Back Pain and Stress
In today’s fast paced world, many of us are stressed. If effectively managed, stress won’t have a negative impact on our life. If left unmanaged, though, stress can lead to many health problems including back pain. When someone has severe back pain, everyday life becomes more challenging and only creates more stress. It is a vicious cycle. According to new research at Boston Medical Center, yoga classes designed specifically for back pain may be the solution to not only easing back pain, but also lowering stress levels.
Yoga as the Solution
The yoga protocol for back pain was developed by researchers at Boston Medical Center with input from yoga teachers, doctors and physical therapists. The protocol is also in line with the guidelines for treating back pain from the American College of Physicians. In a year long study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, results found that participants who did 12 weeks of yoga classes got the same amount of pain and stress relief as attending 15 physical therapy sessions. The most remarkable finding, though, is that after the yoga classes, the number of participants needing pain medication dropped by 20%. Those who just attended physical therapy still felt the need to take pain medication. This shows that the affects of yoga on back pain are long lasting, which also reduces overall stress.
A guidebook that details the poses taught during the classes used in the study is freely available, as is a teacher training manual.
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