Yoga versus education for Veterans with chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Yoga Versus Education for Veterans with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Yoga is effective for chronic low back pain (cLBP) in civilians but understudied among Veterans.

OBJECTIVE

Determine whether yoga is more effective than an educational book for improving disability and pain among Veterans with cLBP.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Veterans diagnosed with cLBP at a VA medical center enrolled in a randomized controlled trial from March to December of 2015.

INTERVENTIONS

Twelve weekly hatha yoga classes or education using The Back Pain Helpbook.

MEASURES

Co-primary outcomes were changes from baseline at 12 weeks in back-related disability on the modified Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and pain on the Defense & Veterans Pain Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes were global improvement, patient satisfaction, pain medication use, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. An intention-to-treat approach was used in primary analyses.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty Veterans (mean age, 55.5 [SD = 16.9]; 11 [9%] women; mean number of chronic conditions, 5.5) were randomized to yoga (n = 62) and education (n = 58). At 12 weeks, reductions in back-related disability in yoga (mean difference [MD] = - 3.50, 95% CI: - 5.03, - 1.97) were not significantly different than education (MD = - 2.55, 95% CI: - 4.10, - 0.99; between-group difference: - 0.95 [95% CI: - 3.14, 1.23], p = 0.39). For pain, there was no significant difference between yoga (MD = - 1.01, 95% CI: - 1.67, - 0.35) and education (MD = - 0.81, 95% CI: - 1.36, - 0.27; between-group difference: - 0.20, 95% CI: - 1.06, 0.66, p = 0.65). More yoga than education participants reported being very much or extremely improved (39% vs 19%, OR = 3.71, 95% CI: 1.37, 10.02, p = 0.01) and very satisfied with treatment (60% vs 31%, OR = 4.28, 95% CI: 1.70, 10.77, p = 0.002). No differences in pain medication use or post-traumatic stress symptoms were observed at 12 weeks. No serious adverse events were reported in either group.

CONCLUSION

Twelve weekly yoga classes were not more effective than an education intervention for improving pain or disability outcomes among mostly older male Veterans with cLBP and multiple comorbid health conditions.

GOV IDENTIFIER

NCT02224183.

Yoga for chronic non-specific low back pain

BACKGROUND

Non-specific low back pain is a common, potentially disabling condition usually treated with self-care and non-prescription medication. For chronic low back pain, current guidelines recommend exercise therapy. Yoga is a mind-body exercise sometimes used for non-specific low back pain.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the benefits and harms of yoga for treating chronic non-specific low back pain in adults compared to sham yoga, no specific treatment, a minimal intervention (e.g. education), or another active treatment, focusing on pain, function, quality of life, and adverse events.

SEARCH METHODS

We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was 31 August 2021 without language or publication status restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials of yoga compared to sham yoga, no intervention, any other intervention and yoga added to other therapies.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We followed standard Cochrane methods. Our major outcomes were 1. back-specific function, 2. pain, 3. clinical improvement, 4. mental and physical quality of life, 5. depression, and 6.

