Is Yoga effective at managing back pain?
Recent research suggests that Yoga may be as effective as physical therapy in combating back pain. The study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in June, 2017, studied more than 300 racially diverse, low-income patients suffering from chronic back pain. One group of subjects went to weekly yoga classes, another group went to weekly physical therapy and a third group received educational material on managing back pain.
Robert Saper, director of Integrative Medicine at Boston Medical Center and the lead author of the study, and his colleagues found that for the subjects in the study, participating of weekly classes designed for people with back pain helped the participants manage pain almost as much as physical therapy, and more so than education. Both the physical therapy and yoga groups used less pain medication than the control group that received educational materials about managing back pain.
So what does this mean to you?
Yoga has gained popularity throughout the United States. SportsCare Center added the practice to provide our clients with the means to safely exercise during their recovery. Our instructors assess the needs of the class and tailor classes accordingly. They will also suggest poses you can perform at home or the office that will allow you to actively participate in your recovery even when you cannot come into the office.
As Chang and Kertesz wrote, “Yoga offers some persons tangible benefit without much risk.”
Source: CNBC, “Yoga might be as good as physical therapy for lower back pain, says study.”
TIME, “Yoga works as well as physical therapy for back pain.”
