1  518 143 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
2  521  58 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
3 2851  52 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
4  388  36 BENEFITS OF THE RESTORATIVE EXERCISE AND STRENGTH TRAINING FOR OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE AND EXCELLENCE YOGA PROGRAM FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN SERVICE MEMBERS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER. PARTICIPANTS: PATIENTS (N=68) WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTIONS: RESTORATIVE EXERCISE AND STRENGTH TRAINING FOR OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE AND EXCELLENCE (RESTORE) PROGRAM (9-12 INDIVIDUAL YOGA SESSIONS) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (CONTROL) FOR AN 8-WEEK PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PAST 24-HOUR PAIN (DEFENSE & VETERANS PAIN RATING SCALE 2.0). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DISABILITY (ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND SYMPTOM BURDEN (PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM-29 SUBSCALES). ASSESSMENT OCCURRED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, AND 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. EXPLORATORY OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP REPORTING CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL CHANGES AT 3- AND 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. RESULTS: GENERALIZED LINEAR MIXED MODELS WITH SEQUENTIAL BONFERRONI-ADJUSTED PAIRWISE SIGNIFICANCE TESTS AND CHI-SQUARE ANALYSES EXAMINED LONGITUDINAL OUTCOMES. SECONDARY OUTCOME SIGNIFICANCE TESTS WERE BONFERRONI ADJUSTED FOR MULTIPLE OUTCOMES. THE RESTORE GROUP REPORTED IMPROVED PAIN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. SECONDARY OUTCOMES DID NOT RETAIN SIGNIFICANCE AFTER BONFERRONI ADJUSTMENTS FOR MULTIPLE OUTCOMES, ALTHOUGH A HIGHER PROPORTION OF RESTORE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFULLY CHANGES IN ALL OUTCOMES AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP AND IN SYMPTOM BURDEN AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORE MAY BE A VIABLE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT FOR LOW BACK PAIN WITH MINIMAL SIDE EFFECTS, AND RESEARCH EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RESTORE DELIVERY FORMATS (EG, GROUP VS INDIVIDUAL) WITH THAT OF OTHER TREATMENT MODALITIES.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
5 2560  50 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND USUAL CARE FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: PARALLEL-GROUP, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOMIZATION CONDUCTED FROM APRIL 2007 TO MARCH 2010. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE. (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL NUMBER REGISTER: ISRCTN 81079604) SETTING: 13 NON-NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE PREMISES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. PATIENTS: 313 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: YOGA (N = 156) OR USUAL CARE (N = 157). ALL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A BACK PAIN EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED A 12-CLASS, GRADUALLY PROGRESSING YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED BY 12 TEACHERS OVER 3 MONTHS. MEASUREMENTS: SCORES ON THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RMDQ) AT 3 (PRIMARY OUTCOME), 6, AND 12 (SECONDARY OUTCOMES) MONTHS; PAIN, PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, AND GENERAL HEALTH MEASURES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS (SECONDARY OUTCOMES). RESULTS: 93 (60%) PATIENTS OFFERED YOGA ATTENDED AT LEAST 3 OF THE FIRST 6 SESSIONS AND AT LEAST 3 OTHER SESSIONS. THE YOGA GROUP HAD BETTER BACK FUNCTION AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS THAN THE USUAL CARE GROUP. THE ADJUSTED MEAN RMDQ SCORE WAS 2.17 POINTS (95% CI, 1.03 TO 3.31 POINTS) LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP AT 3 MONTHS, 1.48 POINTS (CI, 0.33 TO 2.62 POINTS) LOWER AT 6 MONTHS, AND 1.57 POINTS (CI, 0.42 TO 2.71 POINTS) LOWER AT 12 MONTHS. THE YOGA AND USUAL CARE GROUPS HAD SIMILAR BACK PAIN AND GENERAL HEALTH SCORES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS, AND THE YOGA GROUP HAD HIGHER PAIN SELF-EFFICACY SCORES AT 3 AND 6 MONTHS BUT NOT AT 12 MONTHS. TWO OF THE 157 USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AND 12 OF THE 156 YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS, MOSTLY INCREASED PAIN. LIMITATION: THERE WERE MISSING DATA FOR THE PRIMARY OUTCOME (YOGA GROUP, N = 21; USUAL CARE GROUP, N = 18) AND DIFFERENTIAL MISSING DATA (MORE IN THE YOGA GROUP) FOR SECONDARY OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: OFFERING A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM TO ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN LED TO GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN BACK FUNCTION THAN DID USUAL CARE. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: ARTHRITIS RESEARCH UK.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
