1 2562 165 YOGA FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. UNLABELLED: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IYENGAR YOGA IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN BY MEANS OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. SEVENTY-SEVEN PATIENTS (AGED 47.9 +/- 7.9, 67 FEMALE) WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN WHO SCORED >40 MM ON A 100-MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 9-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM WITH WEEKLY 90-MINUTE CLASSES (N = 38) OR TO A SELF-CARE/EXERCISE PROGRAM (N = 38). PATIENTS WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 4 AND 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS CHANGE OF MEAN PAIN AT REST (VAS) FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED PAIN AT MOTION, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. TWELVE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 11 PATIENTS IN THE SELF-CARE/EXERCISE GROUP WERE LOST TO FOLLOW-UP, WITH HIGHER STUDY NONADHERENCE IN THE SELF-CARE GROUP (5 VERSUS 10 PATIENTS). MEAN PAIN AT REST WAS REDUCED FROM 44.3 +/- 20.1 TO 13.0 +/- 11.6 AT WEEK 10 BY YOGA AND FROM 41.9 +/- 21.9 TO 34.4 +/- 21.1 BY SELF-CARE/EXERCISE (GROUP DIFFERENCE: -20.1, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: -30.0, -10.1; P < .001). PAIN AT MOTION WAS REDUCED FROM 53.4 +/- 18.5 TO 22.4 +/- 18.7 AT WEEK 10 BY YOGA AND FROM 49.4 +/- 22.8 TO 39.9 +/- 21.5 BY SELF-CARE/EXERCISE (GROUP DIFFERENCE: -18.7, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: -29.3, -8.1; P < .001). SIGNIFICANT TREATMENT EFFECTS OF YOGA WERE ALSO FOUND FOR PAIN-RELATED APPREHENSION, DISABILITY, QOL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. SENSITIVITY ANALYSES SUGGESTED MINIMAL INFLUENCE OF DROPOUT RATES. BOTH PROGRAMS WERE WELL TOLERATED. IN THIS PRELIMINARY TRIAL, YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN WITH POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND QOL. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN SHOULD BE FURTHER TESTED BY COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES WITH LONGER OBSERVATION PERIODS. PERSPECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ON THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF A 9-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM OR SELF-CARE EXERCISE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN. YOGA LED TO SUPERIOR PAIN RELIEF AND FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND MIGHT BE A USEFUL TREATMENT OPTION FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. 2012 2 459 48 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 3 1841 52 QIGONG OR YOGA VERSUS NO INTERVENTION IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REDUCTION OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN IN OLDER ADULTS USING EITHER YOGA CLASSES OR QIGONG CLASSES COMPARED WITH NO INTERVENTION. OLDER ADULTS (65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER) WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE ENROLLED IN AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO: 1) YOGA (24 CLASSES, 45 MINUTES EACH, DURING 3 MONTHS), 2) QIGONG (12 CLASSES, 90 MINUTES EACH, DURING 3 MONTHS), OR 3) A CONTROL GROUP WHO RECEIVED NO ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION. THE PAIN INTENSITY ITEM OF THE FUNCTIONAL RATING INDEX AFTER 3 MONTHS WAS USED AS PRIMARY OUTCOME PARAMETER. A TOTAL OF 176 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED (N = 61 YOGA, N = 58 QIGONG, N = 57 CONTROL; MEAN AGE 73 +/- 5.6 YEARS, 89% FEMALE). THE MEAN ADJUSTED PAIN INTENSITY AFTER 3 MONTHS WAS 1.71 FOR THE YOGA GROUP (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], 1.54-1.89), 1.67 FOR THE QIGONG GROUP (95% CI, 1.45-1.89), AND 1.89 FOR NO INTERVENTION (95% CI, 1.67-2.11). NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS LACK OF PAIN RELIEF MIGHT INCLUDE THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTIONS, INAPPROPRIATE OUTCOMES, OR DIFFERENCES IN PAIN PERCEPTION AND PROCESSING IN OLDER ADULTS. PERSPECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REDUCTION OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN IN OLDER ADULTS USING EITHER YOGA CLASSES OR QIGONG CLASSES COMPARED WITH NO INTERVENTION. THIS 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED TRIAL WITH 176 OLDER ADULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA AND QIGONG WERE NOT SUPERIOR TO NO TREATMENT IN REDUCING PAIN AND INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE. 2016 4 1870 57 RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA AND HOME-BASED EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC NECK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM WITH ONLY VERY FEW EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT OPTIONS. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR RELIEVING MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA COMPARED WITH EXERCISE ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA OR EXERCISE. THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED A 9-WEEK YOGA COURSE AND THE EXERCISE GROUP RECEIVED A SELF-CARE MANUAL ON HOME-BASED EXERCISES FOR NECK PAIN RELIEF. