Alternative Therapy: Yoga in Reduced Chronic Neck Pain Intensity

Kyle J. Norton

Yoga intervention may have a positive effect in reduced chronic neck pain, a significant public health problem with only very few evidence-based treatment options, a university study suggested.

Yoga, the ancient technique practice for harmonized external and internal body well being, through breath control, meditation, bodily movement and gesture..... has been well known for people in Western world and some parts in Asia due to health benefits reported by various respectable institutes and supported by health advocates.

In the study of total of 51 patients (mean age 47.8 y ; 82.4% female) randomized to yoga (n=25) and exercise (n=26) intervention, with the yoga group attended a 9-week yoga course and the exercise group received a self-care manual on home-based exercises for neck pain relief, researchers found that
1. After the end of the study, yoga group expressed a significantly less neck pain intensity in compared to the exercise group
2. Yoga group also showed a less disability and better mental quality of life
3. The same group also experienced improvement of motion and the pressure pain threshold.

Dr. Cramer H, the led author said, "Yoga was more effective in relieving chronic nonspecific neck pain than a home-based exercise program" and "yoga seems to influence the functional status of neckmuscles, as indicated by improvement of physiological measures of neck pain."

Additionally, in the study of 51 patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain (mean age 47.8 years; 82.4% female) assigned to 9-week yoga group intervention, researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen, filed the following reports at 12-month follow-up, in patients expressed
1. Pain intensity decreased from 48.81 to 32.31 ,
2. Neck-related disability decreased from 25.26  to 19.49 and
3. Body pain in the SF-36((short-form 36 questionnaire) improved from 49.37  to 59.26 

The study also indicated that
1. Improvements in pain intensity depends in yoga practice during the past 4 weeks
2. Improved neck-related disability and bodily pain depends on regular yoga practice during the past 12 months

According to the returned questionnaire, 68% of patient reported that yoga intervention may have some positive effects in their health.

Dr. Cramer H,once again said, "Sustained yoga practice seems to be the most important predictor of long-term effectiveness".

More importantly, In a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial of 72 patients randomized to a 9-week Iyengar yoga program with weekly 90-minute classes (n = 38) or to a self-care/exercise program (n = 38) with patients examined at baseline and after 4 and 10 weeks, researchers filed the following reports
1. Mean pain at rest was reduced from 44.3 to 13.0 at week 10 in yoga group
2. Pain at motion was reduced from 53.4 to 22.4 at week 10, in compared to the interval of 49.4 to 39.9 in self-care/exercise froup
3. Yoga intervention also showed significant treatment effects pain-related apprehension, disability, QOL, and psychological outcomes.
4 Yoga intervention was safe or well tolerated

After taking into account of other risk factors, the study postulated that yoga appears to be an effective treatment in chronic neck pain with possibly additional effects on psychological well-being and QOL.

Taking altogether, there is no doubt that yoga therapy may have a potential effect in reduced chronic neck pain as well as improving psychological well-being and quality of life, but sustained yoga practice seems to be the most important predictor of long-term effectiveness.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrients, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources

(1) Randomized-controlled trial comparing yoga and home-based exercise for chronic neck pain by Cramer H1, Lauche R, Hohmann C, Lüdtke R, Haller H, Michalsen A, Langhorst J, Dobos G.(PubMed)

(2) Yoga for chronic neck pain: a 12-month follow-up by Cramer H1, Lauche R, Hohmann C, Langhorst J, Dobos G.(PubMed)

(3) Yoga for chronic neck pain: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial by Michalsen A1, Traitteur H, Lüdtke R, Brunnhuber S, Meier L, Jeitler M, Büssing A, Kessler C.(PubMed)