Yoga Is Beneficial for Low Back Pain

70% to 85% of the US population experience one or more episodes of low back pain during their lifetimes, so there’s no need for me to describe its features. For the acute episode, the most accepted treatment approach these days is to take a painkiller (ibuprofen [Advil®] or acetaminophen [Tylenol®]) and try to avoid bed rest; walking is regarded as good therapy, too.  Persistent low back pain (lasting more than a few days) is harder to deal with. Yoga has become one of the more popular complementary alternative medicines, with about 15 million followers in the USA alone.

The journal Spine carries a report of an NIH-funded clinical study of Iyengar yoga therapy in people with lower back pain. Iyenga yoga, which is a form of Hatha yoga, is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. It uses "props" such as cushions, benches, blocks, and straps, which aid beginners to experience yoga positions more easily.

There were 90 participants, who were randomly allocated to the yoga group (43) or standard therapeutic exercise (47). Those in the yoga group took a 90-minute class twice a week for two months, led by senior yoga teachers approved by BKS Iyengar, who developed the system. These participants were given props, a DVD, and a manual, and asked to practice yoga for 30 minutes on days when there were no classes. All patients’ functional disability, pain, and depression were estimated with questionnaires administered at weeks 12, 24, and 48 (6-month follow-up).

There were significantly greater reductions in functional disability and pain in the yoga group, compared with the control group, at 24 weeks. A greater proportion of yoga users reported clinical improvement at weeks 12 and 24. And depression was significantly lower in the yoga subjects. The 6-month follow-up questionnaires reported significant reductions in disability, pain, and depression in those yoga subjects who had followed the study protocol i.e. this analysis excluded any drop-outs from both groups. Moreover, 68% of the yoga group were still practicing what they had learned in class.