title: Mind-Body Exercises for Nurses with Chronic Low Back Pain: An Evidence-Based Review.
abstract: Background. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) among nurses is a growing health concern. The multimodal nature of mind-body exercises has potential to impact physiological and psychological processes associated with chronic pain, affording possible advantages over conventional unimodal therapies. This paper summarizes the prevalence of and risk factors for CLBP among nurses, reviews the effectiveness in treating pain and disability of mind-body exercises (yoga and tai chi) for CLBP among the general and nursing population, and describes implications. Methods. Articles, published during or prior to 2015, were systematically identified through the PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases using the following search terms: nurses, mind-body, integrative, biopsychosocial, yoga, tai chi, back pain, and/or risk factors. Results. Prevalence estimates of CLBP among nurses ranged from 50% to 80%. Associated risk factors for CLBP included lifestyle and physical, psychological, psychosocial, and occupational factors. No published studies were identified that evaluated yoga or tai chi for nurses with CLBP. Studies in the general population suggested that these interventions are effective in reducing pain and disability and may improve factors/processes predictive of CLBP. Conclusion. This review suggests that evaluating the impact of multimodal interventions such as yoga and tai chi for nurses with CLBP warrants investigation.
authors.affiliation: Texas Woman's University, Nelda C. Stark College of Nursing, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing & Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Pinky
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6958-9544
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Budhrani-Shani
authors.affiliation: Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing & Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7935-2807
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arcari
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Langevin
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Wayne