6  162  49 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (LBP) TO INFORM THE FEASIBILITY AND PRACTICALITY OF CONDUCTING A FULL-SCALE TRIAL IN THE UK; AND TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: A PRAGMATIC RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD PRESENTED TO THEIR GP WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE PREVIOUS 18 MONTHS WERE RECRUITED VIA GP RECORDS FROM ONE PRACTICE IN YORK, UK. INTERVENTIONS: TWENTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO EITHER 12 WEEKLY 75-MIN SESSIONS OF SPECIALISED YOGA PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE, OR USUAL CARE PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE. ALLOCATION WAS 50/50. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: RECRUITMENT RATE, LEVELS OF INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP WERE THE MAIN NON-CLINICAL OUTCOMES. CHANGE AS MEASURED BY THE ROLAND AND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE WAS THE PRIMARY CLINICAL OUTCOME. CHANGES IN THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE, SF-12, EQ-5D, AND PAIN SELF-EFFICACY WERE SECONDARY CLINICAL OUTCOMES. DATA WERE COLLECTED VIA POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE, 4 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 286 PATIENTS IDENTIFIED FROM THE GP DATABASE, 52 (18%) CONSENTED AND RETURNED THE ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, OUT OF THESE 20 (6.9%) WERE ELIGIBLE AND RANDOMISED. THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS RANDOMISED FROM THE GP PRACTICE POPULATION WAS 0.28%. TEN PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO YOGA, RECEIVING AN AVERAGE OF 1.7 SESSIONS (RANGE 0-5), AND 10 WERE RANDOMISED TO USUAL CARE. AT 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS RECEIVED FROM 60% OF PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 90% OF PATIENTS IN THE USUAL CARE GROUP (75% OVERALL). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE SEEN BETWEEN GROUPS IN CLINICAL OUTCOMES APART FROM ON THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE AT FOUR WEEKS FOLLOW-UP WHERE THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDED USEFUL DATA AND INFORMATION TO INFORM THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL-SCALE TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN THE UK. A KEY FINDING IS THE CALCULATION OF GP PRACTICE TOTAL LIST SIZE REQUIRED FOR PATIENT RECRUITMENT IN A FULL-SCALE TRIAL, AND THE NEED TO IMPLEMENT METHODS TO INCREASE CLASS ATTENDANCE.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
7 2852  65 YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, OR EDUCATION FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED NONINFERIORITY TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE FOR MILD TO MODERATE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), BUT ITS COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) IS UNKNOWN. MOREOVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT YOGA'S EFFECTIVENESS IN UNDERSERVED PATIENTS WITH MORE SEVERE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS NONINFERIOR TO PT FOR CLBP. DESIGN: 12-WEEK, SINGLE-BLIND, 3-GROUP RANDOMIZED NONINFERIORITY TRIAL AND SUBSEQUENT 40-WEEK MAINTENANCE PHASE. (CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT01343927). SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND 7 AFFILIATED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. PARTICIPANTS: 320 PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME, RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH NONSPECIFIC CLBP. INTERVENTION: PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED 12 WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES, 15 PT VISITS, OR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK AND NEWSLETTERS. THE MAINTENANCE PHASE COMPARED YOGA DROP-IN CLASSES VERSUS HOME PRACTICE AND PT BOOSTER SESSIONS VERSUS HOME PRACTICE. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE BACK-RELATED FUNCTION, MEASURED BY THE ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RMDQ), AND PAIN, MEASURED BY AN 11-POINT SCALE, AT 12 WEEKS. PRESPECIFIED NONINFERIORITY MARGINS WERE 1.5 (RMDQ) AND 1.0 (PAIN). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED PAIN MEDICATION USE, GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT, SATISFACTION WITH INTERVENTION, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: ONE-SIDED 95% LOWER CONFIDENCE LIMITS WERE 0.83 (RMDQ) AND 0.97 (PAIN), DEMONSTRATING NONINFERIORITY OF YOGA TO PT. HOWEVER, YOGA WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO EDUCATION FOR EITHER OUTCOME. YOGA AND PT WERE SIMILAR FOR MOST SECONDARY OUTCOMES. YOGA AND PT PARTICIPANTS WERE 21 AND 22 PERCENTAGE POINTS LESS LIKELY, RESPECTIVELY, THAN EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS TO USE PAIN MEDICATION AT 12 WEEKS. IMPROVEMENTS IN YOGA AND PT GROUPS WERE MAINTAINED AT 1 YEAR WITH NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES. FREQUENCY OF ADVERSE EVENTS, MOSTLY MILD SELF-LIMITED JOINT AND BACK PAIN, DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE YOGA AND PT GROUPS. LIMITATIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE NOT BLINDED TO TREATMENT ASSIGNMENT. THE PT GROUP HAD DISPROPORTIONATE LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: A MANUALIZED YOGA PROGRAM FOR NONSPECIFIC CLBP WAS NONINFERIOR TO PT FOR FUNCTION AND PAIN. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
