Yoga and physical therapy as treatment for chronic lower back pain also improves sleep

BOSTON, Ma, USA — Yoga and physical therapy (PT) are effective approaches to treating co-occurring sleep disturbance and back pain while reducing the need for medication, according to a new study from Boston Medical Center (BMC). Published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the research showed significant improvements in sleep quality lasting 52 weeks after 12 weeks of yoga classes or 1-on-1 PT, which suggests a long-term benefit of these non-pharmacologic approaches. In addition, participants with early improvements in pain after 6 weeks of treatment were three and a half times more likely to have improvements in sleep after the full, 12-week treatment, highlighting that pain and sleep are closely related.

Sleep disturbance and insomnia are common among people with chronic low back pain (cLBP). Previous research showed that 59% of people with cLBP experience poor sleep quality and 53% are diagnosed with insomnia disorder. Medication for both sleep and back pain can have serious side effects, and risk of opioid-related overdose and death increases with use of sleep medications.

„Identifying holistic ways to treat these conditions could help decrease the reliance on these medications as well as keep patients safer and more comfortable,“ said Eric Roseen, DC, MSc, a researcher in the department of family medicine at BMC, who led the study.

The randomized controlled trial included 320 adults with cLBP from BMC and seven surrounding community health centers. At the beginning of the study, over 90 percent of participants with cLBP were found to suffer from poor sleep. Participants were assigned one of three different therapies for cLBP: physical therapy, weekly yoga, or reading educational materials. Previous research from BMC discovered that yoga and PT are similarly effective for lowering pain and improving physical function, reducing the need for pain medication. In this study, results for sleep improvements were compared over a 12-week intervention period and after 1 year of follow-up.

„The high prevalence of sleep problems in adults with chronic low back pain can have detrimental effects on a person’s overall health and well-being,“ said Roseen, also an assistant professor of family medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. „This really emphasizes the need for providers to ask patients with chronic low back pain about the quality of their sleep. Given the serious risks of combining pain and sleep medications, nonpharmacologic approaches should be considered for these patients.“

###

This study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), under grant numbers 1F32AT009272-01 and 5R01-AT005956.

About Boston Medical Center

Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 514-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $116 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2017. It is the 15th largest recipient of funding in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet – 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston.


Boston Medical Center, 19.11.2019 (tB).

MEDICAL NEWS

IU School of Medicine researchers develop blood test for anxiety
COVID-19 pandemic increased rates and severity of depression, whether people…
COVID-19: Bacterial co-infection is a major risk factor for death,…
Regenstrief-led study shows enhanced spiritual care improves well-being of ICU…
Hidden bacteria presents a substantial risk of antimicrobial resistance in…

SCHMERZ PAINCARE

Hydromorphon Aristo® long ist das führende Präferenzpräparat bei Tumorschmerz
Sorgen und Versorgen – Schmerzmedizin konkret: „Sorge als identitätsstiftendes Element…
Problem Schmerzmittelkonsum
Post-Covid und Muskelschmerz
Kopfschmerz bei Übergebrauch von Schmerz- oder Migränemitteln

DIABETES

Wie das Dexom G7 abstrakte Zahlen mit Farben greifbar macht…
Diabetes mellitus: eine der großen Volkskrankheiten im Blickpunkt der Schmerzmedizin
Suliqua®: Einfacher hin zu einer guten glykämischen Kontrolle
Menschen mit Diabetes während der Corona-Pandemie unterversorgt? Studie zeigt auffällige…
Suliqua® zur Therapieoptimierung bei unzureichender BOT

ERNÄHRUNG

Positiver Effekt der grünen Mittelmeerdiät auf die Aorta
Natriumaufnahme und Herz-Kreislaufrisiko
Tierwohl-Fleisch aus Deutschland nur mäßig attraktiv in anderen Ländern
Diät: Gehirn verstärkt Signal an Hungersynapsen
Süßigkeiten verändern unser Gehirn

ONKOLOGIE

Strahlentherapie ist oft ebenso effizient wie die OP: Neues vom…
Zanubrutinib bei chronischer lymphatischer Leukämie: Zusatznutzen für bestimmte Betroffene
Eileiter-Entfernung als Vorbeugung gegen Eierstockkrebs akzeptiert
Antibiotika als Störfaktor bei CAR-T-Zell-Therapie
Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs: Spezielle Diät kann Erfolg der Chemotherapie beeinflussen

MULTIPLE SKLEROSE

Multiple Sklerose: Aktuelle Immunmodulatoren im Vergleich
Neuer Biomarker für Verlauf von Multipler Sklerose
Multiple Sklerose: Analysen aus Münster erhärten Verdacht gegen das Epstein-Barr-Virus
Aktuelle Daten zu Novartis Ofatumumab und Siponimod bestätigen Vorteil des…
Multiple Sklerose durch das Epstein-Barr-Virus – kommt die MS-Impfung?

PARKINSON

Meilenstein in der Parkinson-Forschung: Neuer Alpha-Synuclein-Test entdeckt die Nervenerkrankung vor…
Neue Erkenntnisse für die Parkinson-Therapie
Cochrane Review: Bewegung hilft, die Schwere von Bewegungssymptomen bei Parkinson…
Technische Innovationen für eine maßgeschneiderte Parkinson-Diagnostik und Therapie
Biomarker und Gene: neue Chancen und Herausforderungen für die Parkinson-Diagnose…