Yoga for Back Pain

A study from the University of York in York, U.K., has found that yoga improves back functionality in people—particularly women—who suffer from chronic lower back pain. Researchers examined 300 subjects who had suffered from chronic back pain for an average of 10 years and discovered that subjects who completed a three-month yoga course had a greater range of motion and were able to complete tasks more easily.

According to an article in the UK’s Daily Mail, the 56-year old biomedicine professor achieved his remarkable recovery through a self-designed yoga back exercise program that he now teaches to others, including participants in an English study funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign. While the study’s results have yet to be tallied, significant positive indications suggest what other studies have already shown: yoga for back pain can provide effective, long-term relief from chronic discomfort.

Having a strong, well-integrated core is important not just for proper alignment in yoga postures, it is a key component in keeping the back and spine healthy and to maintain a good posture throughout life.

Many chronic back pain sufferers discover the hard way that Western medicine is limited in what it has to offer for back pain. 

New research shows that yoga may be useful as a therapy to improve postural stability and balance and lower the risk of trips and falls, which often lead to serious injury in people over the age of 65.