Stretching and Yoga Classes Quell Chronic Back Pain
by Chrysalis De Vera in Fitness on Nov 02, 2011
According to a new U.S. study, people who have chronic lower back ailments experience eased pain and improved functioning when having weekly yoga classes and regular stretching classes.
The study looked into a number of two hundred adults who have lower back pain, and researchers found out that the participants involved in both classes has reported more progress in symptoms subsequent to three months compared to those who were only given a book of advice on how to manage and prevent the pain.
Health Research Institute’s Karen Sherman, who also led the study, stated that the study proved an option that is worth the try for patients with lower back pain.
Moreover, Sherman and colleagues explained that the discovery of stretching and yoga in easing pain and improved functioning for patients with lower back pain has about equivalent effects, meaning the two activities, possibly the stretching in yoga and not the breathing and relaxation, that helped improve the pain symptoms and functioning.
The study was conducted by dividing 228 adults who are experiencing long-lasting back pain into three groups.
The first two groups were asked to do either stretching classes for twelve weeks or weekly yoga and requested to practice all by themselves between class sessions. The classes focused more on strengthening and stretching their lower back and legs. The third group was only given a book which is related to topics about back pain, including lifestyle advice and exercise, and information on managing pains.
The study only lasted for twelve weeks. The participants went to group classes and reported notably lower scores on a questionnaire that is designed to measure how much pain obstructs with their day to day activities.
The participants who went through the 12-week program fell to about seven and those who only read the book had an average score of nine.
The yoga group reported sixty percent of people who said that there were improvements in pain, in comparison with the 46% who went stretching classes, and only sixteen percent for those who got the books.
After three months grace period, symptom improvements were almost alike in participants who had either yoga or stretching, and were better compared to the participants who had the book.
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