EFN

According to new research out of West Virginia University, the benefits of yoga, instead of conventional medicine to treat low back pain, are significant. The study showed that yoga is a proven “treatment” not only as a preventive measure, but also as a treatment for pain after injury has occurred.

To find a connection between yoga and reduced functional disability, pain and depression, Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., of West Virginia University in Morgantown, and colleagues conducted a study of 90 people with chronic back pain, who were randomly assigned to the yoga group or the group that received standard medical care.

There have been numerous studies on the connection between back pain and depression. The studies showed that depression and anxiety occur in as many as half of the patients with chronic back pain.

Those who were assigned to take yoga for two months experienced a 29 percent reduction in functional disability and a 42 percent reduction in pain, the researchers reported in the September 1 edition of the journal Spine. The yoga group also experienced a 45.7 percent decrease in symptoms of depression over standard therapy alone.

“Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with [chronic lower back pain],” Dr. Kimberly Williams of West Virginia University and colleagues concluded. “There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group.”

A certified Iyengar yoga instructor instructed the yoga sessions. A popular form
of yoga in the U.S., Iyengar yoga focuses good postures that promotes strength, flexibility and balance.

In the U.S., low-back pain is the largest category of medical reimbursements, with $34 billion in direct medical costs reported each year.