Yoga is good for back pain – and you can throw away the meds, too

Take up yoga if you’re one of the millions who suffer from chronic lower back pain. It eases the worst of the symptoms, and you won’t need the painkillers, a new study has discovered.
Back pain sufferers were able to move more freely, they experienced less pain and were able to stop painkilling medication after completing three months of yoga, practised just once a week.
Researchers from the Group Health Research Institute tested the benefits of viniyoga against stretching on a group of 228 adults who had moderate back pain.
Improvements, and a reduction in medication use, were seen in both groups, although the researchers said the stretching exercises were similar to yoga movements.
The participants were still not taking medication three months after stopping the yoga exercises.
(Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2011; doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.524).

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