London (PTI): Suffering from chronic back pain? Try out the 'Alexander Technique' -- a physical work-out with a focus on self-perception of movement.

Researchers in Britain have carried out a study and found that the 100-year-old relaxation method, named after its founder Australian actor Frederick Matthias Alexander, can help ease chronic back pain.

"This is a significant step forward in the long-term management of low back pain. The results of this study clearly revealed that the 'Alexander Technique' can beat back pain.

"It probably does this by limiting muscle spasm, strengthening postural muscles, improving coordination and flexibility and decompressing the spine," the 'Daily Mail' quoted the study's co-author Prof Paul Little as saying.

For their study, Prof Little of Southampton University and colleagues at Bristol University recruited 579 patients with chronic or recurrent back pain.

The subjects were allocated one of four types of treatment -- normal care such as painkillers, physiotherapy, massage, six 'Alexander Technique' lessons, or 24 AT lessons.

Half of the patients were also prescribed an exercise which consisted of walking for 30 minutes daily five times a week.

The researchers found that after one year, exercise combined with lessons in the 'Alexander Technique' reduced pain significantly and improved functioning wheareas message offered little benefit after three months.

In addition, those having 'Alexander Technique' lessons also reported fewer days with back pain over the previous four weeks. Patients getting normal care had 21 days of back pain, compared with four among those having a full 24-lesson course of the method while those who had six lessons had 11 days of pain and those having massage had 14. The study has been published in the 'British Medical Journal'.