1 1720 91 PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF YOGA PRACTICE BY YOGA-NAIVE PERSONS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: UNDERSTANDING THE WAY NONEXERCISERS VIEW THE BENEFITS AND BARRIERS TO PHYSICAL EXERCISE HELPS PROMOTE PHYSICAL EXERCISE. THIS STUDY REPORTS PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF YOGA PERCEIVED BY YOGA-NAIVE PERSONS. METHODS: THE 2550 YOGA-NAIVE RESPONDENTS OF BOTH SEXES (M:F = 2162:388; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD 23.5 +/- 12.6 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN A CONVENIENCE SAMPLING IN-PERSON SURVEY CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF YOGA. RESULTS: AMONG 2550 RESPONDENTS, 97.4% BELIEVED YOGA PRACTICE HAD BENEFITS. THE THREE MOST COMMON PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF YOGA WERE IMPROVEMENT IN (I) PHYSICAL HEALTH (39.8%), (II) COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS (32.8%), AND (III) MENTAL HEALTH (20.4%). AMONG THE RESPONDENTS, 1.4% BELIEVED THAT YOGA HAD NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. THE THREE MOST COMMON PERCEIVED NEGATIVE OUTCOMES WERE (I) APPREHENSION THAT WRONG METHODS MAY BE HARMFUL (0.24%), (II) APPREHENSION THAT EXCESSIVE PRACTICE MAY HARM (0.24%), AND (III) LAZINESS (0.12%). CONCLUSION: THE MOST COMMON PERCEIVED BENEFIT OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS "IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL HEALTH," WITH "APPREHENSION THAT WRONG OR EXCESSIVE PRACTICE COULD BE HARMFUL" AS THE MOST COMMON PERCEIVED NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF YOGA. 2022 2 2562 24 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 3 2561 27 YOGA FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. DESIGN: TWELVE-MONTH FOLLOW-UP OF THE POOLED DATA OF BOTH ARMS OF A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AT AN ACADEMIC TEACHING HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: FIFTY-ONE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN (MEAN AGE 47.8 YEARS; 82.4% FEMALE). INTERVENTIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA GROUP INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: NECK PAIN INTENSITY (100-MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (NECK DISABILITY INDEX), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SHORT-FORM 36 QUESTIONNAIRE, SF-36), GENERIC DISABILITY (DAYS WITH RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES), AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT. RESULTS: FROM BASELINE TO 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, PAIN INTENSITY IMPROVED FROM 48.81 +/- 17.71 TO 32.31 +/- 20.68 (P < 0.001), NECK-RELATED DISABILITY DECREASED FROM 25.26 +/- 9.02 TO 19.49 +/- 11.52 (P = 0.001), AND BODILY PAIN IN THE SF-36 IMPROVED FROM 49.37 +/- 12.40 TO 59.26 +/- 17.57 (P = 0.005). IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY WERE PREDICTED BY WEEKLY MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 4 WEEKS (R(2) = 0.12, P = 0.028); IMPROVED NECK-RELATED DISABILITY (R(2) = 0.24, P = 0.001) AND BODILY PAIN (R(2) = 0.26, P = 0.006) WERE PREDICTED BY REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS. GENERIC DISABILITY DID NOT DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. TWENTY-FOUR PATIENTS (68.6%) RATED THEIR HEALTH AS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT IMPROVED. CONCLUSIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED PAIN AND NECK-RELATED DISABILITY FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. SUSTAINED YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS. 2013 4 518 28 COMPARING ONCE- VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITIES: A RANDOMIZED DOSING TRIAL. BACKGROUND. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN WHITE ADULTS WITH HIGH SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES AND GENERALIZABILITY TO RACIALLY DIVERSE LOW INCOME POPULATIONS ARE UNKNOWN. METHODS. WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED, PARALLEL-GROUP, DOSING TRIAL FOR 95 ADULTS RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND FIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS COMPARING ONCE-WEEKLY (N = 49) VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY (N = 46) STANDARDIZED YOGA CLASSES SUPPLEMENTED BY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS IN PAIN (11-POINT SCALE) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION (23-POINT MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE). RESULTS. 82% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE NONWHITE; 77% HAD ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOMES <$40,000. THE SAMPLE'S BASELINE MEAN PAIN INTENSITY [6.9 (SD 1.6)] AND FUNCTION [13.7 (SD 5.0)] REFLECTED MODERATE TO SEVERE BACK PAIN AND IMPAIRMENT. PAIN AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IMPROVED WITHIN BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.001). HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONCE-WEEKLY AND TWICE-WEEKLY GROUPS FOR PAIN REDUCTION [-2.1 (95% CI -2.9, -1.3) VERSUS -2.4 (95% CI -3.1, -1.8), P = 0.62] OR BACK-RELATED FUNCTION [-5.1 (95% CI -7.0, -3.2) VERSUS -4.9 (95% CI -6.5, -3.3), P = 0.83]. CONCLUSIONS. TWELVE WEEKS OF ONCE-WEEKLY OR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01761617. 2013 5 460 33 CHANGES IN PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, COPING SKILLS, AND FEAR-AVOIDANCE BELIEFS IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND EDUCATION FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: WE EVALUATED EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR COGNITIVE APPRAISAL OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE BACK TO HEALTH TRIAL, SHOWING YOGA TO BE NONINFERIOR TO PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) FOR PAIN AND FUNCTION OUTCOMES AMONG ADULTS WITH CLBP (N = 320) RECRUITED FROM PRIMARY CARE CLINICS WITH PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME PATIENTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 WEEKS OF YOGA, PT, OR EDUCATION. COGNITIVE APPRAISAL WAS ASSESSED WITH THE PAIN SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE (PSEQ), COPING STRATEGIES QUESTIONNAIRE (CSQ), AND FEAR-AVOIDANCE BELIEFS QUESTIONNAIRE (FABQ). USING MULTIPLE IMPUTATION AND LINEAR REGRESSION, WE ESTIMATED WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP CHANGES IN COGNITIVE APPRAISAL AT 12 AND 52 WEEKS, WITH BASELINE AND THE EDUCATION GROUP AS REFERENCES. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46 YEARS) WERE MAJORITY FEMALE (64%) AND MAJORITY BLACK (57%), AND 54% HAD AN ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME <$30,000. ALL THREE GROUPS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN PSEQ (RANGE 0-60) AT 12 WEEKS (YOGA, MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = 7.0, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI]: 4.9, 9.0; PT, MD = 6.9, 95% CI: 4.7 TO 9.1; AND EDUCATION, MD = 3.4, 95% CI: 0.54 TO 6.3), WITH YOGA AND PT IMPROVEMENTS BEING CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL. AT 12 WEEKS, IMPROVEMENTS IN CATASTROPHIZING (CSQ, RANGE 0-36) WERE LARGEST IN THE YOGA AND PT GROUPS (MD = -3.0, 95% CI: -4.4 TO -1.6; MD = -2.7, 95% CI: -4.2 TO -1.2, RESPECTIVELY). CHANGES IN FABQ WERE SMALL. NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED ON PSEQ, CSQ, OR FABQ AT EITHER TIME POINT. MANY OF THE CHANGES OBSERVED AT 12 WEEKS WERE SUSTAINED AT 52 WEEKS. CONCLUSION: ALL THREE INTERVENTIONS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-EFFICACY AND CATASTROPHIZING AMONG LOW-INCOME, RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH CLBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER NCT01343927. 2022 6 193 27 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA, STRETCHING, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM LACKING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. SMALL TRIALS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFITS FOR THIS CONDITION. THIS TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 228 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 WEEKLY CLASSES OF YOGA (92 PATIENTS) OR CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES (91 PATIENTS) OR A SELF-CARE BOOK (45 PATIENTS). BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED ROLAND DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A 23-POINT SCALE) AND BOTHERSOMENESS OF PAIN (AN 11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE) AT 12 WEEKS WERE THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6, 12, AND 26 WEEKS BY INTERVIEWERS UNAWARE OF TREATMENT GROUP. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, 12-WEEK OUTCOMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP WERE SUPERIOR TO THOSE FOR THE SELF-CARE GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR FUNCTION, -2.5 [95% CI, -3.7 TO -1.3]; P < .001; MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR SYMPTOMS, -1.1 [95% CI, -1.7 TO -0.4]; P < .001). AT 26 WEEKS, FUNCTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP REMAINED SUPERIOR (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [95% CI, -3.1 TO -0.5]; P < .001). YOGA WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES AT ANY TIME POINT. CONCLUSION: YOGA CLASSES WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK, BUT NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN STRETCHING CLASSES, IN IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING SYMPTOMS DUE TO CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, WITH BENEFITS LASTING AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00447668. 