Individually Tailored Yoga Program for the Treatment of Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Condition: Neck Pain Musculoskeletal; Back Pain, Unspecified
MeSH terms: Back Pain; Neck Pain
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of an individually tailored yoga
      program delivered in a group setting for the treatment of chronic neck and back pain in a low
      income population. Chronic pain is one of the most common, costly, and disabling conditions,
      and is often refractory to treatment. Yoga is a promising treatment for chronic pain. This
      pilot study will test the hypothesis that study subjects will participate in a voluntary 12
      week yoga intervention for the treatment of chronic neck and back pain, as assessed by
      attendance at 12 weekly yoga practice sessions. Secondary outcomes will include change in
      pain and quality of life scores over the 12 week study period as assessed by the Visual
      Analog Scale for Pain Severity and EQ-5D-3L.
    

Detailed description: 
      This will be a pilot study involving only one group to assess the feasibility of an
      individually tailored program of yoga for the treatment of chronic neck and back pain. All
      study procedures will be completed in English and Spanish by study team members fluent in
      these languages, and using study materials printed in English and in Spanish. Potential
      participants will be recruited through flyers and referrals from providers at Wingra Family
      Medical Center. Interested potential participants will undergo screening in person or over
      the phone which will take approximately 15 minutes. If they are determined to be eligible,
      potential participants will meet with a member of the research team to receive information
      about the study and sign the consent form if they so choose. Consent will take approximately
      15 minutes. Demographic information will be collected at the time consent is signed, this
      will take an additional 10 minutes. Following this, participants will have a 90 minute intake
      session with Adrienne Hampton, MD, RYT 200 [RYT 200 is the designation for a Registered Yoga
      Teacher with 200 hours of training] where the pain history will be elicited and the yoga
      program will be developed. Following this, participants will be encouraged to participate in
      the weekly drop-in practice sessions, where they will choose how much time they would like to
      spend asking questions, and receiving one on one practice instruction from Dr. Hampton.
      Participants will be encouraged to spend at least 45 minutes at the weekly practice session,
      which will include 10 minutes for completion of questionnaires. Participants will also be
      encouraged to practice their prescribed program of yoga at home, daily, for 20 minutes each
      day. The primary outcome measured will be attendance at yoga practice sessions. Additionally,
      indices of pain and quality of life will be assessed before, during, and after the study
      either in person or over the phone. Participants will also submit home yoga practice logs.
      All participants will be asked to complete a 30 minute exit interview in person at the end of
      the 12 week intervention period. The questionnaires are administered on paper, and
      participants will record their answers on paper. For the exit interview, the interviewer will
      read the questions to the participant, and then the interviewer will scribe on paper the
      participant's answers to the questions.Participants will be provided with bus passes to
      facilitate travel to study activities, and will be paid up to $50 for study participation.
    

Intervention name(s): Yoga practice
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other