Yoga: Can It Be Integrated with Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

Background: Neuropathic pain (NP) is a debilitating condition that may result from spinal cord injury (SCI). Nearly 75% of all SCIs result in NP affecting 17,000 new individuals in the United States every year, and an estimated 7-10% of people worldwide. It is caused by damaged or dysfunctional nerve fibers sending aberrant signals to pain centers in the central nervous system causing severe pain that affects daily life and routine. The mechanisms underlying NP are not fully understood, making treatment difficult. Identification of specific molecular pathways that are involved in pain syndromes and finding effective treatments has become a major priority in current SCI research. Yoga has therapeutic applications that may prove beneficial in treating subjects suffering chronically from SCI-induced NP, chronic back and associated pain if necessary experimental data are generated. Summary: This review aims to discuss the implications of various mechanistic approaches of yoga which can be tested by new study designs around various nociceptive molecules including matrix metalloproteinases, cation-dependent chloride transporter (NKCC1), etc. in SCI-induced NP pa-

Potential Role of Yoga Intervention in the Management of Chronic Non-malignant Pain

“…Yoga also improves autonomic reflex regulation systems and restores the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic limbs in inflammatory situations [ 85 ]. Yoga practice also reduces the level of oxidative stress and improves the anti-oxidant levels [ 86 ]. Therefore, one of the possible mechanisms by which yoga could be reducing RA pain is by decreasing the level of inflammatory mediators.…”