Yoga may not give you a mental lift... and it's 'no better for easing back pain than simple stretching'

By NADIA GILANI and DANIEL BATES



No gain: Yoga practitioners in the downward dog pose, reputed to help back pain, but U.S. researchers found that simple stretching offered the same benefits



It is supposed to be a thorough workout for both body and soul.

But researchers claim doing yoga has no additional mental benefits when compared with regular stretching.

The largest study of its kind found those who do the Indian stretching with a bad back would alleviate the physical symptoms – but that was it.



The researchers were unable to detect any improvement in mental welfare that they could specifically put down to the exercise.

Yoga has become one of the most popular ways to stay in shape thanks to endorsement from hundreds of celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Those who follow it claim it gives them a spiritual cleansing that can be traced back to its roots in ancient India. However the study found that overall, yoga was only as effective at relieving back pain as normal stretching.



Muscle control: The findings contradict previous research that found yoga practitioners needed fewer painkillers and had better back function than those who simply stretch



This meant that any mental benefits came from the stretching itself, rather than chanting or breath control which sometimes accompanies yoga.

The researchers from the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle came to their conclusion after examining 228 adults with chronic lower back pain.

Some took weekly yoga classes while others went to stretching classes.

The yoga was a type known as viniyoga, which features poses adapted for the individual condition of those in the class, breathing exercises and a deep relaxation period.



The study measured changes in back pain at six weeks, 12 weeks and six months. Three months after the end of classes, symptom improvements were similar in those who had done either stretching or yoga.

Karen Sherman, who led the study at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington, told The Daily Telegraph: 'We expected back pain to ease more with yoga than with stretching so our findings surprised us.



'The most straightforward interpretation of our findings would be that yoga's benefits on back function and symptoms were largely due to the stretching and strengthening of muscles'.

The stretch classes were taught by licensed physical therapists while the yoga classes were led by instructors with more than 500 hours of training.



source: dailymail

Published by YpMhb Blog

Like Asmtp on Jempol or Add Asmtp on Facebook