Yoga in Sedentary Adults with Arthritis: Effects of a Randomized Controlled Pragmatic Trial

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the impact of Integral-based hatha yoga in sedentary people with arthritis. Methods 75 sedentary adults aged 18+ with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of yoga (2 60 min classes and 1 home practice/wk) or waitlist. Poses were modified for individual needs. The primary endpoint was physical health (SF36 Physical Component Summary [PCS]) adjusted for baseline; exploratory adjusted outcomes included fitness, mood, stress, self-efficacy, SF36 health-related quality of life (HRQL) and RA disease activity. In everyone completing yoga, we explored long-term effects at 9 months. Results Participants were mostly female (96%), white (55%), and college-educated (51%), with a mean (SD) age of 52 (12). Average disease duration was 9 (9) yrs. and 49% had RA. At 8 weeks, yoga was associated with significantly higher PCS (6.5; 95% CI: 2.0,10.7), walking capacity (125 m; 95% CI:15,235), positive affect (5.2; 95% CI:1.4,8.9) and lower CES-D (−3.0; 95% CI: −4.8,−1.3). Significant (p<.05) improvements were evident in SF36 Role Physical, Pain, General Health, Vitality and Mental Health scales. Balance, grip strength, and flexibility were similar between groups. 22/28 on waitlist completed yoga. Among all yoga participants, significant (p<.05) improvements were observed in mean PCS, flexibility, 6-min walk, all psychological and most HRQL domains at 8 weeks with most still evident 9 months later. Of seven adverse events, none were associated with yoga. Conclusions Preliminary evidence suggests yoga classes may help sedentary individuals with arthritis safely increase physical activity and improve physical and psychological health, and HRQL.

Hatha Yoga as a Form of Physical Activity in the Context of Lifestyle Disease Prevention

“…The yoga intervention consisted of 60-minute classes held twice a week for 8 weeks and one weekly home practice [52]. Therefore, yoga exercises may be an adequate form of physical activity for sedentary adults with arthritis.…”

Integrative Health Practices Used in Individuals Diagnosed With Osteoarthritis

“…Artritli bireylerde sekiz hafta boyunca haftada iki kez 60 dakika uygulanan yoganın, fiziksel aktiviteyi arttırarak hareketliliği artırmaya yardımcı olduğu, fiziksel ve psikolojik sağlık ve sağlıkla ilgili yaşam kalitesini geliştirdiği bildirilmiştir [32]. Yapılan çalışmalarda, diz OA'da konvansiyonel tedavi ile birlikte uygulanan yoganın ağrıyı azalttığı, sürekli kaygı durumu üzerinde etkili olduğu, fonksiyonel düzeyi arttırdığı, günlük aktiviteler, spor, boş zaman faaliyetleri ve yaşam kalitesini yükselttiği belirtilmiştir [33][34][35][36].…”

Reasons for Movement Therapy Alternatives for Older Adults from the NHIS Survey: A Guide for Practitioners

“…Physical activities shown to improve functioning in older adults include weight training, power training, walking to promote endurance, and yoga [11,15]. In 2015, a study completed at John Hopkins reported that eight weeks of yoga classes improved the physical and mental well-being of people with two common forms of arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis [16].…”

“…A well-known benefit of yoga is its ability to reduce stress with the combination of deep breathing and gentle movement [10,24]. There is promising evidence supporting the use of yoga for both pain relief and alleviating the symptoms of arthritis [16].…”