Effect of Tele - Yoga as an adjunctive therapy on Pain, Quality of Life, Perceived stress and Functional capacity in patient with Degenerative Disc of Lumbar Spine – A Case Report

This case report explores the efficacy of a therapeutic yoga protocol in alleviating pain, perceived stress, enhancing quality of life (QoL) and functional capacity in a 40-year-old female patient diagnosed with degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. Following a 10-day inpatient yoga program at a residential center, the patient was monitored through regular follow-ups over 36 weeks. Clinical assessments included the Dallas Pain Questionnaire, Short Form-36 Health Questionnaire, Functional Rating Index, and Perceived Stress Scale. Despite minimal changes observed in MRI findings, significant subjective improvements were reported across all assessed parameters, including improvement in Dallas pain subscales like Daily Activities (42% - 39%), Work/Leisure (50% - 25%), Anxiety / Depression (70% - 15%) and Social Activities (60% - 15%), enhanced functional capacity (75% - 15%), reduction in Perceived stress scale (PSS) (23 – 13) and also improvement seen in SF 36 Health Questionnaires Subscales, Physical function (25% - 60%), Role limitation due to physical health (0% - 75%), Role limitation due to emotional problems (0% - 100%), Energy / fatigue (30% - 90%), emotional well-being (48% - 92%), social functioning (37.5 % - 75%), Pain (22.5% - 90%), General Health (50% - 75%). The integrated approach of yoga, combining physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, contributed to these outcomes. This study is the first to document the impact of a therapeutic yoga protocol on lumbar spine DDD using a Tele-yoga format, highlighting the potential of non-pharmacological interventions in managing chronic pain and improving overall well-being. Future research with larger randomized controlled trials is warranted to further validate these findings and generalize the therapeutic benefits of yoga in clinical practice.