Abstract
Yoga has been found effective in the treatment of chronic low back pain. We aimed
to evaluate the effectiveness of Iyengar yoga in chronic neck pain by means of a randomized
clinical trial. Seventy-seven patients (aged 47.9 ± 7.9, 67 female) with chronic neck
pain who scored >40 mm on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) were randomized to a
9-week Iyengar yoga program with weekly 90-minute classes (n = 38) or to a self-care/exercise
program (n = 38). Patients were examined at baseline and after 4 and 10 weeks. The
primary outcome measure was change of mean pain at rest (VAS) from baseline to week
10. Secondary outcomes included pain at motion, functional disability, quality of
life (QOL), and psychological outcomes. Twelve patients in the yoga group and 11 patients
in the self-care/exercise group were lost to follow-up, with higher study nonadherence
in the self-care group (5 versus 10 patients). Mean pain at rest was reduced from
44.3 ± 20.1 to 13.0 ± 11.6 at week 10 by yoga and from 41.9 ± 21.9 to 34.4 ± 21.1
by self-care/exercise (group difference: −20.1, 95% confidence interval: −30.0, −10.1;
P < .001). Pain at motion was reduced from 53.4 ± 18.5 to 22.4 ± 18.7 at week 10 by
yoga and from 49.4 ± 22.8 to 39.9 ± 21.5 by self-care/exercise (group difference:
−18.7, 95% confidence interval: −29.3, −8.1; P < .001). Significant treatment effects of yoga were also found for pain-related apprehension,
disability, QOL, and psychological outcomes. Sensitivity analyses suggested minimal
influence of dropout rates. Both programs were well tolerated. In this preliminary
trial, yoga appears to be an effective treatment in chronic neck pain with possible
additional effects on psychological well-being and QOL. The effectiveness of yoga
in chronic neck pain should be further tested by comparative effectiveness studies
with longer observation periods.
Perspective
This article presents the results of a randomized controlled trial on the clinical
effects of a 9-week yoga program or self-care exercise in patients with chronic neck
pain. Yoga led to superior pain relief and functional improvements and might be a
useful treatment option for chronic neck pain.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 14,
2012
Received in revised form:
July 19,
2012
Received:
April 11,
2012
Footnotes
The study was supported by the Carl and Veronica Carstens Foundation, Germany, with which the author Rainer Lüdtke is affiliated.
Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00000454.
There are no conflicts of interest for the other authors.
Supplementary data accompanying this article are available online at www.jpain.org and www.sciencedirect.com.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
