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Articles Sought for the Next BackCare Journal
BackCare is a national charity that aims to reduce the impact
of back pain on society by providing information, support,
promoting good practice, funding research and campaigning.
Yoga better for chronic back pain
and associated depression
BackCare has launched the BackCare Journal to give a platform
to professionals where they can share research, best practice The benefits of yoga have long been talked about and many
and expertise. This is the first edition of this new quarterly back pain sufferers find that it helps them treat and manage their
magazine, and the editorial panel invites you to submit articles pain. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health Science
that would be of benefit to all disciplines within the back pain and conducted by researchers at West Virginia University found
field for inclusion in future editions. that yoga not only helped relieve back pain in participants but
also helped with the depression often associated with it and did
Dr Andrew Auty is the chair of the editorial panel. He said: so better than conventional treatment.
“This organisation provides a link between patients, healthcare
RESEARCH NEWS
professionals, allied health, employers, policy makers, Participants in the study were split into a control group which
researchers and all others with an interest in back pain. received conventional treatment and a group which received
One of the difficulties associated with the treatment of back pain is determining which
classes of Iyengar yoga. Yoga subjects participated in 24
treatments work and which do not. The general consensus is that exercise and manual
“It is important to us that this publication reflects and shares the weeks of yoga classes. The outcomes were assessed at 12,
therapy work for most individuals, however, in recent years new, somewhat more
wealth of expertise that exists in this field. We want to feature 24 and 48 weeks. Researchers found that those in the yoga
alternative therapies have also emerged as being helpful for back pain patients. As
written work and information of the highest standard. We know group reported a significantly greater reduction in functional
research progresses it continuously tests the efficacy of conventional diagnosis and
there are many people who can share such work with us, and disability and pain intensity at 24 weeks in comparison to the
treatment of back pain and brings new treatments to light. This brings with it hope
through the BackCare Journal, reach a wider audience.” control group. Clinical improvements at both 12 and 24 weeks
to patients that if conventional treatments are ineffective there may one day be new
were also seen in significantly greater proportions in the yoga
treatments that are and hopefully helps foster the realisation that back pain can be
BackCare aims to significantly reduce the burden of back group. Additionally, depression was significantly lower in yoga
managed.
pain by providing information and education to all people and subjects and there was also a clinically significant trend for the
organisations affected by back pain and to fund scientific yoga group to reduce pain medication use compared to the
research into the causes, prevention and management of back control group. These findings indicate that yoga may be a very
pain. effective all round therapy for treating both the physical and
psychological symptoms of back pain.
To submit your article for publication, contact
Sash Newman, the Chief Executive of BackCare, at See http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/
sash@backcare.org.uk or telephone 020 8977 5474. Citation/2009/09010/Letters.18.aspx
Chronic back pain is not inevitable
“Back pain is a life sentence!” This is The study included 400 patients who recovery after a year. Although the study
the view often taken by some of the had sought treatment for acute back does not explicitly indicate what each of
millions of people who suffer with back pain but had not recovered after 90 days. the patients who recovered did in order
pain. However, a recent Australian study These patients were asked to complete to facilitate their recovery it does provide
published in the British Medical Journal surveys nine and twelve months later. hope for back pain sufferers that their
claims that this is not the case, there is The results showed that 35% of the pain does not have to become chronic.
hope; acute back pain does not have to patients reported complete recovery after
become chronic back pain. 9 months and 41% reported complete See www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full
4 The Backcare Journal
backcare Winter 2009/10.indd 4 8/1/10 11:18:33
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