Yoga Therapy: A Contribution to Comprehensive Pain Care – Pain Society of Alberta

The Pain Society of Alberta has released the presentations from their 14th Annual Virtual Conference for the public to view, for free!

I was thrilled to be one of the 38 presenters invited to speak at this prestigious scientific conference. Fellow presenters included healthcare professionals, educators, leaders of pain organizations, leading pain researchers and people with the lived experience of pain. Over 4500 participants from across the globe attended this virtual conference dedicated to providing evidence-based education to enhance knowledge, skills and effectively support professionals who work with people in pain. The Pain Society of Alberta is an interprofessional team of health practitioners, researchers and educators in Alberta, Canada, who are committed to the study of pain and to improving pain care delivery and the lives of people struggling with persistent pain.

My presentation was about Yoga Therapy and its contributions to comprehensive pain care. It was a wonderful opportunity to be able to represent yoga therapy at a high quality academic conference such as this. Yoga therapy continues to be increasingly accepted into areas of modern healthcare. There is significant and growing evidence (systematic reviews and meta-analyses) that supports the integration of yoga therapy into various specialty areas, particularly in the area of chronic pain. A growing number of medical professionals are recommending yoga to their patients and an increasing number of clinicians are integrating it into their practice. Clinicians and people in pain are in need of accessible and cost-effective treatment options that encompass an evidence-informed, biopsychosocial-spiritual, patient-centered and empowering approach to pain care. Yoga Therapy can provide such options and be part of a comprehensive pain care plan.

The peer-reviewed White Paper published in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy that I co-authored with colleagues Neil Pearson, Marlysa Sullivan and Matthew Taylor outlines the evidence and value of yoga therapy in Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management and can be freely accessed here.