1 932 97 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES. INTRODUCTION: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. WE CONDUCT THIS META-ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE TREATMENT EFFICACY OF MIGRAINE. METHODS: WE HAVE SEARCHED PUBMED, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, EBSCO AND COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES THROUGH FEBRUARY 2021, AND INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE ATTACK. RESULTS: FIVE RCTS INVOLVING 356 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. OVERALL, COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP FOR MIGRAINE, YOGA THERAPY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED HEADACHE FREQUENCY HEADACHE FREQUENCY (SMD = -1.43; 95% CI = -2.23 TO -0.64; P = 0.0004) AND HIT-6 SCORE (SMD = -2.19; 95% CI = -4.09 TO -0.28; P = 0.02), BUT REVEALED NO OBVIOUS INFLUENCE ON PAIN INTENSITY (SMD = -1.37; 95% CI = -2.76 TO 0.01; P = 0.05) OR MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SMD = -2.09; 95% CI = -6.39 TO 2.22; P = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY MAY BENEFIT TO REDUCE THE HEADACHE FREQUENCY OF MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2022 2 933 37 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE WITHOUT AURA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE EXPLORED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE BUT THERE IS NO DOCUMENTED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOLISTIC APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE TREATMENT COMPARED TO SELF-CARE. DESIGN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. METHODS: SEVENTY-TWO PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE WITHOUT AURA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA THERAPY OR SELF-CARE GROUP FOR 3 MONTHS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY (HEADACHE DIARY), SEVERITY OF MIGRAINE (0-10 NUMERICAL SCALE) AND PAIN COMPONENT (MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY DEPRESSION SCALE), MEDICATION SCORE. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, THE SUBJECTS' COMPLAINTS RELATED TO HEADACHE INTENSITY (P < .001), FREQUENCY (P < .001), PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), AFFECTIVE PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), TOTAL PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES (P < .001), SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE (P < .001) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND ASSOCIATED CLINICAL FEATURES, IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH YOGA OVER A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS. FURTHER STUDY OF THIS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE WARRANTED. 2007 3 2003 36 STUDY OF ADDITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPIES TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN MIGRAINE. OBJECTIVE WE AIMED TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYSICAL AND YOGA THERAPIES AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. MATERIALS AND METHODS A TOTAL OF 61 CONSENTING PATIENTS DIAGNOSED TO HAVE MIGRAINE WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS TO RECEIVE EITHER STANDARD TREATMENT ALONE, PHYSICAL THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT, OR YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT. THE RESPECTIVE ADJUVANT INTERVENTION WAS TAUGHT TO THE RESPECTIVE GROUP OF PATIENTS AND THEY WERE ADVISED TO PERFORM IT DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS WITH WEEKLY TELEPHONIC REMINDERS AND REVIEW OF THEIR ACTIVITY LOGS. OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SHORT-FORM MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SF-MPQ), AND HEADACHE IMPACT TEST-6 (HIT-6) AT RECRUITMENT AND ONCE EVERY MONTH FOR 3 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY WAS DONE BY USING STATA 14.1 SOFTWARE. ALL THE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, PAIRED T -TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE AND POSTINTERVENTION VALUES OF HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SF-MPQ, AND HIT-6 SCORE WITHIN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE TEST AND POST HOC TEST WERE USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL GROUPS FOR OUTCOME MEASURES ( P < 0.05). RESULTS HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE BEFORE INTERVENTION COMPARED DURING EACH MONTH INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS ( P < 0.005). YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD TREATMENT LEADS TO A HIGHER REDUCTION IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. SENSORY AND AFFECTIVE PAIN RATINGS OF SF-MPQ AND HIT-6 ALSO SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AT 1 TO 3 MONTHS OF TREATMENT COMPARED WITH BASELINE IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. CONCLUSION EITHER PHYSICAL OR YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT MAY FURTHER IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE HEADACHE FREQUENCY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. 2021 4 779 32 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 5 1014 30 EFFECTS OF PILATES AND YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SONOGRAPHIC STUDY. BACKGROUND: VARIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE EFFICACY OF CONVENTIONAL ISOMETRIC, PILATES AND YOGA EXERCISES. HOWEVER, DATA ON THE EFFECTS AND COMPARISON OF THESE SPECIFIC EXERCISES ON THE CERVICAL MUSCLE MORPHOLOGY ARE INSUFFICIENT OR LACKING. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT EXERCISE TREATMENTS ON NECK MUSCLES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN. DESIGN: A RANDOMIZED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-SIX PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED INTO 3 GROUPS AS FOLLOWS: PILATES GROUP (N = 20), YOGA GROUP (N = 18) AND ISOMETRIC GROUP (N = 18). DEMOGRAPHICS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION WERE RECORDED. THE THICKNESS AND CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF NECK MUSCLES WERE EVALUATED BY ULTRASOUND IMAGING. CERVICAL MOTIONS WERE MEASURED WITH A GONIOMETER. PAIN SEVERITY WAS EVALUATED WITH THE MCGILL PAIN SCALE, DISABILITY WITH THE NECK DISABILITY INDEX, QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE, AND EMOTIONAL STATUS WITH THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. IN ADDITION TO A CONVENTIONAL PHYSIO-THERAPY PROGRAMME, 15 SESSIONS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY, INCLUDING HOT PACK, ULTRASOUND, AND TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (TENS), WERE PROVIDED TO ALL PATIENTS. ALL GROUPS PERFORMED THE EXERCISES FOR 6 WEEKS. THE AFOREMENTIONED ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND 6 WEEKS AFTER THE TREATMENT. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH PAIN, DISABILITY, DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVED SIMILARLY WITHIN ALL GROUPS (ALL P < 0.05), MUSCLE THICKNESS VALUES AS REGARDS THE SEMISPINALIS CAPITIS WERE INCREASED ONLY IN THE PILATES GROUP (P = 0.022). STUDY LIMITATIONS: THE LACK OF COMPLEX (PROGRESSIVE RESISTIVE) EXERCISE TREATMENT PROTOCOLS, SHORT TREATMENT DURATION AND PARTIAL SUPERVISION. CONCLUSION: ALL 3 TYPES OF EXERCISE HAD FAVOURABLE EFFECTS ON PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL SCORES, BUT NO DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AMONG THE GROUPS, EXCEPT FOR THE PILATES GROUP, IN WHICH THE SEMISPINALIS CAPITIS MUSCLE INCREASED IN THICKNESS. 2018 6 2702 23 YOGA INTERVENTION ON BLOOD NO IN FEMALE MIGRAINEURS. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT SURVEY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SEVERITY, DURATION AND BLOOD NITRIC OXIDE LEVELS AS WELL AS HEADACHE IMPACTS ON FEMALE MIGRAINEURS' LIVES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-TWO FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE TOOK PART AND WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 14) RECEIVED MEDICATION AND THE YOGA GROUP (N = 18) PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING THE SAME MEDICATION AS THAT OF THE CONTROL GROUP. FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF HEADACHE WERE ASSESSED BY A QUESTIONNAIRE. VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE WAS USED TO MEASURE THE SEVERITY OF HEADACHE, AND THE METABOLITE OF NO ALSO WAS MEASURED BY GRIESS REACTION. HEADACHE IMPACT TEST (HIT-6) WAS ALSO USED TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF HEADACHE ON PATIENTS' LIVES. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY T-TEST MEAN VARIANCE. RESULTS: AFTER 3 MONTHS INTERVENTION, IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE IMPACT OF HEADACHE ON PATIENTS' LIVES, HEADACHE FREQUENCY, AND SEVERITY AND A NON-SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HEADACHE DURATION IN THE YOGA GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF NO BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE RESULTS, YOGA COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS A COMPLEMENTARY METHOD TO MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2015 7 2073 28 THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION. STUDY DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTHBASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LDH WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN INFLUENCES TREATMENT OUTCOMES NEGATIVELY. MOST YOGA POSES INCLUDE THE PARAMETERS OF SPINAL TRAINING AND HELP REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK INJURIES. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA POSITIVELY AFFECTS BOTH LDH AND NEUROPATHIC PAIN BY INCREASING MOBILIZATION, CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND SPINAL AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. METHODS: IN TOTAL, 48 PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A CONTROL GROUP AND A YOGA GROUP. ALL PATIENTS UNDERWENT A PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE SELECTED YOGA EXERCISE WAS TAUGHT AND PERFORMED TO THE YOGA GROUP FOR ONE HOUR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS. NEUROPATHIC PAIN (DOULEUR NEUROPATHIQUE 4 FOR DIAGNOSIS; LEEDS ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPATHIC SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS FOR SEVERITY), LOW BACK PAIN (THE SHORT-FORM OF MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE), DISABILITY (OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX), AND FUNCTION (MODIFIED SCHOBER AND PASSIVE KNEE EXTENSION TEST) WERE MEASURED BLIND BEFORE AND AT THE ONE-, THREE-, AND SIX-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. THE PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESSMENT WAS APPLIED AT THE SIX-MONTH FOLLOWUP. THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN, PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESS MENT, LOW BACK PAIN, DISABILITY, AND FUNCTION IN FAVOR OF THE YOGA GROUP AT POST-TREATMENT. THE BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES WERE MODERATE AT SIX-MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SELECTED STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE A PROMISING TREATMENT OPTION FOR NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2. 