Yoga for Pain

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services  /  National Institutes of Health

September 2024

Yoga may help relieve low-back pain and neck pain, headache, arthritis, and fibromyalgia although the amount and quality of evidence varies for each condition. According to a national survey, the percentage of U.S. adults who practiced yoga increased from 5.0 percent in 2002 to 15.8 percent in 2022. Although most of the adults surveyed who practiced yoga reported doing so for wellness-related reasons, many said they practiced yoga to treat a specific health condition, including pain. This issue of the digest provides a summary of available research on yoga for pain, including fibromyalgia, low-back pain, neck pain, headaches, and arthritis.


What the Science Says

Yoga for Pain


Condition and Summary of Current Research


Additional Resources


Visit NCCIH’s website to read the full issue of this month’s Clinical Digest.


NCCIH Clinical Digest is a service of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCCIH Clinical Digest, a monthly e-newsletter, offers evidence-based information on complementary and integrative health, including scientific literature searches, summaries of NCCIH-funded research, fact sheets for patients, and more.

NCCIH is 1 of 27 institutes and centers at the NIH. The mission of NCCIH is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. For additional information, call NCCIH’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCIH website at nccih.nih.gov.

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