Cleveland Clinic researchers found that a 12-week therapeutic virtual yoga program for chronic low back pain can be a feasible, safe and effective treatment option. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open . Chronic low back pain is very common—up to 20% of adults worldwide have long-lasting or recurrent lower back pain.
In severe cases, the pain can make it difficult to walk, sleep, work or do daily activities. Clinical guidelines recommend the use of non-pharmacologic treatments first, such as physical therapy or in-person yoga classes. With this study, researchers examined whether virtual yoga classes would also be effective for the treatment of chronic low back pain .
The findings show that participants who practiced virtual yoga classes reported reduced back pain intensity and improved back-related function. "Attending yoga classes in person can be challenging," said Robert Saper, M.D.
, MPH, chair of the Department of Wellness and Preventive Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, and senior author of the study. "This research shows that a virtual yoga class program can be a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic low back pain." Researchers performed a 24-week randomized clinical trial that involved 140 eligible participants with chronic low back pain.
The average age of the participants was 48 and more than 80% were female. The study participants were members of Cleveland Clinic's Employee Health Plan from Northeast Ohio and Florida. The study.