title: Randomized-controlled trial comparing yoga and home-based exercise for chronic neck pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic neck pain is a significant public health problem with only very few evidence-based treatment options. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of yoga for relieving musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Iyengar yoga compared with exercise on chronic nonspecific neck pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly assigned to either yoga or exercise. The yoga group attended a 9-week yoga course and the exercise group received a self-care manual on home-based exercises for neck pain relief. The main outcome measure was the present neck pain intensity (100 mm visual analog scale). Secondary outcome measures included functional disability (Neck Disability Index), pain at motion (visual analog scale), health-related quality of life (Short Form-36 questionnaire), cervical range of motion, proprioceptive acuity, and pressure pain threshold.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one patients (mean age 47.8 y ; 82.4% female) were randomized to yoga (n=25) and exercise (n=26) intervention. After the study period, patients in the yoga group reported significantly less neck pain intensity compared with the exercise group [mean difference: -13.9 mm (95% CI, -26.4 to -1.4), P=0.03]. The yoga group reported less disability and better mental quality of life. Range of motion and proprioceptive acuity were improved and the pressure pain threshold was elevated in the yoga group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Yoga was more effective in relieving chronic nonspecific neck pain than a home-based exercise program. Yoga reduced neck pain intensity and disability and improved health-related quality of life. Moreover, yoga seems to influence the functional status of neck muscles, as indicated by improvement of physiological measures of neck pain.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. h.cramer@kliniken-essen-mitte.de
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lauche
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hohmann
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lüdtke
authors.forename: Heidemarie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haller
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michalsen
authors.forename: Jost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Langhorst
authors.forename: Gustav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dobos
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga; D055815:Young Adult