8 2596  56 YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS PREVALENT, ESPECIALLY AMONG MILITARY VETERANS. MANY CLBP TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE LIMITED BENEFITS AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY SIDE EFFECTS. MAJOR EFFORTS TO REDUCE OPIOID USE AND EMBRACE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN TREATMENTS HAVE RESULTED. RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY CLBP PATIENTS INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HAS FEW SIDE EFFECTS. THE BENEFITS OF YOGA AMONG MILITARY VETERANS WERE EXAMINED. DESIGN: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR DELAYED YOGA TREATMENT IN 2013-2015. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES OCCURRED IN 2016. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP WERE RECRUITED FROM A MAJOR VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER IN CALIFORNIA. INTERVENTION: YOGA CLASSES (WITH HOME PRACTICE) WERE LED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS, AND CONSISTED PRIMARILY OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, MOVEMENT, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AFTER 12 WEEKS. PAIN INTENSITY WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN IMPORTANT SECONDARY OUTCOME. RESULTS: PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS WERE MEAN AGE 53 YEARS, 26% WERE FEMALE, 35% WERE UNEMPLOYED OR DISABLED, AND MEAN BACK PAIN DURATION WAS 15 YEARS. IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS, BUT YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD GREATER REDUCTIONS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES THAN DELAYED TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS AT 6 MONTHS -2.48 (95% CI= -4.08, -0.87). YOGA PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MORE ON PAIN INTENSITY AT 12 WEEKS AND AT 6 MONTHS. OPIOID MEDICATION USE DECLINED AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS, BUT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE NOT FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG VETERANS DESPITE EVIDENCE THEY HAD FEWER RESOURCES, WORSE HEALTH, AND MORE CHALLENGES ATTENDING YOGA SESSIONS THAN COMMUNITY SAMPLES STUDIED PREVIOUSLY. THE MAGNITUDE OF PAIN INTENSITY DECLINE WAS SMALL, BUT OCCURRED IN THE CONTEXT OF REDUCED OPIOID USE. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED AT WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02524158.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
9  193  56 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
10 1699  66 PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMATIC IMPROVEMENT FROM YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. CONTEXT: STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS EFFECTIVE FOR MODERATE TO SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN DIVERSE PREDOMINANTLY LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BENEFIT FROM THE YOGA INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: IDENTIFY FACTORS AT BASELINE INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER EFFICACY AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN A STUDY OF YOGA FOR CLBP. DESIGN: FROM SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2011, A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED DOSING TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED COMPARING WEEKLY VS. TWICE-WEEKLY 75-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 95 PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH NONSPECIFIC CLBP. PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS COLLECTED AT BASELINE WERE USED TO DETERMINE FACTORS BEYOND TREATMENT ASSIGNMENT (REPORTED IN THE INITIAL STUDY) THAT PREDICTED OUTCOME. WE USED BIVARIATE TESTING TO IDENTIFY BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTION AND PAIN, AND INCLUDED SELECT FACTORS IN A MULTIVARIATE LINEAR REGRESSION. SETTING: RECRUITMENT AND CLASSES OCCURRED IN AN ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND FIVE AFFILIATED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. PARTICIPANTS: NINETY-FIVE ADULTS WITH NONSPECIFIC CLBP, AGES RANGING FROM 20-64 (MEAN 48) YEARS; 72 WOMEN AND 23 MEN. