What’s This Research About?
Due to yoga’s tremendous growth in popularity over the past years, more and more
people are turning to yoga as a complementary alternative medicine treatment (CAM).
In 2007, yoga was the 7th most commonly used CAM therapy. One of the main reasons
people use CAM therapies is for musculoskeletal pain, particularly low back pain.
However, how effective yoga is as a treatment is unclear.
Previously, literature reviews on yoga and chronic low back pain have been limited
in relevancy, have been of poor methodological quality, or have lacked acceptable
adherence to the intervention. This current review examines randomized control
trials, compares yoga to traditional exercise programs, and reviews how the findings
relate to disability and pain.
This study aims to:
- Review current literature supporting the efficacy of yoga for chronic low back pain.
- Examine high quality evidence on whether yoga is effective as a treatment
for low back pain.
TITLE: Yoga as a treatment for chronic low back pain: a systematic review of the literature
PUBLICATION: Journal of Orthopedic Rheumatology
DATE: January 2016
AUTHORS : Douglas G. Chang, Jacquelyn A. Holt, Marisa Sklar, and Erik J. Groessi
- 25% of US adults report low back pain lasting longer than a day
within the last three months - The majority of individuals with low back pain recover within
4-8 weeks - As many as 33% report moderate pain a year later
- 20% of individuals with chronic low back pain suffer from
depression, compared to 6% for pain-free individuals - In 2007, yoga was the 7th most commonly used complementary
alternative medicine (CAM) treatment
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