Intense Stretching in Yoga Helps Chronic Back Pain Treatment

by

Atlas Wellness Centre

Spend Less Money on Painkiller Drugs with Yoga Stretches

A new study reveals that participants with chronic lower back pain who attended 12 weeks of yoga classes have experienced relief from back ache and reduction on intake painkiller medications. The decrease of pain continued in 3 months after the 12-week yoga weekly sessions. In a news release by a researcher and senior investigator for Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH reported that both the yoga and intensive stretching give positive results on the moderation of low back pain. Physical activities are safe options for people with mild spinal dysfunctions that may be causing chronic back pain. The stretching in yoga strengthens the muscles; thus, yoga’s benefits on back function and symptoms are generally physical. Yoga Stretching is Effective Back Pain Relief Both treatment and relief options for chronic back ache are wide and varied. In a research study with 228 participants, only 3 choices were used for each group. Group 1 used a self-care or self-help book. Group 2 performed a regular stretching exercise regimen. Group 3 attended a weekly 75-minute session. The time frame for treatment is 12 weeks for all groups but the research study concludes in 26 weeks. Viniyoga, the type of yoga used in the study, put emphasis on the legs and the torso. It also adapts and modifies the principles of yoga for each participant’s physical condition and limitation. For a total of 52 minutes stretching, 15 different stretching exercises were used with each one held for 1 minute and repeated once. The measurement of both the chronic back pain symptoms and back-related disorders like neck pain, headache, and sciatica was done 4 times during the study: Day 1, Week 6, Week 12, and Week 26. Stretching Therapies for Back Pain Management On Week 12, positive results were shown in Group 3 performing viniyoga or stretching classes. Symptoms of back pain were greatly reduced and the relief lasted 6 months in most participants. The results from Group 1 using a self-care book were not so effective. However, Group 2 doing the regular stretching exercises fared very well. In retrospect, the researchers realized that the yoga stretching exercises were a bit more similar to the regular stretching exercises regimen used in the study. Timothy S. Carey, MD, MPH (Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) provided a conclusion in his editorial that accompanied the study. He wrote that the research gave strong evidence for stretching therapies in the treatment of back pains. Exercise is good. More quality studies are needed to help guide both patients and health care providers in choosing the most appropriate physical treatments though. The intensive stretching exercises in both yoga and regular exercise program can be considered as an alternative medicine that helps chronic back pain treatment.

Dr. Peter Olsson is a leading wellness expert in the Bedfordshire area. He is an avid researcher, educator and a published writer. Visit him

here.

He holds a BSc in Neuromusculoskeletal Science and a Masters degree in Chiropractic.

Get a free ebook about back pain and its mysteries.

For wellness consultation, visit him at

Atlas Wellness Centre

in Bedford.

Article Source:

Intense Stretching in Yoga Helps Chronic Back Pain Treatment