Back pain information blog readers will no doubt recall my post of a couple of months ago in which I highlighted a story that said yoga was no better than stretching for back pain. If you want to remind yourself you can find it at this link.
Anyway, in the interests of fairness, and because I am personally a fan of, and believer in, the benefits of yoga, today we'll put the other side using an article by Michelle Fiscus, contributor to hearndon patch.com.
Apparently the findings of several studies, all released within a week of each other, suggest that when treating back pain you may be better off signing up to a yoga class than going to the doctor.
In one British study, whose findings incidentally were mirrored by a similar study at the University of Washington, chronic back pain sufferers were divided into two groups.
One group was given a 12 week course of yoga. The other group received standard back care from a medical professional.
After 3 months the yoga group were able to take part in 30% more activities than the group given standard back treatment.
The differences between the groups was marked. With the yoga group experiencing a reduction in pain, were able to walk faster, stand for extended periods of time, and dress without assistance.
The study concluded that yoga provides both short and long term benefits to sufferers of chronic or recurrent back pain. With no serious side effects.
The article does make the point that not all yoga classes are the same, and it's not always easy to find a yoga instructor who specialises in back pain.
This is probably where the controversy arises between stretching and yoga. Stretching classes should be focused on a remedial preference. While a yoga class needs to be geared specifically for lower back pain.
So there we have it. You pays your money and you takes your choice. To read the full article click here.
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