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This study is open to both members and non-members of Group Health.

More information to help you decide if this study is right for you

Find out what will happen if you take part in this study
Information about the research team and study funding
Other information about taking part in research
Contact study staff

• What is the goal of this study?
  This study will compare three different ways of managing chronic low back pain:
  • Yoga for Backs — a series of 12 yoga classes designed for people with low back pain
  • Healthy Backs/Healthy Lives — a series of 12 stretching and strengthening classes for your back
  • The Back Pain Helpbook — a state-of-the-art self-care book designed to help people better understand and manage their low back pain

Our goal is to find out which of these three methods works best to ease low back pain.

What will happen if I take part in this study?
If you decide to take part, we will ask you come to our research clinic for an in-person exam. We will also ask you questions about your health and your back problem. This will help us confirm whether you are eligible for the study.

• We will then use a computer to randomly assign you to one of the three study groups. This means that you will be put into a group by chance, like drawing names out of a hat. The three study groups are:
  • Yoga for Backs
  • Healthy Backs/Healthy Lives
  • The Back Pain Helpbook

Four out of five people who join the study will be offered Yoga for Backs or Healthy Backs/Healthy Lives. One out of five will be offered The Back Pain Helpbook.

• If you are assigned to Yoga for Backs:
  • We will invite you to attend one yoga class per week for 12 weeks. The classes will last 75 minutes each.
  • We also ask that you practice the techniques you learn in class at home and that you keep track of your home practice.

• If you are assigned to Healthy Backs/Health Lives:
  • We will invite you to attend one stretching and strengthening class per week for 12 weeks. The classes will last 75 minutes each.
  • We also ask that you practice the techniques you learn in class at home and that you keep track of your home practice.

• If you are assigned toThe Back Pain Helpbook:
  • We will mail you a copy of a state-of-the-art self-care book designed to help people better understand and manage their low back pain.

• The study will last about 6 months. During that time, we will ask everyone in the study to:
  • Do three phone interviews that will last about 30 minutes each.
    We will give you $20 for each interview that you choose to do.
  • Collect three saliva samples.
    We will give you $20 for each of the three saliva samples that you turn in.
  • Come to our research clinic for a final exam and in-person interview 12 weeks after the study starts

Who is doing this study? Who is paying for it?
Group Health Center for Health Studies, the University of Washington, and Stanford University are working together on this study. Our research is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

What else should I know about taking part in research?
Being in this study is voluntary. If you decide to be in the study, you can change your mind and leave the study at any time.

We will keep all the information we collect for this study confidential as provided by law.

Who do I call if I have questions?
If you have questions that this website can’t answer, please call us at 1-888-324-3651 or email our study team at doesithurthere@ghc.org.

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