Yoga vs. Education for Veterans With Chronic Low Back Pain
CompletedNot applicableNCT02224183
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the most common pain condition in the military, causing substantial physical and psychological suffering, reduction in force readiness, and high economic cost. Yoga has been studied in 10 RCTs in civilian populations with cLBP suggesting it may be effective in reducing pain intensity, improving back-related function, and lowering pain medication use. Multiple differences exist between civilian and military populations with cLBP, making it necessary to adapt and test yoga for cLBP in military populations. This study's primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga for reducing pain in military personnel and Veterans with cLBP through a structured, reproducible 12-week series of hatha yoga classes, supplemented with home practice, compared to an education group. Additionally, the enormous mental health burden often shouldered by returning military personnel presents another important distinguishing factor. Thus, the study's secondary aim is to assess yoga's capacity to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The third aim is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of yoga for cLBP at 3 months and 6 months from the perspective of the provider, the Veteran, and the Veterans Health Administration. The fourth and final aim is to evaluate the effect of back pain and yoga on marital and family functioning. The proposed RCT will (1) establish a structured reproducible yoga protocol uniquely suited to Veterans populations with cLBP; (2) develop web-based delivery systems to assist Veterans in yoga home practice; (3) increase our knowledge of the feasibility and impact of yoga for Veterans' cLBP and psychological comorbidities. These results will help determine whether yoga is an effective modality for addressing cLBP in a Veteran population.
Study details
- Official title
- Veterans Back to Health: A Study Comparing Yoga and Education for Veterans With Chronic Low Back Pain
- Conditions
- Recurrent Low Back Pain
- Interventions
- Sponsor
- Boston Medical Center
- Collaborators
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Start date
- 2015-03
- Primary completion
- 2016-04
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- United States
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * Veteran of any branch of military service * Current low-back pain present for at least half the days over the past 6 months mean pain intensity for the previous week ≥4 on 0-10 rating scale Exclusion Criteria: * Significant yoga practice in the previous 6 months * Have read The Back Pain Helpbook in the previous 6 months * New LBP treatments started within the previous month or anticipated to begin in the next 3 months * Known pregnancy * Known inflammatory or systemic causes of LBP * Severe and/or progressive medical, neurological, or psychiatric comorbidities * Inability to understand/speak English * Plans to move out of the area in the next 6 months * Lack of informed consent * Unwillingness to be randomized
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02224183