Effect of Yoga Therapy on Spinal Flexibility in Patients Undergoing Conventional Treatment for Chronic Low Back Ache: An RCT

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) as an add-on on pain and spinal flexibility in patients undergoing conventional treatment for chronic low back ache. One hundred and twenty patients suffering from chronic low back ache (CLBA) aged between 18yrs to 75yrs Yoga(41.29±15.87) and Control (41.63±13.48) from Ebnezar orthopedic center, Bengaluru were randomly assigned into two groups; yoga group (YG) and control group (CG) to receive IAYT or Therapeutic exercises after Intermittent lumbar traction and ultrasound (20 minutes per day). Both the groups practiced supervised interventions (40 minutes per day) for 3 weeks at the center and later for 12 weeks at their residences after the completion of treatment. 57 (yoga) and 55 (control) subjects were available for the final analysis. Both the groups were assessed for pain and spinal flexibility on the 1 st day in the pretest and on the 21 st day in the post test. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA). There were significant differences within (RMANOVA, P<0.001) and between the groups (RMANOVA, P<0.001) on pain and spinal flexibility with better improvements in the yoga group than the control group. Pain in the yoga (39.