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN BACK-RELATED FUNCTION (MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, RMDQ; 0-23) AND MEAN LOW BACK PAIN INTENSITY (0-10) IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK, FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12. RESULTS: ADJUSTING FOR GROUP ASSIGNMENT, BASELINE RMDQ, AGE, AND GENDER, FOREIGN NATIONALITY AND LOWER BASELINE SF36 PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (PCS) WERE INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN RMDQ. GREATER THAN HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION LEVEL, CLBP LESS THAN 1 YEAR, AND LOWER BASELINE SF36 PCS WERE INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN INTENSITY. OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS INCLUDING RACE, INCOME, GENDER, BMI, AND USE OF PAIN MEDICATIONS WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH EITHER OUTCOME. CONCLUSIONS: POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH AT BASELINE IS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER IMPROVEMENT FROM YOGA IN BACK-RELATED FUNCTION AND PAIN. RACE, INCOME, AND BODY MASS INDEX DO NOT AFFECT THE POTENTIAL FOR A PERSON WITH LOW BACK PAIN TO EXPERIENCE BENEFIT FROM YOGA.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
11 2558  60 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SEVERAL STUDIES SUGGEST YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN; HOWEVER, TRIALS TARGETING MINORITIES HAVE NOT BEEN CONDUCTED. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVES: ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF STUDYING YOGA IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. COLLECT PRELIMINARY DATA TO PLAN A LARGER POWERED STUDY. STUDY DESIGN: PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: TWO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN A RACIALLY DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY ENGLISH-SPEAKING ADULTS (MEAN AGE 44 YEARS, 83% FEMALE, 83% RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES; 48% WITH INCOMES < OR = $30,000) WITH MODERATE-TO-SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTIONS: STANDARDIZED SERIES OF WEEKLY HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS COMPARED TO A WAITLIST USUAL CARE CONTROL. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY MEASURED BY TIME TO COMPLETE ENROLLMENT, PROPORTION OF RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES ENROLLED, RETENTION RATES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS. PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS IN PAIN SCORE (0=NO PAIN TO 10=WORST POSSIBLE PAIN) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION USING THE MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (0-23 POINT SCALE, HIGHER SCORES REFLECT POORER FUNCTION). SECONDARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE ANALGESIC USE, GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36). RESULTS: RECRUITMENT TOOK 2 MONTHS. RETENTION RATES WERE 97% AT 12 WEEKS AND 77% AT 26 WEEKS. MEAN PAIN SCORES FOR YOGA DECREASED FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS (6.7 TO 4.4) COMPARED TO USUAL CARE, WHICH DECREASED FROM 7.5 TO 7.1 (P=.02). MEAN ROLAND SCORES FOR YOGA DECREASED FROM 14.5 TO 8.2 COMPARED TO USUAL CARE, WHICH DECREASED FROM 16.1 TO 12.5 (P=.28). AT 12 WEEKS, YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS ANALGESIC USE (13% VS 73%, P=.003), LESS OPIATE USE (0% VS 33%, P=.04), AND GREATER OVERALL IMPROVEMENT (73% VS 27%, P=.03). THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN SF-36 SCORES AND NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION: A YOGA STUDY INTERVENTION IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WAS MODERATELY FEASIBLE AND MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN USUAL CARE FOR REDUCING PAIN AND PAIN MEDICATION USE.	2009	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
12  507  46 COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC MECHANICAL NECK PAIN: QUASI-RANDOMISED PARALLEL CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN (CNP). DESIGN: QUASI-RANDOMISED PARALLEL CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: COMMUNITY, UNIVERSITY AND PRIVATE PRACTICE SETTINGS IN FOUR LOCATIONS. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-SIX INDIVIDUALS WITH CNP SCORING >/=3/10 ON THE NUMERIC PAIN RATING SCALE FOR >3 MONTHS (CONTROLS N=17, PILATES N=20, YOGA N=19). INTERVENTIONS: EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 12 SMALL-GROUP SESSIONS WITH MODIFICATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS SUPERVISED BY A PHYSIOTHERAPIST. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE NECK DISABILITY INDEX (NDI). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE PAIN RATINGS, RANGE OF MOVEMENT AND POSTURAL MEASUREMENTS COLLECTED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS AND 12 WEEKS. FOLLOW-UP WAS PERFORMED 6 WEEKS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE EXERCISE CLASSES (WEEK 18). RESULTS: NDI DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PILATES {BASELINE: 11.1 [STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) 4.3] VS WEEK 12: 6.8 (SD 4.3); MEAN DIFFERENCE -4.3 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL -1.64 TO -6.7); P<0.001} AND YOGA GROUPS [BASELINE: 12.8 (SD 7.4) VS WEEK 12: 8.1 (SD 5.6); MEAN DIFFERENCE -4.7 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL -2.1 TO -7.4); P<0.00], WITH NO CHANGE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PAIN RATINGS ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. MODERATE-TO-LARGE EFFECT SIZES (0.7 TO 1.8) AND LOW NUMBERS NEEDED TO TREAT WERE FOUND. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN OUTCOMES BETWEEN THE EXERCISE GROUPS OR ASSOCIATED ADVERSE EFFECTS. NO IMPROVEMENTS IN RANGE OF MOVEMENT OR POSTURE WERE FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS WITH APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS AND SUPERVISION WERE SAFE AND EQUALLY EFFECTIVE FOR DECREASING DISABILITY AND PAIN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE CNP. PHYSIOTHERAPISTS MAY CONSIDER INCLUDING THESE APPROACHES IN A PLAN OF CARE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01999283.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
13   34  42 A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM IMPROVED BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE THAT CHALLENGES BALANCE CAN IMPROVE MOBILITY AND PREVENT FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS. YOGA AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR OLDER ADULTS IS NOT WELL STUDIED. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECT OF A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER PEOPLE. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A BLINDED, PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS. PARTICIPANTS WERE 54 COMMUNITY DWELLERS (MEAN AGE 68 YEARS, SD 7.1) NOT CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN YOGA OR TAI CHI. THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 27) PARTICIPATED IN A 12-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM FOCUSED ON STANDING POSTURES AND RECEIVED A FALL PREVENTION EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STANDING BALANCE COMPONENT OF THE SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY WITH ADDITION OF ONE-LEGGED STANCE TIME (STANDING BALANCE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE THE TIMED SIT-TO-STAND TEST, TIMED 4-M WALK, ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED, AND SHORT FALLS EFFICACY SCALE-INTERNATIONAL. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECORDING CLASS ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS. RESULTS: FIFTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THE INTERVENTION GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP ON STANDING BALANCE (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.52 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.10-2.96, P = .04), SIT-TO-STAND TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -3.43 SECONDS, 95% CI -5.23 TO -1.64, P < .001), 4-M WALK (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -0.50 SECONDS, 95% CI -0.72 TO -0.28, P < .001), AND ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.93 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.40-3.46, P = .02). AVERAGE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 20 OF 24 CLASSES (83%). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS TRIAL DEMONSTRATES THE BALANCE AND MOBILITY-RELATED BENEFITS AND FEASIBILITY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR OLDER PEOPLE. THE FALL PREVENTION EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
14 1787  52 PREFERENCE AND EXPECTATION FOR TREATMENT ASSIGNMENT IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ONCE- VS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: IN STUDIES INVOLVING NONPHARMACOLOGICAL COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE INTERVENTIONS, PARTICIPANT BLINDING IS VERY DIFFICULT. PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS MAY AFFECT PERCEIVED BENEFIT OF THERAPY. IN STUDIES OF YOGA AS TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PATIENT EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES ON OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY BASELINE PREDICTORS OF PREFERENCE AND TO DETERMINE IF EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT DOSES OF YOGA AFFECT BACK-RELATED FUNCTION AND LOW BACK PAIN INTENSITY. METHODS: THIS WAS A SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING ONCE-WEEKLY VS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA FOR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN 93 ADULTS FROM A PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY POPULATION. AT BASELINE, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED ABOUT BACK FUNCTION, BACK