2011 7 2851 29 YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND BACK PAIN EDUCATION FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN LOW-INCOME RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: POOR SLEEP IS COMMON AMONG ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), BUT THE INFLUENCE OF CLBP TREATMENTS, SUCH AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT), ON SLEEP QUALITY IS UNDER STUDIED. OBJECTIVE: EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND PT FOR IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. DESIGN: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND 7 AFFILIATED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 320 ADULTS WITH CLBP. INTERVENTION: TWELVE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES, 1-ON-1 PT SESSIONS, OR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK. MAIN MEASURES: SLEEP QUALITY WAS MEASURED USING THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) GLOBAL SCORE (0-21) AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 52 WEEKS. ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO EVALUATED HOW THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS WHO ACHIEVED A CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP QUALITY (> 3-POINT REDUCTION IN PSQI) AT 12 WEEKS VARIED BY CHANGES IN PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS. KEY RESULTS: AMONG PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46.0, 64% FEMALE, 82% NON-WHITE), NEARLY ALL (92%) REPORTED POOR SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI > 5) AT BASELINE. AT 12 WEEKS, MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED AMONG THE YOGA (PSQI MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = - 1.19, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] - 1.82, - 0.55) AND PT (PSQI MD = - 0.91, 95% CI - 1.61, - 0.20) GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORTED A >/= 30% IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN OR PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS, COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO IMPROVED < 10%, WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE A SLEEP QUALITY RESPONDER AT 12 WEEKS (ODDS RATIO [OR] = 3.51, 95% CI 1.73, 7.11 AND OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.18, 3.95, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR AT 52 WEEKS. CONCLUSION: IN A SAMPLE OF ADULTS WITH CLBP, VIRTUALLY ALL WITH POOR SLEEP QUALITY PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, MODEST BUT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED WITH BOTH YOGA AND PT. IRRESPECTIVE OF TREATMENT, CLINICALLY IMPORTANT SLEEP IMPROVEMENTS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH MID-INTERVENTION PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01343927. 2020 8 190 28 A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR THE PREVENTION OF RECURRENT REFLEX VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE. AIMS: VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS) IS A COMMON CARDIOVASCULAR DYSAUTONOMIC DISORDER THAT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMICS. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE RECURRENCE OF VVS AND QOL. METHODS AND RESULTS: WE RANDOMIZED SUBJECTS WITH RECURRENT REFLEX VVS (>3 EPISODES IN THE PAST 1 YEAR) AND POSITIVE HEAD-UP TILT TEST TO GUIDELINE-DIRECTED THERAPY (GROUP 1) OR YOGA THERAPY (GROUP 2). PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 WERE ADVISED GUIDELINE-DIRECTED TREATMENT AND GROUP 2 WAS TAUGHT YOGA BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS VVS RECURRENCES AND QOL. BETWEEN JUNE 2015 AND FEBRUARY 2017, 97 HIGHLY SYMPTOMATIC VVS PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED (GROUP 1: 47 AND GROUP 2: 50). THE MEAN AGE WAS 33.1 +/- 16.6 YEARS, MALE:FEMALE OF 40:57, SYMPTOM DURATION OF 17.1 +/- 20.7 MONTHS, WITH A MEAN OF 6.4 +/- 6.1 SYNCOPE EPISODES. OVER A FOLLOW-UP OF 14.3 +/- 2.1 MONTHS GROUP 2 HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER SYNCOPE BURDEN COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (0.8 +/- 0.9 VS. 1.8 +/- 1.4, P < 0.001), 