Low Back Pain – Both Stretching and Yoga Can Bring Relief

We’ve reported before that yoga can help people with chronic low back pain.  But one of the original researchers to show this benefit wanted to see how yoga compared with to a different form of exercise – intensive stretching.  Her report has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and has produced a surprising result.

A trial done in 6 cities in western Washington State randomly assigned 228 adults with chronic low back pain to 12 weekly 75-minute classes of either yoga or stretching exercises, or reading a self-care book called The Back Pain Help Book.  Instructional videos were provided for class participants, who were encouraged to practice at home.  A standard functional scale and ‘bothersomeness of pain’ scale were administered at baseline, 6, 12, and 26 weeks.  The type of yoga used was viniyoga, which can be readily adapted for individuals with physical limitations.  There were 15 different stretching exercises used; each stretch was held for a minute and repeated once; this is more stretching than in most such classes.

After 12 and 24 weeks, yoga was significantly superior to the self-help book in terms of improved function.  However, stretching was also superior to the self-help book.  And there were no differences between the yoga and stretching groups, even after 26 weeks.   

The chief investigator, Dr Karen Sherman, had completed a smaller study of yoga in this type of patients in 2005.  She was surprised by the success of stretching in this study, particularly in helping the ‘bothersomeness’ factor and pain.  She therefore stated: “The most straightforward interpretation of our findings would be that yoga’s benefits . . . were largely physical, due to the stretching and strengthening of muscles.”  This view is echoed by an editorialist, who stated that “we physicians should refer our patients for exercise”.