PAIN, TREATMENT EXPECTATIONS, AND TREATMENT PREFERENCES. WE CREATED A VARIABLE "CONCORDANCE" TO DESCRIBE THE MATCHING OF PARTICIPANT PREFERENCE TO RANDOMIZED TREATMENT. OUR OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE CHANGE IN BACK FUNCTION AND PAIN INTENSITY AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA INSTRUCTION. WE PERFORMED LOGISTIC REGRESSION TO IDENTIFY PREDICTORS OF PREFERENCE FOR ONCE- OR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INSTRUCTION. WE CREATED LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS TO IDENTIFY INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS, PREFERENCE, CONCORDANCE, AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: WORSE BACK FUNCTION AT BASELINE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH 20% HIGHER ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 1.2, CI 1.1, 1.3). INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGHER EXPECTATION SCORES FOR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA HAD 90% HIGHER ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY VS ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 1.9, CI 1.3, 2.7). INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGHER EXPECTATION SCORES FOR ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA HAD 40% LESS ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 0.6, CI 0.5, 0.9). AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS, WE FOUND NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TREATMENT OUTCOMES, PREFERENCE, EXPECTATION SCORES, OR CONCORDANCE. CONCLUSION: IN A POPULATION OF PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, WORSE BACK FUNCTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PREFERENCE FOR MORE FREQUENT YOGA CLASSES. THOSE WHO PREFERRED MORE YOGA CLASSES HAD HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR THOSE CLASSES. TWELVE-WEEK CHANGE IN BACK PAIN INTENSITY AND BACK FUNCTION WERE NOT AFFECTED BY DOSING PREFERENCE, EXPECTATION SCORE, OR CONCORDANCE. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO BETTER MEASURE AND QUANTIFY PREFERENCE, EXPECTATIONS, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OUTCOMES IN YOGA RESEARCH.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
15  465  42 CHARACTERISTICS AND PREDICTORS OF SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS SELF-SELECTING YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE CLINICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS SELF-SELECTING YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) FOR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AND TO EXAMINE PREDICTORS OF SHORT-TERM PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES. DESIGN: DESCRIPTIVE, LONGITUDINAL STUDY. SETTINGS: A HOSPITAL-BASED CLINIC THAT OFFERS MODIFIED INTEGRAL YOGA CLASSES FOR CLBP AND 2 OUTPATIENT PT CLINICS THAT OFFER EXERCISE-BASED PT. PARTICIPANTS: ADULTS (N=53) WITH CLBP>/=12 WEEKS: YOGA (N=27), PT (N=26). METHODS: YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 6-WEEK, ONCE WEEKLY, 2-HOUR YOGA CLASS. PT PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT TWICE WEEKLY, 1-HOUR INDIVIDUALIZED PT. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND AT 6 WEEKS. GROUPS WERE COMPARED BY USING CHI2 AND INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T-TESTS. HIERARCHICAL LINEAR REGRESSION WAS USED TO PREDICT TREATMENT OUTCOMES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: DISABILITY (ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE), HEALTH STATUS (RAND SHORT FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY 1.0), PAIN BOTHERSOMENESS (NUMERICAL RATING SCALE), BACK PAIN SELF-EFFICACY (BACK PAIN SELF-EFFICACY SCALE), AND TREATMENT SATISFACTION. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DISABLED (P=.013), HAD HIGHER HEALTH STATUS (P=.023), GREATER PAIN SELF-EFFICACY (P=.012), AND LESS AVERAGE PAIN BOTHERSOMENESS (P=.001) COMPARED WITH PT PARTICIPANTS. AT 6 WEEKS, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE GROUP DIFFERENCES, GREATER PAIN SELF-EFFICACY WAS THE STRONGEST PREDICTOR FOR REDUCED PAIN AND HIGHER FUNCTION FOR THE ENTIRE SAMPLE. A SIGNIFICANT GROUP INTERACTION BY BASELINE PAIN SELF-EFFICACY PREDICTED DISABILITY AT 6 WEEKS. PT PARTICIPANTS WITH LOW PAIN SELF-EFFICACY REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DISABILITY THAN THOSE WITH HIGH PAIN SELF-EFFICACY. YOGA PARTICIPANTS WITH LOW AND HIGH PAIN SELF-EFFICACY HAD SIMILAR DISABILITY OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS STRENGTHEN EVIDENCE THAT SELF-EFFICACY IS ASSOCIATED WITH CLBP OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY IN INDIVIDUALS SELF-SELECTING PT. FURTHER RESEARCH TO EVALUATE OUTCOMES AFTER YOGA AND PT IN PARTICIPANTS WITH LOW PAIN SELF-EFFICACY IS NEEDED.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
