Yoga eases low-grade back pain

The next time your balky back acts up, maybe you should give the Warrior a try. Or the Cobra. Or perhaps the Supine Butterfly. A new study of 101 adults with chronic lower back pain compared the benefits of yoga, conventional therapeutic exercise, and the information contained in a popular back pain book. The result: Those who took weekly yoga classes for 12 weeks experienced the most increase in function and the biggest decrease in the need for pain medication. "The study suggests that for people who are looking to do something for themselves, you could clearly say that yoga is the best," said Karen Sherman, an epidemiologist and researcher with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, and the lead author of the study.  For the study, Sherman and her colleagues chose participants between 20 and 64 years of age who suffered from chronic but not serious back pain -- people who "see their primary care doctor because their back is bothering them, and they're not feeling good," she said. The researchers divided the participants, mostly women in their 40s, into three groups. One group took classes in viniyoga, a therapeutically oriented style of yoga that's relatively easy to learn and also emphasizes safety. The second group attended specifically designed therapeutic exercise classes taught by a physical therapist, which included strength and stretching exercises. The third group was given a copy of The Back Pain Helpbook and asked to read it.

The participants were interviewed four times during the 26-week study, including prior to the start the study and a follow-up at 26 weeks, to assess their ability to do daily tasks, pain level and how much pain medication they took. All three groups reported improved function. But those who took the yoga class experienced the most improvement, with 78 percent of the group improving by at least two points on a standardized measure called the Roland Disability Scale, which assesses how people can perform daily tasks, such as walking up stairs without pain or bending over to tie shoelaces. Sixty-three percent who took the exercise class reported at least a two-point improvement, while 47 percent of those who read the book reported a similar benefit, Sherman said. The yoga participants also reduced their use of pain medicine more than those in the other two groups. By the end of the 26 weeks, only 21 percent in read more