2022 8 496 26 COMBINATION OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES PAIN INTENSITY AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE. OBJECTIVES: TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE. METHODS: 30 SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATORY PROCESS) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NSAID'S) FOR 90 DAYS. BODY CONSTITUTION QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO BOTH GROUPS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED SYMPTOM CHECK LIST, COMPREHENSIVE HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE AND VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE. RESULTS: FORTY-SIX (76.6%) OUT OF 60 SUBJECTS BELONGING TO BOTH GROUPS HAD PITTA BASED BODY CONSTITUTION. FOLLOWING 90 DAYS OF INTERVENTION THE AY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE SYMPTOMS INCLUDING PAIN INTENSITY (P<.001) AND IMPROVEMENT IN HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (P<.001). THE CT GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P>.05). CONCLUSION: TRADITIONAL AYURVEDA ALONG WITH YOGA THERAPY REDUCES SYMPTOMS, INTENSITY OF PAIN AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2018 9 2633 46 YOGA FOR TREATING HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: HEADACHE DISORDERS ARE CURRENTLY THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY ACROSS THE GLOBE AND THEREFORE CARRY A SIGNIFICANT DISEASE BURDEN. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEADACHE DISORDERS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND PSYCINFO WERE SCREENED THROUGH MAY 2019. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED WHEN THEY ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF CHRONIC OR EPISODIC HEADACHE (TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE AND/OR MIGRAINE). USUAL CARE (NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT) OR ANY ACTIVE TREATMENTS WERE ACCEPTABLE AS CONTROL INTERVENTIONS. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE DURATION, AND PAIN INTENSITY. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: META-ANALYSIS REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT OVERALL EFFECT IN FAVOR OF YOGA FOR HEADACHE FREQUENCY (5 RCTS; STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = - 1.97; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) - 2.75 TO - 1.20; I(2) = 63.0%, TAU(2) = 0.25, P = 0.03), HEADACHE DURATION (4 RCTS; SMD = - 1.45; 95% CI - 2.54 TO - 0.37; I(2) = 69.0%, TAU(2) = 0.33, P = 0.02), AND PAIN INTENSITY (5 RCTS; SMD = - 3.43; 95% CI - 6.08 TO - 0.70, I(2) = 95.0%, TAU(2) = 4.25, P < 0.01). THE SIGNIFICANT OVERALL EFFECT WAS MAINLY DUE TO PATIENTS WITH TENSION-TYPE HEADACHES. FOR PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE, NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS OBSERVED. DISCUSSION: DESPITE DISCUSSED LIMITATIONS, THIS REVIEW FOUND PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF SHORT-TERM EFFICACY OF YOGA IN IMPROVING HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE DURATION, AND PAIN INTENSITY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM TENSION-TYPE HEADACHES. FURTHER STUDIES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO DRAW DEEPER CONCLUSIONS FROM THE AVAILABLE RESULTS. 2020 10 831 30 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MIGRAINE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY USING CLINICAL PROFILE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. CONTEXT AND AIMS: MIGRAINE IS AN EPISODIC DISABLING HEADACHE REQUIRING LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT. MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA THERAPY WOULD REDUCE THE MEDICATION COST WITH POSITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. YOGA HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE THE EPISODE OF HEADACHE AND MEDICATION. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BY ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOME AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS TESTS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MIGRAINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY GIVEN EITHER CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30) OR YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA PRACTICE SESSION FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (FREQUENCY, INTENSITY OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE IMPACT) AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TEST WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE AND CONVENTION CARE GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL VARIABLES, BUT IT WAS BETTER WITH YOGA THERAPY. IMPROVEMENT IN THE VAGAL TONE ALONG WITH REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE RECEIVING YOGA AS ADJUVANT THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTION SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROUPS. HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WERE