16 2518  51 YOGA COMPARED TO NON-EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A COMMON AND OFTEN DISABLING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CONTROVERSIES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AT DIFFERENT FOLLOW-UP PERIODS AND COMPARED WITH OTHER PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES. OBJECTIVE: TO CRITICALLY COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION), PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN PROSPERO, AND THE REGISTRATION NUMBER WAS CRD42020159865. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF ONLINE DATABASES INCLUDED PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, EMBASE WHICH EVALUATED EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TIME TO NOVEMBER 1, 2019. STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE IF THEY ASSESSED AT LEAST ONE IMPORTANT OUTCOME, NAMELY PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THE CONTINUOUS OUTCOMES WERE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) OR STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) ACCORDING TO WHETHER COMBINING OUTCOMES MEASURED ON DIFFERENT SCALES OR NOT. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 18 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS. YOGA COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PAIN AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.19 TO -0.48, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (MD = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.64 TO -0.23, P<0.0001, I2 = 0%), 6 TO 7 MONTHS (MD = -0.56, 95% CI = -1.02 TO -0.11, P = 0.02, I2 = 50%), AND WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN 12 MONTHS (MD = -0.52, 95% CI = -1.64 TO 0.59, P = 0.36, I2 = 87%) COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE. YOGA WAS BETTER THAN NON-EXERCISE ON DISABILITY AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = -0.51 TO -0.10, P = 0.003, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.45 TO -0.18, P<0.00001, I2 = 30%), 6 MONTHS (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.53 TO -0.23, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 12 MONTHS (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.54 TO -0.12, P = 0.002, I2 = 9%). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PAIN, DISABILITY COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS A NON-SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BETWEEN YOGA AND ANY OTHER INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS PROVIDED EVIDENCE FROM VERY LOW TO MODERATE INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS. YOGA MIGHT DECREASE PAIN FROM SHORT TERM TO INTERMEDIATE TERM AND IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY STATUS FROM SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION). YOGA HAD THE SAME EFFECT ON PAIN AND DISABILITY AS ANY OTHER EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY. YOGA MIGHT NOT IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON THE RESULT OF A MERGING.	2020	

17 2831  60 YOGA VS. PHYSICAL THERAPY VS. EDUCATION FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATIONS: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN CAUSES SUBSTANTIAL MORBIDITY AND COST TO SOCIETY WHILE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY ADULTS. SEVERAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOW YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. HOWEVER, THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY, A COMMON MAINSTREAM TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, IS UNKNOWN. METHODS/DESIGN: THIS IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL FOR 320 PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, COMPARING YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND EDUCATION. INCLUSION CRITERIA ARE ADULTS 18-64 YEARS OLD WITH NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN LASTING >/= 12 WEEKS AND A SELF-REPORTED AVERAGE PAIN INTENSITY OF >/= 4 ON A 0-10 SCALE. RECRUITMENT TAKES PLACE AT BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER, AN URBAN ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND SEVEN FEDERALLY QUALIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS LOCATED IN DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS. THE 52-WEEK STUDY HAS AN INITIAL 12-WEEK TREATMENT PHASE WHERE PARTICIPANTS ARE RANDOMIZED IN A 2:2:1 RATIO INTO I) A STANDARDIZED WEEKLY HATHA YOGA CLASS SUPPLEMENTED BY HOME PRACTICE; II) A STANDARDIZED EVIDENCE-BASED EXERCISE THERAPY PROTOCOL ADAPTED FROM THE TREATMENT BASED CLASSIFICATION METHOD, INDIVIDUALLY DELIVERED BY A PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND SUPPLEMENTED BY HOME PRACTICE; AND III) EDUCATION DELIVERED THROUGH A SELF-CARE BOOK. CO-PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES ARE 12-WEEK PAIN INTENSITY MEASURED ON AN 11-POINT NUMERICAL RATING SCALE AND BACK-SPECIFIC FUNCTION MEASURED USING THE MODIFIED ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE. IN THE SUBSEQUENT 40-WEEK MAINTENANCE