Yoga For Lower Back Pain

I came across a Guardian report on a University of York study. People who took the 12-week yoga course reported better back function than the group receiving usual care.

The trial followed 313 adults with long-term or recurring lower back pain. Half took a specially designed course of twelve yoga classes spread over three months, taught by experienced British Wheel of Yoga and Iyengar teachers, alongside their usual GP care. The rest carried on with usual care alone. Those who did the course found everyday movements like walking, bending down and getting dressed easier, and they still reported better function months after the classes ended.

I want to be straight about what the study did and didn't show. It measured how well people managed everyday movement, not how much pain they felt, and the yoga group didn't score better on pain or general health. The course in the trial was built for back pain and isn't the same as my ordinary classes. If your back is troubling you, speak to your GP first.

The study is Tilbrook and colleagues, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2011.