Originally published January 24 2006
Yoga may be the best answer for people suffering from lower back pain
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A small study led by Dr. Karen J. Sherman has concluded that gentle yoga classes are a more effective treatment than general exercise for people suffering from lower back pain.
People plagued by chronic lower backaches may find some relief in yoga class, researchers reported Monday.
Their study of 101 adults with persistent low back pain found that a gentle yoga class seemed to be a better alternative to either general exercise or a self-help book.
Though people in the exercise class eventually improved to a similar degree as their yoga-practicing counterparts, yoga class brought quicker results.
Sherman, a researcher at the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, and her colleagues report the findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week.
It's estimated that 14 million Americans practice yoga, often as a way to treat chronic aches and pains.
But, in the Western medical literature at least, there have been no published studies on the effects of yoga on chronic back pain, Sherman said.
To look at the question, she and her colleagues randomly assigned 101 adults to take either 12 weeks of yoga class or 12 weeks of a standard therapeutic exercise class, or to follow the advice of a self-care book.
The yoga class was conducted in what's known as the viniyoga style, which goes by the philosophy that poses should be adapted to the individual's needs.
The instructor was experienced in therapeutic yoga, and the class was limited to basic poses that would not put too much strain on the back, Sherman explained.
She pointed to one difference between the yoga practitioners and other two groups that remained over the long haul: At the last evaluation, the yogis were using less than half the amount of pain medication their peers were.
Why this is, and why yoga showed a quicker benefit for low back pain, is an open question.
But Sherman speculated that yoga's "mind and body effects" are at work.
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