Background: Low back pain is very common and has a tremendous economic impact. With the prevalence and incidence of low back pain on the rise, individuals are turning to alternative treatments. Yoga is the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine treatment for low back pain and it is not fully certain how effective this method is for resolving the symptoms. Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript is to systematically review the current literature for randomized controlled trials that assess the outcomes of yoga intervention in individuals with low back pain. Methods: An electronic database search was performed to analyze studies. To be included in the review, the studies were required to be a randomized controlled trial, published in English, present in a peer reviewed journal, identify yoga as the primary treatment focus for low back pain in at least one group, and included participants with at least a 12 week history of low back pain. Results: A search of the databases revealed 177 articles, of which, 8 met the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: Yoga intervention appears to be effective in alleviating symptoms brought on by low back pain. Yoga was either demonstrated to significantly improve quality of life and reduce disability, stress, depression, and medication usage associated with low back pain in 6 of the 8 analyzed trials. More research is necessary to account for the lack of between-group differences in two trials
