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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05211414

The Effects of a Virtual Yoga Program on Patients With Chronic Pain

This research is being done to determine if remote yoga-based exercise can help reduce chronic pain. It will include three virtual research visits. This cohort study will include three remote research visits and an online questionnaire administration. In addition, participants will attend 8 weekly virtual yoga sessions with a daily 30-minute "homework assignment" of 30 minutes of video-guided yoga practice.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • chronic pain for > 6 months' duration
  • on stable doses of medication prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages (or CAM treatments) during the trial
  • have an average pain score of 4/10 or greater over the previous week
  • at least mild degree of sleep disturbance, defined as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score >5
  • are able to speak and understand English
  • have access to a computer or tablet at home and have an email address
  • are not currently engaged in a rigorous daily exercise routine (>5X/week)
  • are willing and physically able to participate in virtual yoga-based exercise

Exclusion criteria

  • currently under active cancer treatment (chemo, infusion, ongoing radiation)
  • acute osteomyelitis or acute bone disease
  • current diagnosis of chronic systemic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
  • present or past diagnosis of schizophrenia, delusional disorder, psychotic disorder, or dissociative disorder that would be judged to interfere with study participation
  • pregnancy
  • any clinically unstable systemic illness judged to interfere with exercise treatment
  • a pain condition requiring urgent surgery
  • an active addiction disorder, such as cocaine or IV heroin use, that would interfere with study participation
  • contraindications to yoga (e.g., severe back or neck injury or surgery)
  • regular meditation practice or other meditative practice (e.g tai-chi, meditative form of yoga or contemplative prayer) for >20 min/week in the past 2 years
  • participating in any other therapeutic trial
  • other medical condition that would interfere with ability to exercise

Treatment and study plan

Yoga Based Daily Excercise

Behavioral

Subjects will be trained to perform 30 minutes of moderate level yoga daily, with instruction on breathing, self-awareness, and ways to modify poses to avoid pain. Subjects will be instructed in use of the email links to access the 30-minute instructive video. Subjects will attend weekly Zoom classes to learn additional postures and techniques, which will be reflected in their 30 minutes video (i.e. a new video for each week). At these weekly remote yoga classes, they will be asked about difficulties encountered and given advice about their personal home practice.

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    retention, attendance, yoga practice minutes

  2. Brief Pain Inventory

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Change in Pain Intensity and Interference assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory a

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain Catastrophizing

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Change in pain catastrophizing as measured by the Pain Catastrophizing Scale Scored 0-52, with higher scores indicating worse outcome.

  2. Perceived Stress

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Change in perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale Scored 0-40, with higher scores indicating worse outcome.

  3. Mindfulness

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Change in mindfulness as measured by the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire short form Scored 24-120, with higher scores indicating better outcome.

  4. Sleep

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    PROMIS scale

  5. Anxiety

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Change in Anxiety

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jan 27, 2022
Registry last updated
Jan 30, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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