Practicing Yoga Relieves Chronic Lower Back Pain

A new study has found that people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who practiced Iyengar Yoga were better at overcoming pain and depression than those who followed conventional treatments for lower back pain.

Researchers from West Virginia University (WVU; Morgantown, USA) randomized 90 subjects to yoga (43 patients) or control (47 patients) groups that received standard medical care. The study participants were recruited through self-referral and health professional referrals, according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The yoga subjects participated in 24 weeks of biweekly Iyengar yoga classes designed for CLBP. Study outcomes were assessed at 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks (six-month follow-up) after the start of the intervention, using the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, a Visual Analog Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and a pain medication-usage questionnaire.

The researchers found that significantly greater reductions in functional disability and pain intensity were observed in the yoga group when compared to the control group at 24 weeks. A significantly greater proportion of yoga subjects also reported clinical improvements at both 12 and 24 weeks. In addition, depression was significantly lower in yoga subjects. When the results were analyzed using per-protocol analysis, improvements were observed for all outcomes in the yoga group, including a greater trend for reduced pain medication usage. Although slightly less than at 24 weeks, the yoga group had statistically significant reductions in functional disability, pain intensity, and depression compared to standard medical care six-months post-intervention. The study was published online in the September 1, 2009, issue of the journal Spine.

"Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with CLBP," concluded lead author Kimberly Williams, M.D., and colleagues of department of community medicine at WVU. "There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group."

Iyengar Yoga, created by Yogacharya Sri BKS Iyengar, is a form of yoga known for its use of props, such as belts and blocks, as aids in performing asanas (postures). It is firmly based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga as expounded by Patanjali in his Yoga sutras, emphasizing the development of strength, stamina, flexibility, and balance, as well as concentration (Dharana) and meditation (Dhyana). While the goal of the postures is to create peace of mind and harmony and prepare for meditation, many people, particularly in the Western world, use Iyengar Yoga to improve physical and emotional fitness and wellbeing.

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