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE PRESENT NECK PAIN INTENSITY (100 MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (NECK DISABILITY INDEX), PAIN AT MOTION (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SHORT FORM-36 QUESTIONNAIRE), CERVICAL RANGE OF MOTION, PROPRIOCEPTIVE ACUITY, AND PRESSURE PAIN THRESHOLD. RESULTS: FIFTY-ONE PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 47.8 Y ; 82.4% FEMALE) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N=25) AND EXERCISE (N=26) INTERVENTION. AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD, PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS NECK PAIN INTENSITY COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE GROUP [MEAN DIFFERENCE: -13.9 MM (95% CI, -26.4 TO -1.4), P=0.03]. THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS DISABILITY AND BETTER MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. RANGE OF MOTION AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE ACUITY WERE IMPROVED AND THE PRESSURE PAIN THRESHOLD WAS ELEVATED IN THE YOGA GROUP. DISCUSSION: YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN THAN A HOME-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM. YOGA REDUCED NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND DISABILITY AND IMPROVED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. MOREOVER, YOGA SEEMS TO INFLUENCE THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF NECK MUSCLES, AS INDICATED BY IMPROVEMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF NECK PAIN. 2013 5 721 47 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED REASONS FOR THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN SUBJECTS WITH NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARING IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY TO AN EDUCATIONAL CONTROL GROUP. BOTH PROGRAMS WERE 16 WEEKS LONG. SUBJECTS WERE PRIMARILY SELF-REFERRED AND SCREENED BY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS FOR STUDY OF INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FOR THE STUDY WAS FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDING PRESENT PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN MEDICATION USAGE, PAIN-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND SPINAL RANGE OF MOTION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. SUBJECTS HAD LOW BACK PAIN FOR 11.2+/-1.54 YEARS AND 48% USED PAIN MEDICATION. OVERALL, SUBJECTS PRESENTED WITH LESS PAIN AND LOWER FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY THAN SUBJECTS IN OTHER PUBLISHED INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OF THE 60 SUBJECTS ENROLLED, 42 (70%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES OF OUTCOMES IN THE CATEGORIES OF MEDICAL, FUNCTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS EXISTED IN FUNCTIONAL AND MEDICAL OUTCOMES BUT NOT FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OR BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. UNIVARIATE ANALYSES OF MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES REVEALED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTENSITY (64%), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (77%) AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE (88%) IN THE YOGA GROUP AT THE POST AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THESE PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF SELF-REFERRED PERSONS WITH MILD CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WILL COMPLY TO AND REPORT IMPROVEMENT ON MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY. 2005 6 1180 50 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 7 2845 53 YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY AND STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY (YES-TRIAL) FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN: A THREE-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND EURYTHMY THERAPY COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. IN A THREE-ARMED, MULTICENTRE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE TREATED FOR 8 WEEKS IN GROUP SESSIONS (75 MINUTES ONCE PER WEEK). PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PATIENTS' PHYSICAL DISABILITY (MEASURED BY RMDQ) FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 8. SECONDARY OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE PAIN INTENSITY AND PAIN-RELATED BOTHERSOMENESS (VAS), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-12) AND LIFE SATISFACTION (BMLSS). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, AFTER THE INTERVENTION AT 8 WEEKS AND AT A 16-WEEK FOLLOW UP. DATA OF 274 PARTICIPANTS WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSES. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE GROUPS FOR THE PRIMARY AND ALL SECONDARY OUTCOMES. IN ALL GROUPS, RMDQ DECREASED COMPARABLY AT 8 WEEKS, BUT DID NOT REACH CLINICAL MEANINGFULNESS. PAIN INTENSITY AND PAIN-RELATED BOTHERSOMENESS DECREASED, WHILE QUALITY OF LIFE INCREASED IN ALL 3 GROUPS. IN EXPLORATIVE GENERAL LINEAR MODELS FOR THE SF-12'S MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EURYTHMY ARM BENEFITTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE COMPARED TO PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA. FURTHERMORE, WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS OF SF-12 MENTAL SCORE FOR YOGA AND EURYTHMY THERAPY ONLY. ALL INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTER: DRKS-ID: DRKS00004651 PERSPECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A MULTICENTRE THREE-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ON THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF THREE 8-WEEK PROGRAMS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. COMPARED TO THE 'GOLD STANDARD' OF CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES, EURYTHMY THERAPY AND YOGA THERAPY LEAD TO COMPARABLE SYMPTOMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THE WITHIN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES WERE SMALL TO MODERATE AND DID NOT REACH CLINICAL MEANINGFULNESS ON PATIENTS' PHYSICAL DISABILITY (RMDQ). 