US Yoga Study To Date Finds Yoga Eases Back Pain:
Yoga classes were linked to better back-related function and diminished symptoms from chronic low back pain in the largest U.S. We found yoga classes more effective than a self-care book - but no more effective than stretching classes.
228 adults in six cities in western Washington state were randomly assigned to 12 weekly 75-minute classes of either yoga or stretching exercises or a comprehensive self-care book called The Back Pain Helpbook. Nine in 10 of them were primary-care patients at Group Health Cooperative. Participants in the trial typically had moderate - not severe - back pain and relatively good mental health, and most had been at least somewhat active before the trial started.
The class participants received instructional videos and were encouraged to practice at home for 20 minutes a day between their weekly classes. Interviewers who didn't know the patients' treatment assignments assessed their back-related function and pain symptoms at six weeks, 12 weeks, and six months.
Both the yoga and stretching classes emphasized the torso and legs:
- The type of yoga used in the trial, called viniyoga, adapts the principles of yoga for each individual and physical condition, with modifications for people with physical limitations.
- The stretching classes used 15 different stretching exercises, including stretches of the hamstrings and hip flexors and rotators.
