Yoga 'may improve lower back pain'

Conclusion There was some evidence people doing yoga – compared with those doing no exercise – saw some improvement in back-related function at three and six months. It was not clear if those undertaking yoga, compared with other exercise or adding yoga to exercise, was any better than exercise alone. The study does, however, have some downfalls: Only 12 trials were included, the majority of which were in the US. This may mean results are less generalisable to other countries. Not all trials looked at all reported outcomes. For example, only four trials were included when comparing yoga with non-yoga exercise, increasing the risk of bias. All outcomes were self-reported, therefore all of the studies included were at risk of bias as participants may have wanted to demonstrate a difference to please researchers without there actually being any difference. Some participants who agreed to participate in the studies would have consented to being randomised but with a preference for the yoga treatment. This may have affected their willingness to comply if they were then not allocated to their preferred group. All faults with the original studies – for example, people dropping out halfway through treatment – were carried forward into the systematic review, and it is therefore difficult to say how much this would have affected the findings. When it comes to lower back pain, it is important to stay as mobile as possible – yoga could be one of a range of po...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Neurology Source Type: news