2021 8 1242 49 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 9 1585 43 MEDICAL YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE MEDICAL YOGA TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS PERFORMED AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE IN SWEDEN FROM MARCH TO JUNE, 2011. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO A CONTROL GROUP RECEIVING STANDARD CARE OR A YOGA GROUP TREATED WITH MEDICAL YOGA FOR 1 HOUR, ONCE A WEEK, OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD IN ADDITION TO THE STANDARD CARE. A TOTAL OF 37 MEN AND WOMEN, MEAN AGE OF 53 +/- 12 YEARS WERE INCLUDED. GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (MEASURED USING PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)), BURNOUT (SHIROM-MELAMED BURNOUT QUESTIONNAIRE (SMBQ)), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)), INSOMNIA SEVERITY (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI)), PAIN (VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS)), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (EURO QUALITY OF LIFE VAS (EQ-VAS)) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON MEASURES OF GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (P < 0.000), ANXIETY (P < 0.019), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (P < 0.018) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. TREATMENT WITH MEDICAL YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING LEVELS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. 2013 10 428 41 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 11 2187 54 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020 12 2603 38 YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN IN A COMMUNITY-BASED SETTING: A FEASIBILITY AND PILOT RCT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS FEASIBILITY PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS BENEFITS OF 8 WEEKS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS AND WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR USUAL CARE. YOGA WAS OFFERED TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. WE ASSESSED FEASIBILITY AND THE BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY (BPI) WAS THE PRIMARY OUTCOME, ASSESSING PAIN-SEVERITY AND PAIN INTERFERENCE ON DAILY ACTIVITIES. EIGHTY-THREE PEOPLE WERE RECRUITED; 67 PEOPLE COMPLETED THE STUDY AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSES. AVERAGE AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 50.78 +/- 10.43 YEARS AND MOST PARTICIPANTS HAD PAIN >10 YEARS. THE INTERVENTION APPEARED FEASIBLE AND THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < .05) IN MULTIPLE MEASURES FOR THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING A DECREASE IN BPI INTERFERENCE SCORES FROM 7.15 +/- 1.70 TO 6.14 +/- 2.21 (P = .007). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN BODY RESPONSIVENESS AND PAIN MANAGEMENT SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS AT 8 WEEKS. IT APPEARS THAT YOGA WAS FEASIBLE AND POSITIVELY INFLUENCED MULTIPLE OUTCOME MEASURES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. 2019 13 1267 39 FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR FIBROMYALGIA: RESULTS AT 3 MONTHS AND REPLICATION IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP. OBJECTIVES: PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL SUGGEST THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS, AND COPING ABILITIES IN FIBROMYALGIA. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE SAME INTERVENTION'S POSTTREATMENT EFFECTS IN A WAIT-LIST GROUP AND TO TEST THE INTERVENTION'S EFFECTS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. METHODS: UNPAIRED T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA FROM A PER PROTOCOL SAMPLE OF 21 WOMEN IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT AND 18 WOMEN IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT. WITHIN-GROUP PAIRED T TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE POSTTREATMENT DATA WITH 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED (FIQR). MULTILEVEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODELS WERE ALSO USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE RATES AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT RESULTS IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP LARGELY MIRRORED RESULTS SEEN AT POSTTREATMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE IMPROVING BY 31.9% ACROSS THE 2 GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP RESULTS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS SUSTAINED MOST OF THEIR POSTTREATMENT GAINS, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE REMAINING 21.9% IMPROVED AT 3 MONTHS. YOGA PRACTICE RATES WERE GOOD, AND MORE PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE BENEFIT FOR A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA OF AWARENESS IN FIBROMYALGIA ARE REPLICABLE AND CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2012 14 556 43 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF EARLY INTERVENTIONS FOR NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY INVESTIGATING MEDICAL YOGA, EXERCISE THERAPY AND SELF-CARE ADVICE. