. Multifidus muscle supports your lower back, and is found deep inside your body, surrounding the spinal area. Because of this, a chiropractor may not be able to affect this group of muscles and due to muscle memory, unless you take action on your own and design a personal exercise and lifestyle routine as I did, chiropractic may never fully solve these issues and you will have to keep coming back frequently. For lasting impact, I have listed below the components that have helped me personally make great progress in healing back pain, which can be combined to create an effective routine of self-treatment by others.

If you are experiencing back problems, I would suggest exploring the following. Again, I am not a medical professional and would advise all readers to consult with your physician first, and make sure that you are healthy enough for exercise and take full advantage of this system.

1. Bikram Yoga of Farmington Hills.
2. Migun Center of Birmingham.
3. Foam Roll - $35 at Dunham’s Sporting Goods.
4. Inversion Table by Weider Black. Purchased for $220 at Dunham’s.
5. Zepter Masterpiece Cookware and VacSy food storage system products. I have been using the Grande Set for more than a decade and am very happy with the benefits offered by these products (MyZepter.com)
6. Literature: Treat Your Own Back (Robin McKenzie), and Multifidus Back Pain Solution (Jim Johnson), both available on Amazon.com

If any questions or comments please feel free to reach out!

Ruslan Dyatlov

rdiatlov@hotmail.com

Also, I wanted to thank all of the instructors at Bikram Yoga Studio of Farmington Hills (MI) – bikramfh.com, for introducing me to the proper way to care for my health, and the joy of being able to share my discovery with others.