Yoga Is More Effective Than Exercise For Back Pain

[Guest guest]

Source: Group Health ative Center for Health Studies

Date: 2006-01-03

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060102123733.htm

Yoga Is More Effective Than Conventional Exercise For Back Pain,

Group Health Study Finds

Yoga appears to be more effective for low back pain than

conventional exercise or getting a self-care book about the

condition, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by

researchers at Group Health ative's Center for Health Studies

and published in the December 20 issue of ls of Internal

Medicine.

The study involved 101 adults with low back pain who were randomly

assigned to one of three groups.

One group attended 12 weekly, 75-minute classes to learn yoga and

practiced at home.

A second group attended 12 weekly, 75-minute sessions of aerobic,

strengthening, and stretching exercise, plus home practice.

A third group received a self-care book on back pain.

After 12 weeks, the patients in the yoga group were better able to

do daily activities involving the back than were the patients in the

exercise or education groups. After 26 weeks, the patients in the

yoga group had better back-related function and less pain. Also,

fewer people in the yoga group used pain relievers.

" Most people have experienced back pain at some point in their

lives, " explained Sherman, PhD, a Group Health researcher and

the lead author of the study. " Sometimes the pain goes away in a few

days, but sometimes it lasts for weeks. And unfortunately, the

treatments offered by modern Western medicine are only modestly

effective. "

Current treatments for low back pain include pain relievers--such as

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), painkillers, and

muscle relaxants--and exercise.

" Although exercise is one of the few proven treatments for chronic

low back pain, its effects are often small and we haven't known

whether one form is better than another, " Sherman added. " So we

designed a study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a

gentle program of yoga for people with this condition. "

While it's estimated that about one million people currently

practice some form of yoga for relief of back pain, questions about

yoga's value for this condition have persisted. Sherman's study,

which is the largest randomized controlled trial to date, helps to

prove its effectiveness.

The yoga students in Sherman's study learned 17 poses from viniyoga,

a style that's easy to learn and typically allows poses to be

adapted for use by various body types.

People interested in learning yoga for relief of low back pain

should choose an instructor who is experienced working with students

who have this condition, Sherman recommended.

###

Her study was funded by a grant from the National Center for

Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is part of the

National Institutes of Health. Other researchers on the study were

Group Health's C. Cherkin, PhD; Janet Erro, RN; and

Miglioretti, PhD; and University of Washington Professor of Medicine

A. Deyo.

About Group Health ative's Center for Health Studies

Group Health is a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system

that coordinates care and coverage. Based in Seattle, Group Health

and its subsidiary health carriers, Group Health Options, Inc. and

KPS Health Plans, serve more than 590,000 members in Washington and

Idaho. Group Health's Center for Health Studies conducts research

related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of major health

problems. The Center for Health Studies, funded primarily through

government and private research grants, is the lead site for the

Cancer Research Network.