Sacral fractures are an extensive category of fractures caused by accidents (in young people) or mild trauma ( in elderly people with osteoporosis) or both. Intervertebral disc bulge (IVDB) is defined as the presence of disc tissue that is circumferentially 50–100% beyond the edges of the ring apophyses. A 35-year-old female patient diagnosed with sacral fracture and IVDB presented to outpatients at the Government Yoga and Naturopathy Hospital with the complaint of pain extending from her lower back region to her tail bone (coccyx), along with numbness along the lateral left thigh and difficulty placing the soles on the ground while walking for the past four months. Her pain was aggravated with prolonged sitting, and supine lying and it did not reduce with rest. She had a history of two-wheeler accident.

Pain was managed by analgesic medications and a lumbar belt. She underwent 35 days of integrated yoga and naturopathy intervention. At 35 days, pain was reduced along with disability and stress. She showed improvement in the quality of sleep (QoS) and in radiological findings via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the post-test assessments compared to the pre-test assessments. Thus, this case study suggests that yoga and naturopathy may reduce pain, stress and disability and improves fracture healing and QoS in patients with sacral fracture and IVDB. However, the generalisability of this study is limited, due to the methodology of a case study. Therefore, randomised controlled trials with a larger sample size are recommended to support the results of this study.

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are injuries or dysfunctions that include a wide range of inflammatory and degenerative conditions that affect the muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilages, spinal discs, peripheral nerves, and supporting blood vessels. They are common, and their impact is pervasive all around the world. Yoga and naturopathy as a complementary system of medicine, play a vital role in the management of MSDs. Studies on yoga and naturopathy, and MSDs are limited. Thus, the objective of this study was to understand the effect of yoga and naturopathy, including a plant-based diet, on biochemical variables in patients with MSDs.

Materials and methods A single-group pre test–post test observational design was conducted with 70 subjects aged 51.13 years (±11.77) with MSD. All subjects underwent yoga and naturopathy, including a plant-based diet for a period of seven days. Biochemical variables such as hemoglobin, blood glucose (fasting and postprandial), total cholesterol (TC), urea, creatinine, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results Results showed a significant increase in hemoglobin level (p<0.001) and a significant decrease in fasting and post prandial blood glucose (p<0.001), TC (p<0.001), urea (p<0.001), creatinine (p<0.001) and ESR (p<0.001) after the intervention.

Conclusion One week of yoga and naturopathy, including a plant-based diet, might be beneficial in musculoskeletal disorders. However, randomised controlled trials are recommended to confirm these study results.