Muslims and back ache

[Dilbertian]

My back has seized up and I've spent the day alternating between lying on a heat pad and moving around trying to mobilise. And it got me wondering... are practicing Muslims who pray five times a day more or less prone to back problems? Do the movements of prayer help?

@CommanderBurnham

Ok so I might get deleted for saying this but I myself wonder if Muslims who observe Ramadan have lesser incidence of type II diabetes as they do long fasts for a whole month. I'm Asian and don't fast like that and we have a high incidence of diabetes in our family/wider community.

The benefits of mindfulness and peace that must come from praying so often must have great health benefits too.

received wisdom says no diabetesvoice.org/en/caring-for-diabetes/can-i-fast-with-diabetes-during-ramadan/

Try those stick on heat packs. They are amazing. I use for 2-3 days at a time Nd they always sort me out.

It must genuinely be good for the back, knees etc. At least for people' flexibility, as they're getting up off the ground at the end and so on.

I have no idea but it's an interesting question op

@Musmerian

This is the most ridiculous thread - ffs. And it’s practising with an S.

Why is it ridiculous? Is Mumsnet not for Muslims as well then?

What is wrong with people?

It’s an interesting question OP but a quick Google would have given you quite a few answers...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/islamic-prayer-ritual-muslim-reduce-back-pain-joint-elasticity-health-body-study-a7618776.html%3famp

spinalnewsinternational.com/muslim-prayer-habits-can-reduce-lower-back-pain/

Oohh, the Daily Mail even...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4298164/amp/Islamic-prayer-ritual-reduces-pain-study-reveals.html

aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/science-muslim-issues/prayer-movements-reduce-back-pain/

Just a few of the many articles written about this very thing 👍🏻

It doesn’t look that different to some yoga positions although I could be wrong.

@CommanderBurnham Muslims also have a higher risk of diabetes, it's just one of those things of being predominantly Asian, and also their BMI is riskier at 2.5 BMI points lower than Caucasian people. Consuming ghee doesn't help Asian risk of obesity (and hence diabetes) and cardiac health etc. That is one thing that's good to cut out.

I have a reputable nutrition qualification and fasting isn't good. Especially as Ramadan includes not drinking water. I know people with some health conditions don't have to fast, but it isn't ideal for anyone.

This link might answer your question

It was not a totally random thought as it occurs to me every time my back flares up. When my back is merely niggling I do child pose to ease it, but when it flares badly I cannot even do that. That's when I start wondering about the effects of regular salat.

I do understand that salat is not about physical exercise. I hope nobody is thinking that I am reducing it to a set of movements. Prayer is a spiritual experience.

[quote me4real]@CommanderBurnham Muslims also have a higher risk of diabetes, it's just one of those things of being predominantly Asian, and also their BMI is riskier at 2.5 BMI points lower than Caucasian people. Consuming ghee doesn't help Asian risk of obesity (and hence diabetes) and cardiac health etc. That is one thing that's good to cut out.

I have a reputable nutrition qualification and fasting isn't good. Especially as Ramadan includes not drinking water. I know people with some health conditions don't have to fast, but it isn't ideal for anyone.[/quote]
A persons religion doesn't cause them to be at higher risk of diabetes. That's such an ignorant comment to make. Muslims come from all over the world and are of any race.

Asian people can be from many backgrounds and religion, Hindu, Sikhism, Christian to name a few.

It's the ethnicity a person is that makes them more at risk. Not a religion.

Maybe you should research benefits of fasting as well.

@SunShinesBrightly

What is wrong with people?

It’s an interesting question OP but a quick Google would have given you quite a few answers...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/islamic-prayer-ritual-muslim-reduce-back-pain-joint-elasticity-health-body-study-a7618776.html%3famp

spinalnewsinternational.com/muslim-prayer-habits-can-reduce-lower-back-pain/

Oohh, the Daily Mail even...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4298164/amp/Islamic-prayer-ritual-reduces-pain-study-reveals.html

aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/science-muslim-issues/prayer-movements-reduce-back-pain/

Just a few of the many articles written about this very thing 👍🏻

see the problem with your links is that they all go back to the same piece of research that I posted the link for higher up this thread. When you google, you have to then follow the links back to the referenced research or what happens is that you find a load of articles saying the same thing, which they would, because they are all paraphrasing the same piece of research...and that piece of research, as I said, doesn't actually say that performing salat can help with back pain.....what it does say is that there are ways that people with back pain can still perform salat.

