Yoga Benefits Back-pain Patients

	Tweet

People with chronic low-back problems who do yoga also do better at overcoming pain and depression than people treated conventionally for back pain, a West Virginia University study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows.

The three-year, $400,000 study, published in the September issue of the journal Spine, showed lifted mood, less pain and improved function in the group that did yoga postures compared with a control group who received standard medical therapy.

“The yoga group had less pain, less functional disability and less depression compared with the control group,” said Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Community Medicine. “These were statistically significant and clinically important changes that were maintained six months after the intervention.”

The 90 study subjects, who experienced mild to moderate functional disability, were randomly assigned to the yoga group or the group that received conventional medical therapy. Yoga participants took 90-minute classes twice a week for 24 weeks, doing postures targeted to relieve chronic low-back pain. Follow up continued for six months after the end of classes or therapy.

“Proponents of yoga have long described its benefits in reducing back pain,” Williams said. “But not everybody was convinced. This is a much bigger, much more rigorous evaluation than had been done before.”

The classes were taught by certified Iyengar yoga instructors. A popular form of yoga in the United States, Iyengar yoga emphasizes postures that encourage strength, flexibility and balance.

In the United States, low-back pain represents the largest category of medical reimbursements, with $34 billion in direct medical costs reported annually, Williams said.

Source:  West Virginia University Health Sciences Center

RELATED STORIES:
Practice Yoga and Ward Off Diabetes   Talk therapy reduces back pain   Herbal use common among pregnant women in U.S.   Chinese herbs hold little benefit for hepatitis C   Music therapy fails dyslexics   Yoga may help improve pregnancy outcome   Doctors overly optimistic about back surgery   Surgery Improves Outcomes for Spine Patients   Better than Botox? New York women try acupuncture   Functional Back Injuries   Acupuncture Relieves Symptoms of Fibromyalgia   Doubt cast on common back pain management

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

Lower back pain can be handled very effectively with yoga. The thing to remember is that you need to start it at a very low intensity. This is important so that you do not aggravate the pain. If your back aches more, do not stop exercising. Just do it on a lower intensity. The right yoga will strengthen your spine and make it more flexible.

posted by Paula on 09/02/2009 at 10:41 pm -08:00