MediYoga compared to physiotherapy treatment as usual for patients with stress-related symptoms in primary care rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of MediYoga as a group treatment to conventional treatment provided by a physiotherapist for people with perceived stress-related symptoms. Randomized controlled trial. Primary care rehabilitation, Gothenburg Sweden. Fifty-five patients with stress-related symptoms were invited to participate. Nine patients declined, and a total of 46 patients aged 26-70 years (mean 47), 44 women and two men were randomized, 23 to the MediYoga group and 23 to the physiotherapy treatment as usual group. The MediYoga group performed MediYoga for one hour a week during an 8-week period. The control group received physiotherapy treatment as usual. Data were mainly collected by self-reported questionnaires. For primary outcome the Swedish version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used. Secondary outcomes were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS). Thoracic excursion was the only physical measurement. Mixed effect model was used for analyse. For the primary outcome PSS, there was a close to statistically significant group effect over time advantaging MediYoga over physiotherapy (P = 0.06). For secondary outcomes, the group effect over time was statistically significant in HADS anxiety (P = 0.01) and EQ-VAS (P = 0.03). There was a group trend over time advantaging MediYoga in HADS depression (P = 0.08). Despite a large dropout in both groups, MediYoga can be recommended as a treatment option for people suffering from stress-related symptoms. Registered in: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02907138.