[quote me4real]@CommanderBurnham Muslims also have a higher risk of diabetes, it's just one of those things of being predominantly Asian, and also their BMI is riskier at 2.5 BMI points lower than Caucasian people. Consuming ghee doesn't help Asian risk of obesity (and hence diabetes) and cardiac health etc. That is one thing that's good to cut out.

I have a reputable nutrition qualification and fasting isn't good. Especially as Ramadan includes not drinking water. I know people with some health conditions don't have to fast, but it isn't ideal for anyone.[/quote]
Yes, because Muslims are all one big homogenous, unhealthy, ghee eating group 🙄

Fascinating yet obvious that this would be good for the spine. Five workouts a day

Idk if this is insightful or not but Mass is awful for my arthritic joints so I pray laying down at night. Hopefully the Lord understands my physical limitations but you have piqued my curiosity and now I need to have this conversation with my Islamic friends.

Going off topic a bit, but any movement must be good. I enjoyed listening to this the other day:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011405

@tunainatin

Hmmm, we'll I'm Muslim and I don't have any back problems so there's your scientific evidence 😁

I'm not Muslim and I have awful back problems. Op must be right after all

Interesting question OP. It does make sense that getting up and down for praying, and if the movements themselves are done in a way that is good for posture, flexibility, stretching etc it can help a person keep active which will reduce the chances of musculoskeletal aches and pains in a similar way to the benefits of pilates or yoga. It makes the body stronger and more resiliant compared to a less active person.

Probably also helped if you also eat while sitting on the floor, which is common in some Muslim households, thus adding to your daily getting up and down, while you are able. And of course you are allowed a chair if you have back or other problems preventing you from doing this.

[quote me4real]@CommanderBurnham Muslims also have a higher risk of diabetes, it's just one of those things of being predominantly Asian, and also their BMI is riskier at 2.5 BMI points lower than Caucasian people. Consuming ghee doesn't help Asian risk of obesity (and hence diabetes) and cardiac health etc. That is one thing that's good to cut out.

I have a reputable nutrition qualification and fasting isn't good. Especially as Ramadan includes not drinking water. I know people with some health conditions don't have to fast, but it isn't ideal for anyone.[/quote]

1. Ghee is eaten primarily in India because butter goes off easily and is more expensive than oil. The science coming out of India is that people who eat ghee regularly are less likely to have cardiac risk factors - this is because they’re either richer and have better healthcare, or they are poor but only eat once a day. Ghee is an indicatator of a healthy diet over there. Same in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Nothing to do with being Muslim or not.

1. Health facts suggest fasting is healthy for everyone. Again facts out of India suggest people who do ‘no food or water’ fasts like ramadhan and some Hindu fasts from childhood are less likely to have or develop diabetes.

1. Muslims in China (Ughyur and other tribes) are the only Chinese ethnic groups that don’t have as high a childhood cancer risk.

@Ozanj
have you got research links to those statements please? I'd be intersted to see them

[quote godmum56]@Ozanj
have you got research links to those statements please? I'd be intersted to see them[/quote]
This is about ghee. There is a huge distinction between ghee and clarified butter. If something is called clarified butter it’s not ghee. Ghee can only be created by melting at very very low temperatures. In the UK you can’t buy proper shop bought ghee which is why people who want it either make it themselves or import it. In India proper ghee is available but expensive.

This is the Time Article that explains the key arguments

time.com/5571810/is-ghee-healthy/

This is about fasting. No food fasts where you eat during a time window (Ramadhan) or one meal (most Hindu fasts) are an example of intermittant fasting. Facts around the benefits on this link. A lot of the recent research on this is coming out of India as doctors there like to use it along with keto diets to control diabetes.

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

I’m a muslim, I don’t understand why the thread has got a lot of posters backs up (it’s certainly not the most ridiculous thread on here either).

Thanks @Ozanj , I was referring to the fasting element. Not sure what ghee has to do with it.

Stop the heat after it will make it worse. It draws blood to the affected area. Ice it for you to 20 minutes every hour.