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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Jan-Dec:24:2515690X19863763.
doi: 10.1177/2515690X19863763.

Yoga for People With Chronic Pain in a Community-Based Setting: A Feasibility and Pilot RCT

Arlene A Schmid  1 , Christine A Fruhauf  1 , Julia L Sharp  1 , Marieke Van Puymbroeck  2 , Matthew J Bair  3 , Jennifer Dickman Portz  1   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Yoga for People With Chronic Pain in a Community-Based Setting: A Feasibility and Pilot RCT

Arlene A Schmid et al. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

The purpose of this feasibility pilot study was to assess benefits of 8 weeks of yoga in people with chronic pain. Participants completed baseline assessments and were randomized to yoga or usual care. Yoga was offered twice a week for 8 weeks. We assessed feasibility and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) was the primary outcome, assessing pain-severity and pain interference on daily activities. Eighty-three people were recruited; 67 people completed the study and were included in the analyses. Average age of participants was 50.78 ± 10.43 years and most participants had pain >10 years. The intervention appeared feasible and there were significant improvements (P < .05) in multiple measures for the yoga group, including a decrease in BPI interference scores from 7.15 ± 1.70 to 6.14 ± 2.21 (P = .007). There was a significant difference in body responsiveness and pain management scores between groups at 8 weeks. It appears that yoga was feasible and positively influenced multiple outcome measures for people with chronic pain.

Keywords: alternative therapies; chronic pain; feasibility; yoga.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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