Chronic back pain is typically alleviated with physical therapy and stress management techniques, but a new study indicates that yoga practice is as effective as PT in alleviating pain. A group of patients with chronic low back pain participated in a 12 week program with a 40 week at home followup. Findings indicate that physical therapy and yoga both reduced pain in half the participants. Studies have previously been done on yoga, but until now, none had directly compared results with physical therapy. As more studies are done on the benefits of yoga, clinicians can make more informed choices about ways to wean patients off pain medication.
Key Takeaways:
- Yoga helps to strengthen the back and core to prevent future injuries
- Yoga is a non invasive way to get relief without having to have surgery
- Yoga is a great replacement for costly and harmful pain medications
"Yoga is as effective as physical therapy to treat mild to moderate chronic low back pain, research finds, including for some undeserved patients with more severe functional disability."
Read more: http://www.futurity.org/back-pain-yoga-1491272-2/
