459: Chronic Low Back Pain Management: Clinical and Psychophysiological Outcomes of Yoga and Mindfulness

Topic: Clinical Science
Subtopic: Pain category (ICD-11), Chronic primary musculoskeletal pain, Non-pharmacological treatments, Physiotherapy (e.g. exercise, rehab), Treatment/management

Background and Aims: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a widespread medical issue that impacts personal health and generates substantial economic costs. Traditional treatment methods often show limited efficacy, leading to a search for alternative therapies such as yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). This study aims to compare the efficacy of Sphinx pose yoga and MBSR in managing CLBP in healthcare providers.

Methods: This multicenter, parallel-arm, randomised controlled trial involved participants randomly assigned to one of four groups: Sphinx pose yoga (Group A), MBSR (Group B), usual care (Group C), and a combined yoga-MBSR intervention (Group D). The intervention lasted 12 weeks. Primary outcomes include pain intensity, functional disability (Oswestry Questionnaire), and physiological markers (cortisol, β-endorphins, substance-P, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein). Secondary outcomes include quality of life (WHO Quality of Life), stress (Sadaf Stress Scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7), and heart rate variability.

Results: Significant improvements in pain intensity, functional disability, and physiological markers were observed in the yoga and MBSR intervention groups compared to the usual care group. Combined yoga-MBSR showed the greatest improvements across most measures, including pain intensity and heart rate variability. The outcomes indicated that both yoga and MBSR are effective in managing CLBP.

Conclusions: Yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapies, particularly when combined, offer a promising approach for managing chronic low back pain, improving pain levels, functional disability, quality of life, and physiological markers. These findings suggest potential for integrating these therapies in clinical settings for CLBP management.

References: Saleem, Y., Noushad, S., Ahmed, S., Ansari, B. (2025). Chronic Low Back Pain Management: Clinical and Psychophysiological Outcomes of Multimodal Approaches – A Randomized Controlled Trial on Yoga and Mindfulness. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 11(2):e002697. DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002697.

Presenting Author: Yusra Saleem
Submitting Author: Yusra Saleem

Senior Author: Sadaf Ahmed

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No

• Shamoon Noushad: Ph.D. - Advance Educational Institute and Research Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
• Sadaf Ahmed: Ph.D. - 1.Department of Health, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan 2.Advance Educational Institute and Research Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
• Basit Ansari: Ph.D. - Department of Health, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan