Yoga vs. Stretching for Lower Back Pain

Almost everyone I know has at least tried yoga and many of my more ardent yoga-loving friends say the practice has changed their lives by making them stronger and mentally focused. I am sure that's true for them, but it's always interesting when popular beliefs have to face the test of rigorous science. Sometimes the truth is surprising.

A case in point is a study published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine about the benefits of yoga. Researchers found that while weekly yoga classes did indeed ease lower back pain, they weren't any more effective than regular stretching classes.

The researchers divided 228 adults with chronic lower back pain into three groups. Patients in the first two had either weekly yoga or stretching classes for 12 weeks while patients in the third group were given only a book and advice on preventing and managing pain. The patients taking classes were asked to do the exercises –whether yoga or stretching – on their own between classes.

At the end of the study, patients who had taken classes were twice as likely to report that they were cutting down on pain medications as the patients who did not take either yoga or stretching.

In my view, this isn't a judgment on either yoga or stretching (both worked well) but rather on the benefits of the right kind of exercise for people with chronic pain. When you're hurting, it's tempting to crawl under the covers or dose yourself with pain medication. But this study shows that working safely could be the best way to feel better,