The Effects of a Virtual Yoga Program on Patients With Chronic Pain

NCT05211414 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2021P002534
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 94
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research is being done to determine if remote yoga-based exercise can help reduce chronic pain. It will include three virtual research visits. This cohort study will include three remote research visits and an online questionnaire administration. In addition, participants will attend 8 weekly virtual yoga sessions with a daily 30-minute "homework assignment" of 30 minutes of video-guided yoga practice.

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Feasibility

  retention, attendance, yoga practice minutes

  8 weeks

• Brief Pain Inventory

  Change in Pain Intensity and Interference assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory a

  8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Pain Catastrophizing

  8 weeks

• Perceived Stress

  8 weeks

• Mindfulness

  8 weeks

• Sleep

  8 weeks

• Anxiety

  8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Yoga Based Daily Excercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Subjects will be trained to perform 30 minutes of moderate level yoga daily, with instruction on breathing, self-awareness, and ways to modify poses to avoid pain. Subjects will be instructed in use of the email links to access the 30-minute instructive video. Subjects will attend weekly Zoom classes to learn additional postures and techniques, which will be reflected in their 30 minutes video (i.e. a new video for each week). At these weekly remote yoga classes, they will be asked about difficulties encountered and given advice about their personal home practice.

Behavioral: Yoga Based Daily Excercise

Usual Care

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Yoga Based Daily Excercise BEHAVIORAL

Subjects will be trained to perform 30 minutes of moderate level yoga daily, with instruction on breathing, self-awareness, and ways to modify poses to avoid pain. Subjects will be instructed in use of the email links to access the 30-minute instructive video. Subjects will attend weekly Zoom classes to learn additional postures and techniques, which will be reflected in their 30 minutes video (i.e. a new video for each week). At these weekly remote yoga classes, they will be asked about difficulties encountered and given advice about their personal home practice.

Yoga Based Daily Excercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• chronic pain for \> 6 months' duration
• on stable doses of medication prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages (or CAM treatments) during the trial
• have an average pain score of 4/10 or greater over the previous week
• at least mild degree of sleep disturbance, defined as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score \>5
• are able to speak and understand English
• have access to a computer or tablet at home and have an email address
• are not currently engaged in a rigorous daily exercise routine (\>5X/week)
• are willing and physically able to participate in virtual yoga-based exercise

You may not qualify if:

• currently under active cancer treatment (chemo, infusion, ongoing radiation)
• acute osteomyelitis or acute bone disease
• current diagnosis of chronic systemic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
• present or past diagnosis of schizophrenia, delusional disorder, psychotic disorder, or dissociative disorder that would be judged to interfere with study participation
• pregnancy
• any clinically unstable systemic illness judged to interfere with exercise treatment
• a pain condition requiring urgent surgery
• an active addiction disorder, such as cocaine or IV heroin use, that would interfere with study participation
• contraindications to yoga (e.g., severe back or neck injury or surgery)
• regular meditation practice or other meditative practice (e.g tai-chi, meditative form of yoga or contemplative prayer) for \>20 min/week in the past 2 years
• participating in any other therapeutic trial
• other medical condition that would interfere with ability to exercise

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brigham and Women's Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2021
• First Posted: January 27, 2022
• Study Start: March 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: July 15, 2025
• Study Completion: July 15, 2025
• Last Updated: January 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

US (1)