6 (1.0 +/- 1.2 VS. 3.4 +/- 3.0, P < 0.001), AND AT 12 MONTHS (1.1 +/- 0.8 VS. 3.8 +/- 3.2, P < 0.001). THE SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL SCORE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN GROUP 2 COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (31.4 +/- 7.2 VS. 64.1 +/- 11.5, P < 0.001), 6 (26.4 +/- 6.3 VS. 61.4 +/- 10.7, P < 0.001), AND 12 MONTHS (22.2 +/- 4.7 VS. 68.3 +/- 11.4, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FOR PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS, GUIDED YOGA THERAPY IS SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY IN REDUCING SYMPTOM BURDEN AND IMPROVING QOL. 2021 9 1870 27 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 10 1841 22 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 11 521 30 COMPARING YOGA, EXERCISE, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS ONLY MODESTLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A NONPROFIT, INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. PATIENTS: 101 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: 12-WEEK SESSIONS OF YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE CLASSES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED 24-POINT ROLAND DISABILITY SCALE) AND "BOTHERSOMENESS" OF PAIN (11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE). THE PRIMARY TIME POINT WAS 12 WEEKS. CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE 2.5 POINTS ON THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS SCALE AND 1.5 POINTS ON THE BOTHERSOMENESS SCALE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE DAYS OF RESTRICTED ACTIVITY, GENERAL HEALTH STATUS, AND MEDICATION USE. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK AND EXERCISE GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS (YOGA VS. BOOK: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.4 [95% CI, -5.1 TO - 1.6] [P < 0.001]; YOGA VS. EXERCISE: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [CI, -3.5 TO - 0.1] [P = 0.034]). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SYMPTOM BOTHERSOMENESS WERE FOUND BETWEEN ANY 2 GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS; AT 26 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP WITH RESPECT TO THIS MEASURE (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -2.2 [CI, -3.2 TO - 1.2]; P < 0.001). AT 26 WEEKS, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.6 [CI, -5.4 TO - 1.8]; P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THIS STUDY WERE FOLLOWED FOR ONLY 26 WEEKS AFTER RANDOMIZATION. ONLY 1 INSTRUCTOR DELIVERED EACH INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, AND THE BENEFITS PERSISTED FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. 2005 12 2040 28 THAI YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND WELL-BEING IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: COMPARE TWO 12-WEEK LOW-INTENSITY EXERCISE REGIMENS ON COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING HEALTHY YET SEDENTARY ADULTS AGED OVER 60. DESIGN: THIS STUDY USED A RANDOMISED, MULTI-ARM, CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN. METHODS: THIRTY-NINE SEDENTARY PARTICIPANTS (29 WOMEN), AGED 67.7+/-6.7 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER A 12-WEEK THAI YOGA (TY) OR TAI CHI (TC) FOR 90MIN TWICE PER WEEK, OR TELEPHONE COUNSELLING CONTROL (C). A SENIOR FITNESS TEST (CHAIR-STAND, ARM-CURL, SIT-&-REACH, BACK-SCRATCH, 8-FOOT UP-&-GO AND 6-MIN WALK) AND SHORT-FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY, CENTRE FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF DEPRESSION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SCALE FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ENJOYMENT SCALE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, SIX, 12 WEEKS, AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE REGIMEN. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS, CHAIR-STAND (MEAN DIFFERENCE, 2.69; 95% CI, 0.97-4.41; P<0.001), ARM-CURL (2.23; 95% CI, 0.06-4.52; P=0.009), SIT-&-REACH (1.25; 95% CI, 0.03-2.53; P=0.013), BACK-SCRATCH (2.00; 95% CI, 0.44-3.56; P=0.005), 8-FOOT UP-&-GO (-0.43; 95% CI, -0.85 TO 0.01; P=0.013), 6-MIN WALK (57.5; 95% CI, 20.93-94.07; P<0.001), VITALITY (13.27; 95% CI, 2.88-23.66; P=0.050) AND ENJOYMENT (7.96; 95% CI, 3.70-12.23; P=0.001) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN TY COMPARED TO C, HOWEVER NO CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN TC COMPARED TO C. TY IMPROVED IN CHAIR-STAND (2.31; 95% CI, 0.59-4.03; P=0.007), SIT-&-REACH (1.38; 95% CI, 0.10-2.66; P=0.007), 6-MIN WALK (32.31; 95% CI, -4.26-68.88; P=0.015), VITALITY (12.88; 95% CI, 2.50-23.27; P=0.040) AND ENJOYMENT (5.65; 95% CI, 1.39-9.92; P=0.010) COMPARED TO TC AFTER 12 WEEKS. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT OLDER ADULTS CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING BY ENGAGING IN LOW INTENSITY THAI YOGA EXERCISE. 2017 13 1054 21 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED/MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND/OR NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN PATIENTS. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: THREE STUDIES ON 188 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON-SPECIFIC NECK PAIN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE WERE INCLUDED. TWO STUDIES HAD OVERALL LOW RISK OF BIAS; AND ONE HAD HIGH OR UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS FOR SEVERAL DOMAINS. EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS WAS FOUND FOR NECK PAIN INTENSITY (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -1.28; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -1.18, -0.75; P < 0.001), NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (SMD = -0.97; 95% CI = -1.44, -0.50; P < 0.001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.197; P = 0.005), AND MOOD (SMD = -1.02; 95% CI = -1.38, -0.65; P < 0.001). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS AND DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN DIFFERENT INTERVENTION SUBGROUPS. IN THE TWO STUDIES THAT INCLUDED SAFETY DATA, NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN, ITS RELATED DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND MOOD SUGGESTING THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A GOOD TREATMENT OPTION. 2017 14 2845 22 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 15 2634 25 YOGA FOR TREATING LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. ABSTRACT: YOGA IS FREQUENTLY USED FOR BACK PAIN RELIEF. HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE WAS JUDGED TO BE OF ONLY LOW TO MODERATE CERTAINTY. TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN, A META-ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. THEREFORE, MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED TO MAY 26, 2020. ONLY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA WITH PASSIVE CONTROL (USUAL CARE OR WAIT LIST), OR AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, FOR PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND THAT ASSESSED PAIN INTENSITY OR PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME WERE CONSIDERED TO BE ELIGIBLE. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED DATA ON STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS AT SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. THIRTY ARTICLES ON 27 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (2702 PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL) PROVED ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW. COMPARED WITH PASSIVE CONTROL, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY (15 RCTS; MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = -0.74 POINTS ON A NUMERIC RATING SCALE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -1.04 TO -0.44; STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.37 95% CI = -0.52 TO -0.22), PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (15 RCTS; MD = -2.28; 95% CI = -3.30 TO -1.26; SMD = -0.38 95% CI = -0.55 TO -0.21), MENTAL HEALTH (7 RCTS; MD = 1.70; 95% CI = 0.20-3.20; SMD = 0.17 95% CI = 0.02-0.32), AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (9 RCTS; MD = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.00-4.70; SMD = 0.28 95% CI = 0.10-0.47). EXCEPT FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ALL EFFECTS WERE SUSTAINED LONG-TERM. COMPARED WITH AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. 2022 16 1148 21 ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN VINYASA YOGA VERSUS WALKING. BACKGROUND: WHETHER THE ENERGY COST OF VINYASA YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. PURPOSE: TO COMPARE ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING ACUTE BOUTS OF VINYASA YOGA AND 2 WALKING PROTOCOLS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (20 MALES, 18 FEMALES) PERFORMED 60-MINUTE SESSIONS OF VINYASA YOGA (YOGA), TREADMILL WALKING AT A SELF-SELECTED BRISK PACE (SELF), AND TREADMILL WALKING AT A PACE THAT MATCHED THE HEART RATE OF THE YOGA SESSION (HR-MATCH). ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS ASSESSED VIA INDIRECT CALORIMETRY. RESULTS: ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 79.5 +/- 44.3 KCAL; P < .001) AND SELF (DIFFERENCE = 51.7 +/- 62.6 KCAL; P < .001), BUT NOT IN SELF COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 27.8 +/- 72.6 KCAL; P = .054). A SIMILAR PATTERN WAS OBSERVED FOR METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (HR-MATCH = 4.7 +/- 0.8, SELF = 4.4 +/- 0.7, YOGA = 3.6 +/- 0.6; P < .001). ANALYSES USING ONLY THE INITIAL 45 MINUTES FROM EACH OF THE SESSIONS, WHICH EXCLUDED THE RESTORATIVE COMPONENT OF YOGA, SHOWED ENERGY EXPENDITURE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA COMPARED WITH HR-MATCH (DIFFERENCE = 68.0 +/- 40.1 KCAL; P < .001) BUT NOT COMPARED WITH SELF (DIFFERENCE = 15.1 +/- 48.7 KCAL; P = .189). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR MODERATE-INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THUS, YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ACHIEVE PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES AND TO ELICIT HEALTH BENEFITS. 2017 17 1448 20 INDIVIDUALLY TAILORED YOGA FOR CHRONIC NECK OR BACK PAIN IN A LOW-INCOME POPULATION: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: LOW-INCOME PEOPLE ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY CHRONIC BACK AND NECK PAIN. YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY. AIMS: THIS FEASIBILITY PILOT STUDY EVALUATED AN INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA PLAN FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC SPINAL PAIN. METHODS: RESULTS: INDIVIDUALS SHOWED A MEAN CHANGE OF -2.4 FROM PRE/POST 10-CM PAIN SCALE RECORDINGS (P = 0.028, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI]: -0.390--4.477) AND A MEAN INCREASE OF 0.26 ON THE EQ-5D-3L (P = 0.029, 95% CI: 0.04-0.47). THE INTERVENTION WAS WELL-RECEIVED. CONCLUSIONS: AN INDIVIDUALLY TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM WAS ACCEPTABLE TO THESE PARTICIPANTS. PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES APPEARED TO IMPROVE. 2020 18 910 29 EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES FOR CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOW-BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA THERAPY IS COMPARABLE TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES (CTES) FOR REDUCING BACK PAIN INTENSITY AND BACK-RELATED DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CNLBP). DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE TRIAL, DIVIDED INTO TWO PHASES: AN INITIAL 6-WEEKLY SUPERVISED INTERVENTION PERIOD FOLLOWED BY A 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. SETTINGS: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION AND CENTRE FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AND RESEARCH OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS BETWEEN 18 AND 55 YEARS OF AGE WITH COMPLAINT OF CNLBP PERSISTING >/=12 WEEKS WITH PAIN RATING >/=4 ON A NUMERICAL RATING SCALE (0-10). INTERVENTION: A TOTAL OF SIX STANDARDIZED 35-MIN WEEKLY HATHA YOGA SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP) AND SIMILARLY 35-MIN WEEKLY SESSIONS OF CTES (CTE GROUP), DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WITH CNLBP UNACCUSTOMED TO STRUCTURED YOGA OR CTE PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE ON NONCLASS DAYS AT HOME. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE DEFENSE AND VETERANS PAIN RATING SCALE (DVPRS) (0-10) AND 24-POINT ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RDQ). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE PAIN MEDICATION USAGE PER WEEK AND A POSTINTERVENTION PERCEIVED RECOVERY (LIKERT SEVEN-POINT SCALE) OF BACK-RELATED DYSFUNCTION. OUTCOMES WERE RECORDED AT THE BASELINE, 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP, AND 12-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: SEVENTY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 35) OR CTE GROUP (N = 35). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT, WITH LAST OBSERVATION CARRIED FORWARD. BOTH YOGA AND THE CTE GROUP HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN INTENSITY AND BACK-RELATED DYSFUNCTION WITHIN BOTH THE GROUPS AT 6- AND 12-WEEK FOLLOW-UPS COMPARED TO BASELINE. NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE PAIN INTENSITY (DVPRS; AT 6 WEEKS: N = 35, DIFFERENCE OF MEDIANS 1.0, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [-5.3 TO 3.0], P = 0.5; AT 12 WEEKS: N = 35, 0.0 [-4.2 TO 5.0], 0.7) AND BACK-RELATED DYSFUNCTION (RDQ; AT 6 WEEKS: N = 35, 1.0 [-9.6 TO 10.6], 0.4; AT 12 WEEKS: N = 35, 0.0 [-8.8 TO 10.6], 0.3) WERE NOTED BETWEEN TWO GROUPS. IMPROVEMENTS IN PILL CONSUMPTION AND PERCEIVED RECOVERY WERE ALSO COMPARABLE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA PROVIDED SIMILAR IMPROVEMENT COMPARED WITH CTES, IN PATIENTS WITH CNLBP. 