REDUCED MORE IN YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL CARE GROUP ALONE. FURTHERMORE, YOGA THERAPY ENHANCED THE VAGAL TONE AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC DRIVE, HENCE IMPROVING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE. THUS, YOGA THERAPY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2014 11 2713 21 YOGA LED BY A PHYSICAL THERAPIST FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ESSENTIAL TREMOR: AN EXPLORATIVE PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ESSENTIAL TREMOR (ET) WHO PARTICIPATE IN A COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA CLASS, LED BY A NEUROLOGIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST. METHODS: SIX SUBJECTS WITH ET COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF WEEKLY 1-H YOGA CLASSES (IN THE VINYASA STYLE) GUIDED BY AN INSTRUCTOR (200-H REGISTERED YOGA TEACHER, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, AND NEUROLOGICAL RESIDENT). RESULTS: FIVE SUBJECTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS ON THE TREMOR RESEARCH GROUP ESSENTIAL TREMOR RATING SCALE (MEAN 15.3%, RANGE 8.3-34.7%). THE MEAN IMPROVEMENT ON THE FULLERTON ADVANCED BALANCE SCALE WAS 10.8% (RANGE 2.5-20%). FIVE SUBJECTS MAINTAINED PRE-INTERVENTION ANXIETY LEVELS ("VERY LOW") WHILE ONE REPORTED INCREASED ANXIETY SECONDARY TO A NON-STUDY RELATED FACTOR. MINIMAL IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOTED IN THE MCGILL QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY OFFERS SUPPORT FOR FURTHER EXAMINING THE BENEFITS OF INTEGRATION OF YOGA INTO AN EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ET AND SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE OFFERED. THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS WITH PARTICIPATION IN YOGA. 2019 12 453 24 CHANGES IN MIDAS, PERCEIVED STRESS, FRONTALIS MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS USAGE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA FOLLOWING AYURVEDA AND YOGA COMPARED TO CONTROLS: AN OPEN LABELED NON-RANDOMIZED STUDY. BACKGROUND: THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM HEALING SOLUTIONS IN MIGRAINE HEADACHE PATIENTS. KNOWING THE LIMITATIONS OF CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL APPROACH, THE PRESENT STUDY EVALUATED THE INFLUENCE OF TWO INDIAN TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE ON MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, AUTONOMIC VARIABLES, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA. METHODS: THIRTY SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO THE AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATION) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS [NSAID'S]) FOR 90 DAYS. MIGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT SCORE, PERCEIVED STRESS, HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), AND SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) OF FRONTALIS MUSCLE WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1, DAY 30, AND DAY 90 IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE DISABILITY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES WERE OBSERVED IN THE AY GROUP. THE LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF THE HRV DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, THE HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED AND THEIR RATIO SHOWED IMPROVED SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. THE EMG SHOWED DECREASED ACTIVITY OF THE FRONTALIS MUSCLE IN THE AY GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH COMBINING AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, SYMPATHETIC AROUSAL, AND MUSCLE TENSION. 2018 13 963 28 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA: A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. DESIGN: SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: 40 RANDOMLY SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS, WITH 20 EACH ASSIGNED TO AN EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTION: THE PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A YOGA PROGRAM FOR 60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMBINED WITH RELAXATION AND MEDITATION. OUTCOME MEASURES: MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS LEVELS WERE MEASURED BY USING THE VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE FOR PAIN AND THE MENSTRUAL DISTRESS QUESTIONNAIRE, RESPECTIVELY. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY USING THE KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV AND SHAPIRO-WILK NORMALITY TESTS, T-TEST, CHI-SQUARE TEST, LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS, AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (SPSS PROGRAM). RESULTS: MENSTRUAL PAIN INTENSITY (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -0.94; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], -1.47 TO -0.42; P = 0.001) AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -1.13; 95% CI, -1.43 TO -0.82; P < 0.0001) SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY REDUCE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. 