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NCT Number: NCT04270617

The Effect of Yoga Practice on Chronic Back Pain

Chronic low back pain is notoriously difficult to treat and is a primary contributor to lost work days and excessive health expenditures, and whose treatment has, in part, contributed to the opioid crisis. Surgery is only an option in a minority of these patients, usually confined to those with structural instability. Yoga is an ancient modality whose benefits are currently being studied.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Back Pain

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a 6 week standardized yoga practice is superior to usual conservative therapies in the treatment of chronic back pain at 6 months. There is enough data that the most recent ACP guidelines have included yoga as a treatment for chronic back pain, but more data needs to be generated regarding the efficacy of this modality in treating the chronic back pain population.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Willingness to and ability to participate in study procedures
  • Chronic back pain (pain above the gluteal cleft of at least 3 months duration)

Exclusion criteria

  • Indication for surgery (i.e., fracture, infection, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis)
  • Cardiac, pulmonary or other medical comorbidities that preclude participation in yoga practice

Treatment and study plan

Yoga Program

Behavioral

The intervention will be a 6-week ashtanga yoga program designed by world-renowned yogi Eddie Stern. Eddie Stern is an internationally known Ashtanga yoga teacher, in independent practice not affiliated with NYULH, who has done significant work exploring the physiology and science of yoga. He is not currently engaged in his own research. The yoga protocol for chronic back pain was designed with poses specific to addressing core strength but are gentle enough for patients in pain. The protocol is designed to be directed by a teacher initially but can be done at home and is only 18 minutes in duration.

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in VAS(visual analog scale)

    Time frame: Enrollment visit, 6 months after enrollment visit

    The visual analogue scale or visual analog scale (VAS) is designed to measure pain intensity with less pain being experienced by those in the intervention group in comparison to the control group.

  2. Changes in ODI (Oswestry Disability Index)

    Time frame: Enrollment visit, 6 months after enrollment visit

    The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is an index derived from the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire used by clinicians and researchers to quantify disability for low back pain. Improvement will be measured by the lower score out of a 100, which reflects less disability.

  3. Changes in SF-36 (Short Form (36) Health Survey )

    Time frame: Enrollment visit, 6 months after enrollment visit

    The Short Form (36) Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. Improvement with those with Yoga will be seen by higher scores in SF-36 which indicate lower disability.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Long term changes in VAS after intervention

    Time frame: Baseline Visit, 6 weeks Visit , 3 months Visit , 1 year Visit , 2 years Visit

    The visual analogue scale or visual analog scale (VAS) is designed to measure pain intensity with less pain being experienced by those in the intervention group in comparison to the control group.

  2. Long term changes in ODI after intervention

    Time frame: Baseline Visit, 6 weeks Visit , 3 months Visit , 1 year Visit , 2 years Visit

    The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is an index derived from the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire used by clinicians and researchers to quantify disability for low back pain. Improvement will be measured by the lower score out of a 100, which reflects less disability.

  3. Long term changes in SF-36 after intervention

    Time frame: Baseline Visit, 6 weeks Visit , 3 months Visit , 1 year Visit , 2 years Visit

    The Short Form (36) Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. Improvement with those with Yoga will be seen by higher scores in SF-36 which indicate lower disability.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Erich Anderer, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

(718) 630-6580

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

NYU Langone Health

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Prospective, Randomized-controlled Study to Evaluate the Effect of a Standardized Yoga Practice on Chronic Back Pain

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Feb 17, 2020
Registry last updated
Jun 4, 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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