Yoga for Persistent Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors: Results of a Pilot Study

Abstract

Approximately one-third of breast cancer survivors experiences persistent fatigue for months or years after successful treatment completion. There is a lack of evidence-based treatments for cancer-related fatigue, particularly among cancer survivors. This single-arm pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a yoga intervention for fatigued breast cancer survivors based on the Iyengar tradition. Iyengar yoga prescribes specific poses for individuals with specific medical problems and conditions; this trial emphasized postures believed to be effective for reducing fatigue among breast cancer survivors, including inversions and backbends performed with the support of props. Twelve women were enrolled in the trial, and 11 completed the full 12-week course of treatment. There was a significant improvement in fatigue scores from pre- to post-intervention that was maintained at the 3-month post-intervention followup. Significant improvements were also observed in measures of physical function, depressed mood, and quality of life. These results support the acceptability of this intervention and suggest that it may have beneficial effects on persistent post-treatment fatigue. However, results require replication in a larger randomized controlled trial.

Self-regulation evaluation of therapeutic yoga and walking for patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a pilot study

“…In Iyengar yoga, emphasis is placed on awareness and precision of body alignment during postures, often with the aid of props. Iyengar yoga has been tested as a therapeutic treatment with beneficial results for various conditions, including depressed mood and anxiety (Balasubramaniam, Telles, & Doraiswamy, 2013;Javnbakht, Hejazi Kenari, & Ghasemi, 2009;Michalsen et al, 2005;Shapiro & Cline, 2004;Shapiro et al, 2007;Woolery, Myers, Sternlieb, & Zeltzer, 2004), persistent fatigue (Bower, Garet, & Sternlieb, 2011), and pain conditions including low back pain , osteoarthritis (Bukowski, Conway, Glentz, Kurland, & Galantino, 2006;Garfinkel, Schumacher, Husain, Levy, & Reshetar, 1994;Kolasinski et al, 2005), rheumatoid arthritis (Evans et al, 2013), chronic pancreatitis (Sareen, Kumari, Gajebasia, & Gajebasia, 2007), and carpal tunnel syndrome (Garfinkel et al, 1998). Studies of Iyengar yoga for IBS have been favorable, providing a decrease in symptomatology and anxiety (Evans et al, 2014;Kuttner et al, 2006;Taneja et al, 2004).…”

Role of Physiotherapy in Cancer-Related Fatigue in Cancer Survivors - A Narrative Review

“…Yoga interventions have also demonstrated positive effects on behavioural symptoms related to fatigue, including depressed mood, pain, and physical function. Julienne E. Bower evaluated the acceptability of an Iyengar yoga intervention for fatigued breast cancer survivors which have shown to be well-suited in cancer patients [43].…”

Yoga-based intervention in patients with somatoform disorders: an open label trial

“…Despite yoga being an integral part of Indian culture, clinical research into using yoga as treatment modality has been initiated only in the last few decades. Findings in recent studies have been encouraging for using yogabased interventions in pain disorders (Bower, Garet, & Sternlieb, 2011;Carson, Carson, Jones, Bennett, Wright, & Mist, 2010;Cramer, Lauche, Langhorst, Dobos, & Michalsen 2014;Do Ros ario, Orcesi, Kobayashi, Aun, & Diolindo Assumpção, 2013;Lee, Moon, & Kim, 2014;Nambi, Inbasekaran, Khuman, Devi, & Shanmugananth, 2014;Rudrud, 2012;Sharan, Manjula, Urmi, & Ajeesh, 2014). Studies have demonstrated therapeutic effects of yoga in chronic pain conditions such as low back ache, headache, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome (Bhatia, Dureja, Tripathi, Bhattacharjee, Bijlani, & Mathur, 2007;Holtzman & Beggs, 2013;Lauche, Cramer, H€ auser, Dobos, & Langhorst, 2015;Oka, Tanahashi, Chijiwa, Lkhagvasuren, Sudo, & Oka, 2014).…”