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDICAL YOGA AS AN EARLY INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH EVIDENCE-BASED EXERCISE THERAPY AND SELF-CARE ADVICE FOR NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS. SUBJECTS: A TOTAL OF 159 PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED INTO THE MEDICAL YOGA GROUP (N = 52), THE EXERCISE THERAPY GROUP (N = 52) AND THE SELF-CARE ADVICE GROUP (N = 55). METHODS: THE HEALTH OUTCOME MEASURE EQ-5D WAS APPLIED TO MEASURE QUALITY OF LIFE DATA COMBINED WITH COST DATA COLLECTED FROM TREATMENT GROUPS FROM BASELINE TO 12 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. OUTCOME MEASURE WAS HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL). INCREMENTAL COST PER QUALITY ADJUSTED LIFE YEAR (QALY) WAS ALSO CALCULATED. COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED PRIMARILY FROM THE SOCIETAL AND EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVES. RESULTS: MEDICAL YOGA IS COST-EFFECTIVE COMPARED WITH SELF-CARE ADVICE IF AN EMPLOYER CONSIDERS THE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE HRQL OF AN EMPLOYEE WITH LOW BACK PAIN JUSTIFIES THE ADDITIONAL COST OF TREATMENT (I.E. IN THIS STUDY EUR 150). FROM A SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE, MEDICAL YOGA IS A COST-EFFECTIVE TREATMENT COMPARED WITH EXERCISE THERAPY AND SELF-CARE ADVICE IF AN ADDITIONAL QALY IS WORTH EUR 11,500. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT MEDICAL YOGA IS MORE COST-EFFECTIVE THAN ITS ALTERNATIVES. CONCLUSION: SIX WEEKS OF UNINTERRUPTED MEDICAL YOGA THERA-PY IS A COST-EFFECTIVE EARLY INTERVENTION FOR NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN, WHEN TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ADHERED TO. 2015 15 2222 53 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 16 594 39 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 17 2322 37 TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN: STUDY PROTOCOL OF A COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY ON YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. BACKGROUND: WE AIM TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, I.E., YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISE, ON CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OVER 16 WEEKS (8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, 8 WEEKS OF FOLLOW-UP), DATA OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN WILL BE ANALYZED. INTERVENTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED AS GROUP SESSIONS (75 MIN) ONCE PER WEEK. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A MANUAL FOR HOME-BASED PRACTICE AND ARE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AT THE END OF THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD, AND AT THE END OF AN 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES ARE: THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY SCORE, VISUAL ANALOG SCALES MEASURING INTENSITY OF PAIN, THE BRIEF MULTIDIMENSIONAL LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE, THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, THE INNER CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE PRACTICES QUESTIONNAIRE, THE FREIBURG MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE, THE GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY SCALE, A SELF-REGULATION QUESTIONNAIRE, THE INTERNAL COHERENCE SCALE, A PAIN DIARY (REGISTERING THE NEED OF ANALGESIC MEDICATION), AND A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE PATIENTS' EXPECTATION THAT THE INTERVENTIONS WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND HOW STRONG THIS REDUCTION MIGHT BE (2 SINGLE ITEMS), ETC. DISCUSSION: THIS LARGE MULTICENTER STUDY WILL PROVIDE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 CONTRASTING MOVEMENT-ORIENTATED TREATMENTS THAT SHARE SOME SIMILARITIES BUT DIFFER IN ESSENTIAL DETAILS: YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. IT WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT DATA ON NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS TO TREAT LOWER BACK PAIN IN A LARGE GROUP OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. 2018 18 290 41 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA V. HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PERSISTENT MAJOR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CONTINUED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. METHOD: WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (N = 63) V. HEALTH EDUCATION CLASSES (HEALTHY LIVING WORKSHOP; HLW; N = 59) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. HLW SERVED AS AN ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 10 WEEKS, WITH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSED BY BLIND RATER AT 10 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIODS, SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: AT 10 WEEKS, WE DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (B = -0.82, S.E. = 0.88, P = 0.36). HOWEVER, OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LOWER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION THAN HLW PARTICIPANTS (B = -1.38, S.E. = 0.57, P = 0.02). