Iyengar yoga and the use of props for pediatric chronic pain: a case study

Iyengar yoga uses postures and props to support the body so that practitioners can engage in poses that would otherwise be more difficult. This type of yoga may be useful in treating children and adolescents who have chronic pain and disability. In this case study, the authors discuss a 14-y-old girl who had two surgeries for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and who had continued chest and abdominal pain, as well as vomiting, difficulty eating, weight loss, and anxiety. Having significantly impaired functioning, she was unable to attend school, sleep, socialize, or eat, and she had become wheelchair-bound. Despite evaluations and treatments by specialists over an extended period of time, her symptoms had not improved. This case history describes how the authors used a 4-mo treatment of Iyengar yoga to help the adolescent resume activities and re-engage with her environment. The authors intend this report to stimulate scientific study of this form of treatment for children and adolescents with chronic pain.