“Are backbends good for your spine?”

You are unique in the universe and unfortunately do not come with a manual. Extension is actually good for your spine in general. Hyperextension--back bends--depends on your flexibility and how it makes you feel. If it hurts or you notice increased pain afterwards than it may potentially be a problem. Generally speaking, anything in excess is bad. Repetitive hyperextension can sometimes lead to injury in some people.Without an evaluation and possibly an XR it's difficult to say for sure how it may affect.

They can be good and they can be bad. Certain spinal conditions need to have these NEVER be a part of your normal routine. The muscles back there are CRITICAL but how to exercise them varies depending on what specifically your spine looks like.

The short answer is it depends. A healthy spine should have no problem going through normal ranges of motion. If when you bend backward it is followed by pain, immediately stop. Everyone has a different level of flexibility. Performing backbends on a regular basis, assuming they are pain-free, can have beneficial effects on the spine. Our joints love motion and to move. The more we do it the healthier the joints become.

Regular practice of backbends is beneficial in getting rid of persistent back or neck pain
Backbends helps bring your spine back to natural bending position
Relieves from stress and anxiety
Improvement from shallow breathing
One of the benefits of doing backbends is that it helps stretch your abdominal muscles and internal organs
Gain courage, strength and trust
Gain new perspectives to life
Learn that limits are self-made
Compress and flush kidneys
Backbends are beneficial in relieving insomnia and restlessness.

It depends. If you have a straight lower spine, doing back bends will encourage extension in the low back. If you were a gymnast, contortionist, or in general, a very flexible person, back bends may induce excessive movement in some segments, producing facet joint pain. If you manage to damage a disc, flexing forward to the limit of "touch your toes", the disc damage can be worsened. Mild movements, lightweight and careful attention to form on each exercise you do are worthwhile.

It depends on your spine. A healthy spine at your age can usually handle back bends just fine but there are some things to be aware of.

If you are hypermobile (read, really good at yoga because you are basically a human pretzel) any movement into the extreme is not recommended. Your ligaments and tendons are already too stretched and you can make your joints unstable by stretching past the initial stretch point.

If you have an increased lumbar lordosis (read, low back curve to your spine) backbends can cause the curve to become even more exaggerated. Not only can that set you up for low back pain but you will compensate throughout the spine causing damage there as well.

If you have a decreased lumbar lordosis then getting into a back bend position may cause you pain and set you up for inflammation.

I teach yoga therapists at Beaumont School for Yoga Therapists and we discuss what to watch out for when their students are going into the more advance positions. Reach out to one of them to guide you through your yoga practice or reach out to me to help you determine if you have any of the three conditions above.

Yes a backbend reverses all of the activities that give us bad posture. Activities like typing on a computer, driving, using the cell phone.