2016 14 920 24 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON DISABILITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN IN PEOPLE WITH CLBP: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WITH EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH AN INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLET ON DISABILITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN, IN PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). METHODS: THIRTY INDIVIDUALS (AGE 34.2+/-4.52YRS) WITH CLBP WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO A YOGA GROUP (YG, N=15) AND A PAMPHLET GROUP (PG, N=15). THE YG PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WEEK (2 DAYS PER WEEK) YOGA PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDED EDUCATION ON SPINE ANATOMY/BIOMECHANICS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF CLBP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MONITORING RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION, THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (ODI-I), ZUNG SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (SDS), ZUNG SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (SAS) AND NUMERIC RATING SCALE FOR PAIN (NRS 0-10) WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA. RESULTS: AFTER INTERVENTION, THE YG SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P<0.05) IN THE MEAN SCORE IN ALL ASSESSED VARIABLES WHEN COMPARED WITH BASELINE DATA. IN ADDITION, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED AMONG GROUPS AT THE END OF INTERVENTION IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND PAIN, BUT NOT IN DISABILITY. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA PROGRAM AND EDUCATION TOGETHER APPEAR TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, WHICH CAN AFFECT PERCEPTION OF PAIN. 2018 15 1870 30 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 16 2845 27 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 17 740 22 EFFECT OF RAJYOGA MEDITATION ON CHRONIC TENSION HEADACHE. CHRONIC TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE (CTTH) IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF HEADACHE WITH NO TRULY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO CORRELATE THE ADDITIVE EFFECT OF MEDITATION ON CTTH PATIENTS RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT. 50 PATIENTS (AGED 18-58 YEARS) PRESENTING WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF CCTH, WERE DIVIDED IN 2 GROUPS. GROUP 1 (N=30) RECEIVED 8 LESSONS AND PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF BRAHMAKUMARIS SPIRITUAL BASED MEDITATION KNOWN AS RAJYOGA MEDITATION FOR RELAXATION THERAPY, IN ADDITION TO ROUTINE MEDICAL TREATMENT (ANALGESICS AND MUSCLE RELAXANTS). GROUP 2 (N=20) PATIENTS RECEIVED ANALGESICS AND MUSCLE RELAXANTS TWICE A DAY BUT NO RELAXATION THERAPY IN THE FORM OF MEDITATION. BOTH GROUPS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR 8 WEEKS PERIOD. THE PARAMETERS STUDIED WERE SEVERITY, FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF CCTH, AND THEIR HEADACHE INDEX CALCULATED. PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HEADACHE VARIABLES (P<0.001) AFTER 8 WEEKS. BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS SHOWING HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT RELIEF IN SEVERITY OF HEADACHE, DURATION & FREQUENCY IN GROUP 1 WAS 94%, 91% AND 97% RESPECTIVELY WHEREAS IN GROUP 2 IT WAS 36%, 36% AND 49% RESPECTIVELY. HEADACHE RELIEF AS CALCULATED BY HEADACHE INDEX WAS 99% IN GROUP 1 AS COMPARED TO 51% IN GROUP 2. EVEN SHORT TERM SPIRITUAL BASED RELAXATION THERAPY (RAJYOGA MEDITATION) WAS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN CAUSING EARLIER RELIEF IN CHRONIC TENSION HEADACHE AS MEASURED BY HEADACHE PARAMETER. 2014 18 633 28 DISC EXTRUSIONS AND BULGES IN NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA: EXPLORATORY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA THERAPY AND NORMAL MEDICAL TREATMENT. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS TRIALS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN (NSLBP) (WITHOUT SCIATICA) SHOWED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. OBJECTIVE: TO TEST EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN AND DISABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR DISC EXTRUSIONS AND BULGES. METHODS: PARALLEL-GROUP, RANDOMISED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SIXTY-ONE ADULTS FROM RURAL POPULATION, AGED 20-45, WITH NSLBP OR SCIATICA, AND DISC EXTRUSIONS OR BULGES. RANDOMISED TO YOGA (N=30) AND CONTROL (N=31). YOGA: 3-MONTH YOGA COURSE OF GROUP CLASSES AND HOME PRACTICE, DESIGNED TO ENSURE SAFETY FOR DISC EXTRUSIONS. CONTROL: NORMAL MEDICAL CARE. OUTCOME MEASURES (3-4 MONTHS) PRIMARY: ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RMDQ); WORST PAIN IN PAST TWO WEEKS. SECONDARY: ABERDEEN LOW BACK PAIN SCALE; STRAIGHT LEG RAISE TEST; STRUCTURAL CHANGES. RESULTS: DISC PROJECTIONS PER CASE RANGED FROM ONE BULGE OR ONE EXTRUSION TO THREE BULGES PLUS TWO EXTRUSIONS. SIXTY-TWO PERCENT HAD SCIATICA. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS OF THE RMDQ DATA, ADJUSTED FOR AGE, SEX AND BASELINE RMDQ SCORES, GAVE A YOGA GROUP SCORE 3.29 POINTS LOWER THAN CONTROL GROUP (0.98, 5.61; P=0.006) AT 3 MONTHS. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE ENDPOINTS OCCURRED. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY CAN BE SAFE AND BENEFICIAL FOR PATIENTS WITH NSLBP OR SCIATICA, ACCOMPANIED BY DISC EXTRUSIONS AND BULGES. 2015 19 521 27 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 20 193 30 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