Copyright (c) 2012 Thomon Wardle

Regular practitioners of yoga have long known that yoga can help with the debilitating and energy-zapping chronic lower back pain that is endured by so many people every day. Researchers who compared the results of 92 students who took weekly yoga classes against those who took part in stretching classes or used a self-help book on exercise found that the yoga classes gave the best results. Participants of the classes found that their back pain could be better managed than those who tried the other options.

Yoga comes in many different styles and some of these are more effective for back pain than others. It was noted by the Group Health Research Institute, who undertook the study, that the more therapeutic Viniyoga, Iyengar yoga and Hatha yoga all appeared to be most effective for people with back pain.

Participants of the study undertook classes that ran between 45 and 50 minutes long. They did between 5 and 11 simple poses and postures along with a guided deep relaxation session and some exercises in breathing. The results of comparing the outcomes of the study pointed at yoga being able to strengthen muscles in the lower back area, which led to a decrease in pain as opposed to any spiritual or mental effects. The study has triggered some excitement in the both the yoga and medical worlds. Yoga can now be explored for potential in managing pain in other areas of the body.

Physicians who were involved in the study are keen that people must speak to their doctor or health care provider prior to starting any new exercise program. They have also suggested that the person would interview any potential new instructors for their understanding and knowledge of lower back pain issues. If you are interested in using yoga for your back pain, then please note that in addition to the approximately 50 minutes of yoga that was practised in the class, there was a supplementary 20 minutes of stretching on the days that the class was not held.

Another study in 2005 by the Annals of Internal Medicine also found that yoga could help combat lower back pain. Then in October 2007, guidelines on therapies to help lower back pain highlighted the regular practise of Viniyoga as something that can alleviate persistent back pain over a period of time by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Yoga does not only make muscles stronger, it also promotes flexibility in addition to bringing oxygen to the tissues of muscles. The meditative benefits of yoga can also help with pain.

People who do regular meditation and breathing practices report that they have less pain than those who don't. They are able to respond to it in a different way as they understand how it can be modulated by their mind. Yoga has many benefits and if you are a sufferer of chronic back pain - then it might be something that you should be looking into.