The Role of Yoga in the Management of Bladder Pain Syndrome: A Single-Arm Pilot Study

Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a devastating urologic condition characterized by irritative bladder symptoms, pelvic pain, and dyspareunia. First-line treatment includes dietary, self-care and behavioral modifications. The ancient practice of yoga is well suited to treat BPS, but evidence is lacking on its use.

To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of an integrated yoga module on BPS outcomes as measured by self-reported questionnaires from baseline to 3 months after therapy.

This was a prospective single-arm study of 8 patients who underwent 3 months of integrated yoga therapy. The treatment module was performed 3 to 4 times weekly at home with 1 session performed weekly in-office during the first month to ensure proper performance of postures. Patients completed questionnaires (Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency Patient Symptom Scale [PUF], Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire - short form 7 [PFIQ-7], Short Form 36 questionnaire [SF-36], Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) at baseline and 3 months, including Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) at the 3-month follow-up visit. Voiding diaries were also requested at baseline and at the 3-month assessment.

There was a trend toward improvement regarding patients' responses to all questionnaires 3 months after yoga therapy, with the only statistically significant improvements noted in social function and pain components of the SF-36. There were no significant changes noted on the voiding diaries except a non-statistically significant trend toward increased voided volumes. Patients rated their experiences with yoga therapy positively.

Yoga therapy for BPS showed evidence of benefit for improving bothersome bladder symptoms, pain and voiding. A randomized controlled trial will follow to investigate the efficacy of this yoga module against a control group.