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 The analysis of data from a dozen studies, published online by the
Cochrane Library, looked at back pain that persisted for at least
three months and had an unknown cause. A common problem, such pain
is usually treated with self-care and over-the-counter medicines.
Doctors often recommend exercise, including the stretching found in
yoga.
The research team, led by Susan Wieland of the Center for
Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of
Medicine in Baltimore, found moderately good evidence that yoga is
effective, compared to no exercise, when done for six months.
Evidence for a benefit when yoga was done for shorter or longer
periods was less convincing.
"It seems yoga is better than not doing exercise and it seems to be
effective in making small improvements in pain and small-to-moderate
improvements in function," Wieland told Reuters Health by phone.
"The jury is still out when it comes to comparing yoga with other
exercise."
Five percent of back-pain patients who tried yoga said the technique
actually made their symptoms worse. Whether other types of exercise
designed to help sore backs are just as likely to aggravate the
condition is not known.
"The risks were all mild or transient exacerbations, and that's what
you see with exercise generally," Wieland said. "No exercise is
completely safe."
There was no good evidence that adding yoga to other exercises for
10 weeks helped either, the researchers concluded.
Even when people reported back pain relief from yoga, it didn't seem
to be clinically important. The Wieland team predicted that a
15-point improvement on a 100-point scale would be enough to make a
difference in people's lives. "We found it was more like 5 points,"
Wieland said.
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Altogether, the researchers looked at data on 1,080 participants
enrolled in seven trials in the U.S., three trials in India, and two
in the UK. In each trial, the yoga lessons were specifically
designed to help back problems and were conducted by experienced and
qualified instructors. Most used Iyengar, Hatha, or Viniyoga forms
of yoga, the researchers said. One problem with the trials: the
people involved knew that treatment they were getting, which can
bias the results.
One study was financed by a yoga institution; three did not report a
funding sources.
The analysis looked at evidence published through March 2016. The
Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization
that evaluates and reviews medical research, periodically updates
its findings as new results come in. Wieland said five additional
studies that have been completed or are underway should be
incorporated into a new review in about a year.
For now, "the lesson for consumers is, if you have chronic low back
pain and you're interested in trying yoga, and your doctor agrees,
it's worth a try," she said. "But be sure you're attending a yoga
class where the yoga is designed to be helpful and safe for people
with back issues. And make sure your teacher is well trained. It
will minimize your chances of injury and maximize your chances of
seeing a benefit."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1LKZgXf Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews, online January 11, 2017.
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