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, 51% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A RESPONSE (50% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS) COMPARED WITH 31% OF HLW PARTICIPANTS (ODDS RATIO = 2.31; P = 0.04). YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. 2017 19 2374 47 WHICH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RESPOND FAVORABLY TO YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK? RESPONDER ANALYSES FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: TO IDENTIFY BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS OF ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) THAT PREDICT RESPONSE (I.E., A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENT) AND/OR MODIFY TREATMENT EFFECT ACROSS THREE NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS. DESIGN: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY NET HOSPITAL AND SEVEN FEDERALLY QUALIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. SUBJECTS: ADULTS WITH CLBP (N = 299). METHODS: WE REPORT PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS THAT WERE PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE AND/OR MODIFIED TREATMENT EFFECT ACROSS THREE 12-WEEK TREATMENTS: YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY [PT], AND A SELF-CARE BOOK. USING PRESELECTED CHARACTERISTICS, WE USED LOGISTIC REGRESSION TO IDENTIFY PREDICTORS OF "RESPONSE," DEFINED AS A >/=30% IMPROVEMENT IN THE ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE. THEN, USING "RESPONSE" AS OUR OUTCOME, WE IDENTIFIED BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS THAT WERE TREATMENT EFFECT MODIFIERS BY TESTING FOR STATISTICAL INTERACTION (P < 0.05) ACROSS TWO COMPARISONS: 1) YOGA-OR-PT VS SELF-CARE AND 2) YOGA VS PT. RESULTS: OVERALL, 39% (116/299) OF PARTICIPANTS WERE RESPONDERS, WITH MORE RESPONDERS IN THE YOGA-OR-PT GROUP (42%) THAN THE SELF-CARE (23%) GROUP. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN PROPORTION RESPONDING TO YOGA (48%) VS PT (37%, ODDS RATIO [OR] = 1.5, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL = 0.88 - 2.6). PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE INCLUDED HAVING MORE THAN A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION, A HIGHER INCOME, EMPLOYMENT, FEW DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, LOWER PERCEIVED STRESS, FEW WORK-RELATED FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEFS, HIGH PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, AND BEING A NONSMOKER. EFFECT MODIFIERS INCLUDED USE OF PAIN MEDICATION AND FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEFS RELATED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (BOTH P = 0.02 FOR INTERACTION). WHEN COMPARING YOGA OR PT WITH SELF-CARE, A GREATER PROPORTION WERE RESPONDERS AMONG THOSE USING PAIN MEDS (OR = 5.3), WHICH DIFFERED FROM THOSE NOT TAKING PAIN MEDS (OR = 0.94) AT BASELINE. WE ALSO FOUND GREATER TREATMENT RESPONSE AMONG THOSE WITH LOWER (OR = 7.0), BUT NOT HIGH (OR = 1.3), FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEFS AROUND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS REVEALED IMPORTANT SUBGROUPS FOR WHOM REFERRAL TO YOGA OR PT MAY IMPROVE CLBP OUTCOMES. 2021 20 192 46 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISES ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN AMONG NURSING POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) ADVERSELY AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN NURSING PROFESSIONALS. INTEGRATED YOGA HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON CLBP. STUDIES ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CLBP IN NURSING POPULATION ARE LACKING. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES ON QOL IN NURSES WITH CLBP. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 WOMEN NURSES FROM A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF SOUTH INDIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 31.45 +/- 3.47 YEARS) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 32.75 +/- 3.71 YEARS). YOGA GROUP WAS INTERVENED WITH INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY MODULE PRACTICES, 1 H/DAY AND 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF PHYSICAL EXERCISES FOR THE SAME DURATION. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE-BRIEF (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PAIRED-SAMPLES T-TEST AND INDEPENDENT-SAMPLES T-TEST FOR WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS, RESPECTIVELY, USING THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSIS FOR QOL REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL DOMAINS (EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN) IN BOTH GROUPS. BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS SHOWED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN. CONCLUSIONS: INTEGRATED YOGA WAS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH DOMAINS OF QOL BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISES AMONG NURSING PROFESSIONALS WITH CLBP. THERE IS A NEED TO INCORPORATE YOGA AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR NURSING PROFESSIONALS. 2018