ADVERSE EVENTS

Our minor outcome was 1. work disability. We used GRADE to assess certainty of evidence for the major outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 21 trials (2223 participants) from the USA, India, the UK, Croatia, Germany, Sweden, and Turkey. Participants were recruited from both clinical and community settings. Most were women in their 40s or 50s. Most trials used iyengar, hatha, or viniyoga yoga. Trials compared yoga to a non-exercise control including waiting list, usual care, or education (10 trials); back-focused exercise such as physical therapy (five trials); both exercise and non-exercise controls (four trials); both non-exercise and another mind-body exercise (qigong) (one trial); and yoga plus exercise to exercise alone (one trial). One trial comparing yoga to exercise was an intensive residential one-week program, and we analyzed this trial separately. All trials were at high risk of performance and detection bias because participants and providers were not blinded to treatment, and outcomes were self-assessed. We found no trials comparing yoga to sham yoga. Low-certainty evidence from 11 trials showed that there may be a small clinically unimportant improvement in back-specific function with yoga (mean difference [MD] -1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.73 to -0.65 on the 0- to 24-point Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire [RMDQ], lower = better, minimal clinically important difference [MCID] 5 points; 1155 participants) and moderate-certainty evidence from nine trials showed a clinically unimportant improvement in pain (MD -4.53, 95% CI -6.61 to -2.46 on a 0 to 100 scale, 0 no pain, MCID 15 points; 946 participants) compared to no exercise at three months. Low-certainty evidence from four trials showed that there may be a clinical improvement with yoga (risk ratio [RR] 2.33, 95% CI 1.46 to 3.71; assessed as participant rating that back pain was improved or resolved; 353 participants). Moderate-certainty evidence from six trials showed that there is probably a small improvement in physical and mental quality of life (physical: MD 1.80, 95% CI 0.27 to 3.33 on the 36-item Short Form [SF-36] physical health scale, higher = better; mental: MD 2.38, 95% CI 0.60 to 4.17 on the SF-36 mental health scale, higher = better; both 686 participants). Low-certainty evidence from three trials showed little to no improvement in depression (MD -1.25, 95% CI -2.90 to 0.46 on the Beck Depression Inventory, lower = better; 241 participants). There was low-certainty evidence from eight trials that yoga increased the risk of adverse events, primarily increased back pain, at six to 12 months (RR 4.76, 95% CI 2.08 to 10.89; 43/1000 with yoga and 9/1000 with no exercise; 1037 participants). For yoga compared to back-focused exercise controls (8 trials, 912 participants) at three months, we found moderate-certainty evidence from four trials for little or no difference in back-specific function (MD -0.38, 95% CI -1.33 to 0.62 on the RMDQ, lower = better; 575 participants) and very low-certainty evidence from two trials for little or no difference in pain (MD 2.68, 95% CI -2.01 to 7.36 on a 0 to 100 scale, lower = better; 326 participants). We found very low-certainty evidence from three trials for no difference in clinical improvement assessed as participant rating that back pain was improved or resolved (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.31; 433 participants) and very low-certainty evidence from one trial for little or no difference in physical and mental quality of life (physical: MD 1.30, 95% CI -0.95 to 3.55 on the SF-36 physical health scale, higher = better; mental: MD 1.90, 95% CI -1.17 to 4.97 on the SF-36 mental health scale, higher = better; both 237 participants). No studies reported depression. Low-certainty evidence from five trials showed that there was little or no difference between yoga and exercise in the risk of adverse events at six to 12 months (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.53; 84/1000 with yoga and 91/1000 with non-yoga exercise; 640 participants).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is low- to moderate-certainty evidence that yoga compared to no exercise results in small and clinically unimportant improvements in back-related function and pain. There is probably little or no difference between yoga and other back-related exercise for back-related function at three months, although it remains uncertain whether there is any difference between yoga and other exercise for pain and quality of life. Yoga is associated with more adverse events than no exercise, but may have the same risk of adverse events as other exercise. In light of these results, decisions to use yoga instead of no exercise or another exercise may depend on availability, cost, and participant or provider preference. Since all studies were unblinded and at high risk of performance and detection bias, it is unlikely that blinded comparisons would find a clinically important benefit.

Two-Step Resilience-Oriented Intervention for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

The present randomized parallel two-arm pilot study aimed to compare the efficacy of two-step resilience-oriented intervention with treatment as usual in veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

METHOD

Two-step Resilience-Oriented Intervention (TROI) is a brief psychological intervention that targets cognitive (step 1) and emotional (step 2) factors of resilience and consists of six 1-hour sessions. Overall, 70 Ukrainian veterans serviced in Anti-Terrorist Operation / Joint Forces Operation were randomly assigned to an intervention group (TROI group) or a control group that underwent treatment as usual (TAU group). For pre- (T1) and post-treatment (T2) assessment the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5), Chaban Quality of Life Scale (CQLS), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) were used.

RESULTS

Multivariable linear regression with the treatment group, gender, baseline cognitive performance level and TBI severity as the independent variables revealed statistically significant improvements in the TROI group in resilience (CD-RISC), cognitive performance (MoCA), postconcussive symptoms (NSI), posttraumatic symptoms (PCL-5), positive affect (PANAS) and quality of life (CQLS) comparing to such in TAU group. We found no statistically significant differences between groups in depression, anxiety (HADS) and negative affect (PANAS) outcomes. Additionally, Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that participants who completed two-step resilience-oriented intervention had significantly improved scores for all outcomes compared to the baseline (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, we can tentatively conclude that adding TROI to the standard treatment measures may improve the resilience and sustainable symptoms in veterans with TBI when compared with standard treatment. Targeting cognitive and emotional factors like problem-solving, decision-making, positive thinking can promote resilience in veterans with TBI and be useful in facilitating recovery from injury. Results of this pilot study are promising, but the intervention needs to be studied in a larger trial.

