Integrative effect of yoga practice in patients with knee arthritis

Abstract

Background:Benefits of yoga practice in patients with knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis remains controversial. This study performs a meta-analysis to quantify the efficiency of yoga exercise for patients pain reduction, functional recovery, and general wellbeing.Methods:A computerized search of PubMed and Embase was performed to identify relevant studies. The outcome measures were pain, stiffness, and physical function. Two investigators identified eligible studies and extracted data independently. The quality of citations was measured using Jadad score. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for pain, musculoskeletal impairment, quality of life, general wellbeing, and mental wellbeing.Results:A total of 13 clinical trials involving 1557 patients with knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis were included in final meta-analysis with the average Jadad score 2.8. The SMD was −0.98 (95% CI −1.18, −0.78, P < .05) for pain, −1.83 (95% CI −2.09, −1.57, P < .05) for functional disability, was 0.80 (95% CI 0.59, 1.01, P < .05) for Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) general health, 0.49 (95% CI 0.14, 0.82, P < .05) for SF-36 mental health, and HAQ was −0.55 (95% CI −0.83, −0.26, P < .05) for health associated questionnaire (HAQ). All the results favor yoga training group.Conclusions:Regular yoga training is helpful in reducing knee arthritic symptoms, promoting physical function, and general wellbeing in arthritic patients.

A mixed methods evaluation of an individualised yoga therapy intervention for rheumatoid arthritis: Pilot study

“…17,18 Reviews of yoga for arthritis provide preliminary evidence of a positive effect on symptoms (pain, stiffness, tenderness), functioning, and mood. 15,[19][20][21] A more recent randomized pragmatic trial of an 8-week hatha yoga intervention for sedentary adults with RA or osteoarthritis found improvements to physical health, walking capacity, pain, energy and mood. 22 Mechanistic explanations for yoga's potential mental and physical health benefits include down-regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system [23][24][25] together with psychological strategies such as increased mindfulness, self-regulation and self-awareness, 24 important qualities in pain and disease management.…”

Effects of Resuming Training Using Yoga on Physical Functions and Fitness of Taekwondo Athletes After High-intensity Training

“…The function of yoga to improve exibility is as follows: Yoga posture movements include stretching, bending, pushing, twisting, and fully stretching the muscles of the body through various asanas. Continuous practice can effectively increase the stretchability of athletes' ligaments and exercise muscles, so it can promote the exibility of athletes [23][24]. Studies have suggested that the static stretch formed after exercise can speed up the recovery of skeletal muscle structure, strengthen the deformability of skeletal muscle, improve the exibility of the body, thereby helping to reduce the risk of sports injuries, and also help restore the function after training [25].…”

Yoga as a novel adjuvant therapy for patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

“…Yoga has been shown to lead to improvements in emotional, mental, and psychological well-being beyond what is expected from traditional aerobic and strength exercises. [ 11 12 ] Furthermore, yoga has been shown to greatly improve gait, balance, flexibility, and pain. [ 13 ] Finally, yoga may be particularly beneficial in the elderly, where limitations in mobility and exercise nonadherence are of major concerns.…”