2019 19 779 27 EFFECT OF YOGA AS ADD-ON THERAPY IN MIGRAINE (CONTAIN): A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT TO CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL MANAGEMENT ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. METHODS: CONTAIN WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, OPEN-LABEL SUPERIORITY TRIAL WITH BLINDED ENDPOINT ASSESSMENT CARRIED OUT AT A SINGLE TERTIARY CARE ACADEMIC HOSPITAL IN NEW DELHI, INDIA. PATIENTS ENROLLED WERE AGED 18-50 YEARS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EPISODIC MIGRAINE AND WERE RANDOMIZED INTO MEDICAL AND YOGA GROUPS (1:1). RANDOMIZATION WAS COMPUTER-GENERATED WITH A VARIABLE BLOCK SIZE AND CONCEALED. A PREDESIGNED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN FOR 3 MONTHS. OUTCOMES WERE RECORDED BY A BLINDED ASSESSOR. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS A DECREASE IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE INTENSITY, AND HEADACHE IMPACT TEST (HIT)-6 SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGE IN MIGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT (MIDAS) SCORE, PILL COUNT, AND PROPORTION OF HEADACHE FREE PATIENTS. RESULTS: BETWEEN APRIL 2017 AND AUGUST 2018, 160 PATIENTS WITH EPISODIC MIGRAINE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO MEDICAL AND YOGA GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 114 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE TRIAL. BASELINE MEASURES WERE COMPARABLE EXCEPT FOR A HIGHER MEAN HEADACHE FREQUENCY IN THE YOGA GROUP. COMPARED TO MEDICAL THERAPY, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT MEAN DELTA VALUE REDUCTION IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY (DELTA DIFFERENCE 3.53 [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 2.52-4.54]; P < 0.0001), HEADACHE INTENSITY (1.31 [0.60-2.01]; P = 0.0004), HIT SCORE (8.0 [4.78-11.22]; P < 0.0001), MIDAS SCORE (7.85 [4.98-10.97]; P < 0.0001), AND PILL COUNT (2.28 [1.06-3.51]; P < 0.0003). CONCLUSION: YOGA AS AN ADD-ON THERAPY IN MIGRAINE IS SUPERIOR TO MEDICAL THERAPY ALONE. IT MAY BE USEFUL TO INTEGRATE A COST-EFFECTIVE AND SAFE INTERVENTION LIKE YOGA INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: CTRI/2017/03/008041. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: THIS STUDY PROVIDES CLASS III EVIDENCE THAT FOR PATIENTS WITH EPISODIC MIGRAINE, YOGA AS ADJUVANT TO MEDICAL THERAPY IMPROVES HEADACHE FREQUENCY, INTENSITY, IMPACT, AND DISABILITY. 2020 20 638 23 DO PHYSICAL THERAPY AND YOGA IMPROVE PAIN AND DISABILITY THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS? A CAUSAL MEDIATION ANALYSIS OF ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER INDIRECT EFFECTS VIA PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS EXPLAIN THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) OR YOGA, VERSUS EDUCATION, ON BACK-RELATED OUTCOMES. DESIGN: MEDIATION ANALYSES USING DATA FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF PT, YOGA, AND EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN BACK-RELATED PAIN ON THE 11-POINT NUMERICAL RATING SCALE AND DISABILITY ON THE MODIFIED 23-POINT ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, MEASURED AT 52-WEEKS POST-RANDOMIZATION. HYPOTHESIZED MEDIATORS WERE 12-WEEK CHANGES IN PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEFS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND SLEEP QUALITY. WE USED CAUSAL MEDIATION ANALYSIS TO ESTIMATE THE TOTAL EFFECT, DIRECT EFFECT, INDIRECT EFFECT, AND PROPORTION MEDIATED. RESULTS: WE ANALYZED DATA FROM 230 ADULTS (MEAN AGE = 46.2 YEARS, 69.6% FEMALE, 79.6% NON-WHITE). IN THE PT VERSUS EDUCATION MODEL, WHEN THE MEDIATOR WAS PERCEIVED STRESS, THE TOTAL EFFECT ON DISABILITY WAS 2.6 POINTS (95% CI: 0.3, 4.9) AND DECOMPOSED INTO A DIRECT EFFECT OF 1.7 POINTS (95% CI: -0.4, 3.8) AND AN INDIRECT EFFECT 0.9 POINTS (95% CI: 0.1, 2.0; PROPORTION MEDIATED 34%). NO OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCT WAS A SIGNIFICANT MEDIATOR. CONCLUSION: IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS MEDIATED IMPROVEMENTS IN DISABILITY AFTER PT TREATMENT COMPARED TO EDUCATION. OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES DID NOT MEDIATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA OR PT ON PAIN OR DISABILITY OUTCOMES COMPARED TO EDUCATION. J ORTHOP SPORTS PHYS THER, EPUB 18 MAY 2022. DOI:10.2519/JOSPT.2022.10813. 2022