(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People suffering from lower back pain may find relief in an ancient art, report researchers from Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies in Seattle.

The first-of-its-kind study on back pain and yoga revealed yoga can significantly ease the condition and is better than conventional exercise or reading a self-help book.

The research involved about 100 adults with lower back pain who were randomly assigned to either a yoga exercise group, a conventional exercise group, or a group that received a self-help book on coping with lower back pain. Each of the exercise groups participated in 12 weekly sessions lasting 75 minutes each. The yoga group learned 17 poses generally considered easy to perform and suitable for various body types. The conventional exercise group did standard aerobic, strengthening and stretching exercises. Both exercise groups practiced what they learned at home in-between sessions.

At the end of the study and at a follow-up, people in the yoga group were significantly better able to function than those in either the conventional exercise group or self-help group. They also reported less use of standard pain medications for treating lower back pain.

SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, published online Dec. 20, 2005