Effects of Yoga on Pain and Disability
Written by Sam Moylan
Yoga is an ancient method that is becoming increasingly popular in the western world. It is a multi-faceted practice which has many different elements, ranging from physical postures to breathwork, meditation, focus and spirituality. The holistic nature of yoga makes it a useful tool for combating the complexity of persistent pain. Below is a brief snapshot of the evidence around the use of yoga for the treatment of pain and disability.
A meta-analysis, Effects of Yoga Interventions on Pain and Pain-associated Disability (Bussing, Ostermann, Ludtke & Michalsen, 2011), reviewed 16 studies to assess the effects of yoga on pain and pain related disability. Five of these studies were considered high quality, seven moderate quality and four low quality. Six of the studies looked at lower back pain, two at rheumatoid arthritis, two at headache/migraine and the other six at individual issues.
Findings showed four studies with strong effects of yoga on pain intensity/frequency, six studies showed moderate effects and two weak effects. In terms of pain-related disability, five studies reported strong effect sizes, four moderate and three weak.
Overall, this review showed promising evidence that yoga may be a useful intervention for multiple pain disorders. However, authors stated further studies are required to identify which specific patients may benefit from which specific aspects of yoga interventions.
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Yoga for Low Back Pain (Cramer et al., 2013) analysed the effectiveness of yoga for managing low back pain specifically. Ten trials were included with a total of 967 chronic low back pain patients. The main outcome measures assessed were pain, back specific disability, generic disability, health related quality of life and global improvement.
The results showed strong evidence for short term effects on pain, back specific disability, and global improvement. There was also strong evidence for long term effects on pain, as well as moderate evidence for long term effects on back specific disability. In summary the review demonstrated strong evidence for the short-term effectiveness and moderate evidence for the long-term effectiveness of yoga for chronic low back pain.
Current evidence supports interventions that address the biological, psychological, and social aspects of persistent pain. While no one intervention is advised to cover all bases, yoga’s wide scope makes it an ideal candidate for the management of ongoing pain. As we can see, the large-scale reviews above support this notion and highlight the benefits that yoga can have on pain and disability.
References
Büssing, A., Ostermann, T., Lüdtke, R., & Michalsen, A. (2012). Effects of yoga interventions on pain and pain-associated disability: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 13(1), 1-9.
Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Haller, H., & Dobos, G. (2013). A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for low back pain. The Clinical journal of pain, 29(5), 450-460.
Yoga in Sport
Yoga in Sport
Yoga has many positive effects on people from all walks of life, with athletes being no exception. A large number of the world’s top sporting professionals from many different countries and sporting codes have developed a yoga practice in order to give them an edge on the competition. Some of these athletes include Lebron James, Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Tom Brady, Shane Watson and Tom Mitchell. These athletes all express that yoga keeps them physically and mentally healthy, reducing their susceptibility to injury and improving performance.
The evidence is not just anecdotal however, as a study by Eggleston & Lockyer in 2016 proved. Twenty-six college athletes were split into two groups, over a 10-week period one group took part in bi-weekly yoga sessions in addition to their normal training, while the second group did not take part in any additional yoga training. Performance measures were obtained immediately before and after this period. Measurements of flexibility and balance included: sit-reach, shoulder flexibility, and stork stand; dynamic measurements consisted of joint angles measured during the performance of three distinct yoga positions (downward dog; right foot lunge; chair).
It was found that the athletes who practiced yoga for 10 weeks demonstrated improvement in both flexibility and balance measures. These findings suggest that the practice of yoga as part of traditional training methods enhances the components of fitness that are the essential to sports performance. Thus, the practice of yoga may provide an additional training option to enhance performance in athletes.
Yoga is very beneficial for reducing stress. Long term yoga practitioners have been found to have a reduced amount of stress related inflammatory markers in their bodies compared to people who haven’t regularly practiced yoga (Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2010). Dealing with stress is a massive part of being an athlete and is often the difference in high pressure sporting situations. It is also a constant mental challenge and often leads to health issues in high level athletes. Yoga can help equip athletes to cope with stress, therefore improving performance, as well as overall health and longevity.
References
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Christian, L., Preston, H., Houts, C. R., Malarkey, W. B., Emery, C. F., & Glaser, R. (2010). Stress, inflammation, and yoga practice. Psychosomatic medicine, 72(2), 113. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820143/
Polsgrove, M. J., Eggleston, B. M., & Lockyer, R. J. (2016). Impact of 10-weeks of yoga practice on flexibility and balance of college athletes. International journal of yoga, 9(1), 27. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728955/?tool=pmcentrez&report=abstract