By Many people and things have touted yoga. It’s an age-old tradition that helps to keep people centered, flexible, and feeling good. It has been suggested over the years that it’s a good therapy tool for those who suffer from chronic pain. There’s plenty of research to help support the notion that it can help. One group of researchers wanted to see how effective yoga may be for helping those who suffer from nonspecific chronic neck pain.
The Research
The research they conducted was published in the February 2019 issue of the journal Medicine (1). The goal of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of yoga for treating nonspecific chronic neck pain. The team scoured multiple sources looking for trials that have been conducted on the topic. They were able to locate 10 published trials that fit their criteria. The primary outcome included pain and disability, while the secondary outcomes include a cervical range of motion, quality of life, and mood.
Each of the trials that they selected to be a part of the study were ones in which yoga had been used as a therapy for adults who have chronic nonspecific neck pain. Additionally, the studies compared yoga to a variety of other therapies, including exercise, Pilates, and usual care.
The researchers found that yoga has a positive effect on chronic nonspecific neck pain intensity, neck pain-related disability, cervical range of motion, and mood. However, they also report that it’s difficult to make a comprehensive study of all the evidence that they’ve collected. This was because each of the studies varied in the duration of yoga intervention and different measurement tools was used. In light of the difficulties in drawing a summary, they drew a cautious conclusion that yoga can help people with chronic nonspecific neck pain with intensity, boost mood, improve quality of life, and improve pain-related functional disability.
Those who suffer from chronic nonspecific neck pain may want to give yoga a try to see if it helps. Yoga classes can be found at community centers, fitness centers, and senior centers. There are also yoga videos that can be purchased and streamed so that people can do it in the comfort of their own home. Yoga is one more tool that is available for those who suffer from chronic pain, providing another option that may help bring some relief.
Source:
Medicine. Effects of yoga on patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain: A PRISMA systematic review and meta-analysis. February 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30813206