PHASE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS ARE RE-RANDOMIZED IN A 1:1 RATIO TO EITHER STRUCTURED MAINTENANCE YOGA CLASSES OR HOME PRACTICE ONLY. PHYSICAL THERAPY PARTICIPANTS ARE SIMILARLY RE-RANDOMIZED TO EITHER FIVE BOOSTER SESSIONS OR HOME PRACTICE ONLY. EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS CONTINUE TO FOLLOW RECOMMENDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS. WE WILL ALSO ASSESS COST EFFECTIVENESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE INDIVIDUAL, INSURERS, AND SOCIETY USING CLAIMS DATABASES, ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS, SELF-REPORT COST DATA, AND STUDY RECORDS. QUALITATIVE DATA FROM INTERVIEWS WILL ADD SUBJECTIVE DETAIL TO COMPLEMENT QUANTITATIVE DATA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED IN CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, WITH THE ID NUMBER: NCT01343927.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
18 2811  42 YOGA TO PREVENT MOBILITY LIMITATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS: FEASIBILITY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE LOSS OF MOBILITY DURING AGING IMPACTS INDEPENDENCE AND LEADS TO FURTHER DISABILITY, MORBIDITY, AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. METHODS: SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS (N = 46; AGE 60-89) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A HEALTH EDUCATION COMPARISON GROUP. YOGA SESSIONS (60-MIN) OCCURRED 2X WEEKLY, AND 90-MIN HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS OCCURRED WEEKLY, FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE RECRUITMENT RATE, INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND RETENTION AT ASSESSMENTS. ADVERSE EVENT RATES AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE ALSO MEASURED. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF GAIT, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH AND SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND 10-WEEKS. RESULTS: RECRUITMENT LASTED 6 MONTHS. RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP WAS HIGH (89% - PERFORMANCE MEASURES; 98% - SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES). ATTENDANCE WAS GOOD WITH 82% OF YOGA AND 74% OF HEALTH EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING AT LEAST 50% OF THE SESSIONS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE INTERVENTIONS WAS HIGH. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES WAS 0.35 WITH SOME OVER 0.50. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WAS 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONDUCT A LARGER RCT OF YOGA FOR SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY PROBLEMS. THE YOGA AND COMPARISON INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE, WELL ACCEPTED, AND WELL ATTENDED. EFFECT SIZES SUGGEST YOGA MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR THIS POPULATION AND SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS # NCT03544879 ; RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED 4 JUNE, 2018.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
19 2415  36 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
20 2628  40 YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AND SLEEP IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DESIGNED AND REPORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DELPHI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A HOSPITAL DATABASE, AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EIGHT WEEKLY 75-MIN YOGA CLASSES OR A USUAL CARE CONTROL. FEASIBILITY WAS DETERMINED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, RETENTION, PROTOCOL ADHERENCE, PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE (WEEK 0), WEEK 9 (PRIMARY TIME POINT) AND WEEK 12 (FOLLOW-UP). RESULTS: OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD, 26 PARTICIPANTS WITH MILD PAIN, MILD TO MODERATE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND MODERATE DISEASE ACTIVITY WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY (25% RECRUITMENT RATE). RETENTION RATES WERE 100% FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND 92% FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AT BOTH WEEKS 9 AND 12. PROTOCOL ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE HIGH. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEDIAN OF SEVEN CLASSES; ADDITIONALLY, SEVEN OF THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS (54%) REPORTED CONTINUING YOGA AT HOME DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES SHOWED NO GROUP EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE MINOR, AND NOT UNEXPECTED FROM AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING PHYSICAL COMPONENTS. THIS PILOT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGER INTERVENTION STUDIES, AND SUPPORTS FURTHER EXPLORATION OF YOGA AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO ASSIST WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.	2018