What was studied. The Cochrane review combined 12 randomised trials with 1,080 adults who had long-lasting low back pain with no specific cause. Yoga, mostly Iyengar, Hatha or Viniyoga styles, was compared with no treatment, education, or other exercise.
What they found. Compared with no exercise or education, yoga probably gave small improvements in back-related function and pain at around three and six months. Against other types of exercise, there was little or no difference.
What it means. Yoga is a reasonable form of exercise to consider for long-lasting low back pain, much like other gentle exercise, if it is taught by a trained teacher and adapted to your back.
Limits. The trials could not hide from people whether they were doing yoga, and results were self-reported. The authors rated the certainty of evidence as low to moderate, and the improvements were small. Long-term effects are not well known.
Source. Wieland LS, Skoetz N, Pilkington K, Vempati R, D’Adamo CR, Berman BM. Yoga treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017. PubMed.
This article is for general education. It does not replace advice from your own doctor.
