Kati – means low back
Vasti – means to hold (compartment which holds)
Thus Kati vasti means a treatment in which medicated oils are poured and pooled for a fixed duration of time in a compartment or a cabin constructed over the low back area using wet flour of black gram, covering the Lumbo-sacral and Sacro-iliac joints. In simple words, Kati vasti is pain relieving oil-pooling treatment conducted for low back pain. Vasti or Basti is a term used to describe the urinary bladder in Ayurveda. Urinary bladder is a bag which holds urine for a certain amount of period till it is voided. Similarly in Kati Vasti a compartment is constructed over the low back area by using flour of black gram and the pain relieving medicated (herbal) oils are pooled in this compartment for a fixed duration of time. Therefore the procedure is called Kati Vasti.
Indication :
kati Vasti is widely used as both preventive and curative purposes. In the following the kati Vasti is used as a curative procedure.
- Stiffness in Lower back
- Sciatica
- Injury
- Degenerative diseases of spine
- Painful conditions of low back region
- Joint pain
- Lumbar Spondylosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sacroilitis
- Lumbo sacral Strain
- Disc prolapse
- Spondylolysthesis
- Ankylosing spondylitis etc..
Ø Increases the circulation in the region, as the herbal oil gets deeply absorbed into the skin, and both nourishes and strengthens the muscles and nerves
Ø Pacifies one of the primary sites of Vata, relieving pain, soreness, and tension and restoring flexibility
Ø Relieves chronic lower backaches and painful muscle spasms, stiffness, and degenerative problems