The combination I give most often for backs that have hurt for a long time. First a warm oil massage of the whole back, so the muscles let go. Then Kati Basti: a ring of dough on the lower back, filled with warm medicated oil that stays there for twenty minutes.
What Back Massage with Kati Basti is
You lie on your front. I work the whole back with warm oil, from the neck down to the sacrum, loosening the long muscles and the shoulders. Then I build a ring of chickpea-flour dough on the lower back and pour in warm herbal oil, keeping it warm for the rest of the session. The heat goes deep into the tissue around the spine. You feel it for days.
Where it comes from
Both parts are Ayurvedic. Oil massage of the back belongs to Abhyanga; Kati Basti (kati means waist, basti means container) is one of the classical localised oil treatments for the spine. In India it is used in series for lower back pain, sciatica and stiffness, often alongside internal medicine and rest. Oil massage and the local oil treatments are described in Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya [1].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Chronic lower back pain
- Stiffness after sitting all day
- Sciatica-type pain down the leg (tell me first)
- Tension between the shoulder blades on top of a sore lower back
- Recovery after a strain, once the acute phase is over
Reviews of massage therapy report reduced pain and better function in low back pain across many small trials [2]. I know of no trial of Kati Basti specifically; that part is classical practice and my experience. The US National Institutes of Health summarises the research on Ayurveda as a whole [3].
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Chronic lower back pain | Three to five sessions, one a week |
| A flare-up after the acute days have passed | Two sessions a few days apart, then weekly |
| Maintenance for a sensitive back | Once every four to six weeks |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
- Kati Basti alone on the weeks in between, when the back needs the oil but not the full massage
- Abhyanga once a month so the whole body gets attention, not only the back
- A foot massage; feet and lower back are close relatives in Ayurveda
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Warm food, no cold drinks or ice cream while the back is sore
- Turmeric and ginger in cooking, or as tea
- Gentle walking every day; avoid long sitting on the treatment day
- Keep the lower back covered and warm for 24 hours
Practical
70 minutes, €155. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- The first days after an acute injury
- Fever or infection
- Skin problems on the back
- Pregnancy
- A herniated disc that has not been looked at by a doctor
If a doctor is treating your back, it helps me to know what they said.
Afterwards
Rest the back that day. Rinse the oil off with warm water later; leave it on the lower back as long as you can.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Srikantha Murthy KR, translator. Vagbhata’s Astanga Hrdayam. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy; 2004. Sutrasthana, chapter 2 (Dinacharya): daily oil massage of the body, head, ears and feet.
- Field T. Massage therapy research review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;24:19-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.04.005. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ayurvedic medicine: in depth. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. [NCCIH]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.