Efficacy of risk factor education on pain intensity and disability in office workers with nonspecific neck or low back pain: A pilot cluster randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal disorders are of multi-factorial origin, including individual, physical, and psychosocial factors. An effective education program for musculoskeletal disorders should include predisposing factors.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the effect of risk factor education on pain intensity and disability levels compared to a home-based exercise program in office workers with nonspecific neck or low back pain.

METHODS

A pilot cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted in 46 workers with neck or low back pain. The education group received checklists of risk factors and handbooks providing information on how to manage them. The exercise group received a home-based exercise program to manage their neck or low back pain. The primary outcome measures were pain intensity and disability levels.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in pain intensity or disability level between groups at baseline and follow-ups. However, neck and low back pain intensity, but not disability level, at the 3-month and 6-month follow-ups was significantly lower than those at baseline in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Risk factor education was not more effective than the home-based exercise program in terms of pain intensity or disability reduction in workers with nonspecific neck or low back pain.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine's Effectiveness in Reducing High-Impact Chronic Pain and Opioid Consumption: A Case Report in the Veteran Population

Chronic pain is a condition affecting millions of Americans annually. Veterans, as a population cohort, are often afflicted with chronic pain that is more complex, with higher rates of psychiatric and social comorbidities when compared to the general population. In this case report, we describe a veteran with major depressive disorder and alcohol abuse afflicted by high-impact chronic pain, initially treated and then maintained on high dose opioids developing dependency, who was successfully weaned off and achieved adequate pain management using complementary and alternative medicine, namely Qi gong. We conclude that complementary and alternative medicine offers a safe and effective option in providing pain relief using nonpharmacological means and thus avoiding undesired effects. We postulate that as research in this area increases, the demand for and the availability of complementary and alternative medicine will expand.

Establishment of a Novel Porcine Model to Study the Impact of Active Stretching on a Local Carrageenan-Induced Inflammation

OBJECTIVE

Active stretching of the body is integral to complementary mind-body therapies such as yoga, as well as physical therapy, yet the biologic mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain largely unknown. A previous study showed the impact of active stretching on inflammatory processes in rats. The present study tested the feasibility of using a porcine model, with a closer resemblance to human anatomy, to study the effects of active stretching in the resolution of localized inflammation.

DESIGN

A total of 12 pigs were trained to stretch before subcutaneous bilateral Carrageenan injection in the back at the L3 vertebrae, 2 cm from the midline. Animals were randomized to no-stretch or stretch, twice a day for 5 mins over 48 hrs. Animals were euthanized for tissue collection 48 hrs postinjection.

RESULTS

The procedure was well tolerated by the pigs. On average, lesion area was significantly smaller by 36% in the stretch group compared with the no-stretch group (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

This porcine model shows promise for studying the impact of active stretching on inflammation-resolution mechanisms. These results are relevant to understanding the stretching-related therapeutic mechanisms of mind-body therapies. Future studies with larger samples are warranted.

Yoga therapy for military personnel and veterans: Qualitative perspectives of yoga students and instructors

OBJECTIVE

Millions of military personnel and veterans live with chronic mental and physical health conditions that often do not respond well to pharmacological treatments. Serious side effects and lack of treatment response have led to widespread efforts to study and promote non-pharmacological and behavioral health treatments for many chronic health conditions. Yoga is an increasingly popular mind-body intervention that has growing research support for its efficacy and safety. Our objective was to explore the attitudes, perspectives, and preferences of military personnel and veterans toward yoga as a therapeutic modality, thus providing needed information for designing and promoting yoga interventions for this population.

METHODS

Participants included 24 individuals with yoga experience and current or past military service and 12 instructors who have taught yoga for military personnel and/or veterans. A semi-structured set of questions guided interviews with each participant.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged from the interviews: (1) mental health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (2) physical health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (3) important yoga elements and conditions that support effective practice; (4) facilitators for engaging military in yoga practice; and (5) challenges and barriers to yoga practice for military.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights consistent reports of mental and physical benefits of yoga practice, ongoing stigma resulting in the need for combatting and demystifying yoga and other complementary and integrative health (CIH) practices, the importance of designing interventions to address the unique mental health issues and perspectives of this population, and the importance of efforts by military leadership to bring CIH to military personnel and veterans. Rigorous research addressing these findings, along with further research on the efficacy and effectiveness of yoga interventions for treating various conditions are needed.

Yoga Treatment for Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain (2017)

Wieland LS, Skoetz N, Pilkington K, Vempati R, D׳Adamo CR, Berman BM. Yoga treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain.Cochrane Database Syst Rev2017, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD010671. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010671.pub2.

BACKGROUND

Non-specific low back pain is a common, potentially disabling condition usually treated with self-care and non-prescription medication. For chronic low back pain, current guidelines state that exercise therapy may be beneficial. Yoga is a mind-body exercise sometimes used for non-specific low back pain.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of yoga for treating chronic non-specific low back pain, compared to no specific treatment, a minimal intervention (e.g., education), or another active treatment, with a focus on pain, function, and adverse events.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, five other databases, and four trials registers to 11 March 2016 without restriction of language or publication status. We screened reference lists and contacted experts in the field to identify additional studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials of yoga treatment in people with chronic non-specific low back pain. We included studies comparing yoga to any other intervention or to no intervention. We also included studies comparing yoga as an adjunct to other therapies, versus those other therapies alone.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently screened and selected studies, extracted outcome data, and assessed risk of bias. We contacted study authors to obtain missing or unclear information. We evaluated the overall certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 12 trials (1080 participants) carried out in the USA (seven trials), India (three trials), and the UK (two trials). Studies were unfunded (one trial), funded by a yoga institution (one trial), funded by non-profit or government sources (seven trials), or did not report on funding (three trials). Most trials used Iyengar, Hatha, or Viniyoga forms of yoga. The trials compared yoga to no intervention or a non-exercise intervention such as education (seven trials), an exercise intervention (three trials), or both exercise and non-exercise interventions (two trials). All trials were at high risk of performance and detection bias because participants and providers were not blinded to treatment assignment, and outcomes were self-assessed. Therefore, we downgraded all outcomes to "moderate" certainty evidence because of risk of bias, and when there was additional serious risk of bias, unexplained heterogeneity between studies, or the analyses were imprecise, we downgraded the certainty of the evidence further. For yoga compared to non-exercise controls (9 trials; 810 participants), there was low-certainty evidence that yoga produced small to moderate improvements in back-related function at three to four months [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.14; corresponding to a change in the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire of mean difference (MD) = -2.18, 95% CI: -3.60 to -0.76], moderate-certainty evidence for small to moderate improvements at six months (SMD = -0.44, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.22; corresponding to a change in the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire of MD = -2.15, 95% CI: -3.23 to -1.08), and low-certainty evidence for small improvements at 12 months (SMD = -0.26, 95% CI: -0.46 to -0.05; corresponding to a change in the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire of MD = -1.36, 95% CI: -2.41 to -0.26). On a 0-100 scale there was very low- to moderate-certainty evidence that yoga was slightly better for pain at three to four months (MD = -4.55, 95% CI: -7.04 to -2.06), six months (MD = -7.81, 95% CI: -13.37 to -2.25), and 12 months (MD = -5.40, 95% CI: -14.50 to -3.70); however, we pre-defined clinically significant changes in pain as 15 points or greater and this threshold was not met. Based on information from six trials, there was moderate-certainty evidence that the risk of adverse events, primarily increased back pain, was higher in yoga than in non-exercise controls [risk difference (RD) = 5%, 95% CI: 2-8%]. For yoga compared to non-yoga exercise controls (4 trials; 394 participants), there was very-low-certainty evidence for little or no difference in back-related function at three months (SMD = -0.22, 95% CI: -0.65 to 0.20; corresponding to a change in the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire of MD = -0.99, 95% CI: -2.87 to 0.90) and six months (SMD = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.59 to 0.19; corresponding to a change in the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire of MD = -0.90, 95% CI: -2.61 to 0.81), and no information on back-related function after six months. There was very low-certainty evidence for lower pain on a 0-100 scale at seven months (MD = -20.40, 95% CI: -25.48 to -15.32), and no information on pain at three months or after seven months. Based on information from three trials, there was low-certainty evidence for no difference in the risk of adverse events between yoga and non-yoga exercise controls (RD = 1%, 95% CI: -4% to 6%). For yoga added to exercise compared to exercise alone (1 trial; 24 participants), there was very-low-certainty evidence for little or no difference at 10 weeks in back-related function (SMD = -0.60, 95% CI: -1.42 to 0.22; corresponding to a change in the Oswestry Disability Index of MD = -17.05, 95% CI: -22.96 to 11.14) or pain on a 0-100 scale (MD = -3.20, 95% CI: -13.76 to 7.36). There was no information on outcomes at other time points. There was no information on adverse events. Studies provided limited evidence on risk of clinical improvement, measures of quality of life, and depression. There was no evidence on work-related disability.