1 74 142 A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN: A PILOT RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF AMBULATORY WOMEN AGED 40 YEARS AND OLDER WITH STRESS, URGENCY, OR MIXED-TYPE INCONTINENCE. WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM (N = 10) CONSISTING OF TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES AND ONCE WEEKLY HOME PRACTICE OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 9). ALL PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN PAMPHLETS ABOUT STANDARD BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR INCONTINENCE. CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE WERE ASSESSED WITH 7-DAY VOIDING DIARIES. RESULTS: THE MEAN (SD) AGE WAS 61.4 (8.2) YEARS, AND THE MEAN BASELINE FREQUENCY OF INCONTINENCE WAS 2.5 (1.3) EPISODES/D. AFTER 6 WEEKS, THE TOTAL INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DECREASED BY 70% (1.8 [0.9] FEWER EPISODES/D) IN THE YOGA THERAPY VERSUS 13% (0.3 [1.7] FEWER EPISODES/D) IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.049). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA THERAPY GROUP ALSO REPORTED AN AVERAGE OF 71% DECREASE IN STRESS INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY (0.7 [0.8] FEWER EPISODES/D) COMPARED WITH A 25% INCREASE IN CONTROLS (0.2 [1.1] MORE EPISODES/D) (P = 0.039). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN REDUCTION IN URGENCY INCONTINENCE WERE DETECTED BETWEEN THE YOGA THERAPY VERSUS CONTROL GROUPS (1.0 [1.0] VERSUS 0.5 [0.5] FEWER EPISODES/D; P = 0.20). ALL WOMEN STARTING THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM COMPLETED AT LEAST 90% OF THE GROUP CLASSES AND PRACTICE SESSIONS. TWO PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS UNRELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE FEASIBILITY, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN. 2014 2 73 84 A GROUP-BASED YOGA PROGRAM FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN AMBULATORY WOMEN: FEASIBILITY, TOLERABILITY, AND CHANGE IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY OVER 3 MONTHS IN A SINGLE-CENTER RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING CLINICAL TREATMENTS FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE, MANY WOMEN WITH INCONTINENCE ARE INTERESTED IN COMPLEMENTARY STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING THEIR SYMPTOMS. YOGA HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED AS A BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR INCONTINENCE, BUT EVIDENCE OF ITS FEASIBILITY, TOLERABILITY, AND EFFICACY IS LACKING. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND TOLERABILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR AMBULATORY MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN WITH INCONTINENCE, AND TO EXAMINE PRELIMINARY CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AS THE PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOME AFTER 3 MONTHS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AMBULATORY WOMEN AGED 50 YEARS OR OLDER WHO REPORTED AT LEAST DAILY STRESS-, URGENCY-, OR MIXED-TYPE INCONTINENCE, WERE NOT ALREADY ENGAGED IN YOGA, AND WERE WILLING TO TEMPORARILY FORGO CLINICAL INCONTINENCE TREATMENTS WERE RECRUITED INTO A RANDOMIZED TRIAL IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TAKE PART IN A PROGRAM OF TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES AND ONCE-WEEKLY HOME PRACTICE FOCUSED ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES SELECTED BY AN EXPERT YOGA PANEL (YOGA GROUP), OR A NONSPECIFIC MUSCLE STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A RIGOROUS TIME-AND-ATTENTION CONTROL (CONTROL GROUP) FOR 3 MONTHS. ALL PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN, EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION ABOUT BEHAVIORAL INCONTINENCE SELF-MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES (PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES, BLADDER TRAINING) CONSISTENT WITH USUAL FIRST-LINE CARE. INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AND TYPE WERE ASSESSED BY VALIDATED VOIDING DIARIES. ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE MODELS EXAMINED WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AS THE PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOME OVER 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: OF THE 56 WOMEN RANDOMIZED (28 TO YOGA, 28 TO CONTROL), THE MEAN AGE WAS 65.4 (+/-8.1) YEARS (RANGE, 55-83 YEARS), THE MEAN BASELINE INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY WAS 3.5 (+/-2.0) EPISODES/D, AND 37 WOMEN (66%) HAD URGENCY-PREDOMINANT INCONTINENCE. A TOTAL OF 50 WOMEN COMPLETED THEIR ASSIGNED 3-MONTH INTERVENTION PROGRAM (89%), INCLUDING 27 IN THE YOGA AND 23 IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .19). OF THOSE, 24 (89%) IN THE YOGA AND 20 (87%) IN THE CONTROL GROUP ATTENDED AT LEAST 80% OF GROUP CLASSES. OVER 3 MONTHS, TOTAL INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DECREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 76% FROM BASELINE IN THE YOGA AND 56% IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .07 FOR BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE). STRESS INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY ALSO DECREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 61% IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 35% IN CONTROLS (P = .045 FOR BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE), BUT CHANGES IN URGENCY INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 48 NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED, INCLUDING 23 IN THE YOGA AND 25 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, BUT NONE WERE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO YOGA OR CONTROL PROGRAM PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING INCONTINENT WOMEN ACROSS THE AGING SPECTRUM INTO A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM, AND PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF REDUCTION IN TOTAL AND STRESS-TYPE INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WHEN TAUGHT WITH ATTENTION TO WOMEN'S CLINICAL NEEDS, YOGA MAY OFFER A POTENTIAL COMMUNITY-BASED BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR INCONTINENCE TO ENHANCE CLINICAL TREATMENT, ALTHOUGH FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD ASSESS WHETHER YOGA OFFERS UNIQUE BENEFITS FOR INCONTINENCE ABOVE AND BEYOND OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS. 2019 3 2644 46 YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE (UUI). ALSO, THESE PRELIMINARY DATA CAN EVALUATE IF YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOM BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS FOR WOMEN WITH UUI. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE NONRANDOMIZED SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TWICE-WEEKLY, 8-WEEK GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE UUI SYMPTOM BURDEN. CHANGES IN SYMPTOM BURDEN WERE MEASURED USING THE PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY 20. SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. OUTCOMES WERE EVALUATED WITH PAIRED T TESTING. RESULTS: TWELVE WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH NO ADVERSE OUTCOMES NOTED. URGENCY SYMPTOM BURDEN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.01), AND WOMEN REPORTED AN INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.04) AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION, THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN REPORTED SYMPTOMS AS "MUCH BETTER" (N = 4 [33%]) AND "A LITTLE BETTER" (N = 5 [42%]), WITH 3 WOMEN (25%) REPORTING "NO CHANGE." WOMEN ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.03) AND BETTER QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.03). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ANXIETY OR STRESS PERCEPTION. PLASMA LEVELS OF THE INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKER TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = 0.009); HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT POSTYOGA CHANGES WERE FOUND FOR INTERLEUKIN 6 OR C-REACTIVE PROTEIN. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA IS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT REDUCES INCONTINENCE SYMPTOM BURDEN, ALONG WITH IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA MAY LOWER INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH INCONTINENCE. 2021 4 2811 44 YOGA TO PREVENT MOBILITY LIMITATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS: FEASIBILITY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE LOSS OF MOBILITY DURING AGING IMPACTS INDEPENDENCE AND LEADS TO FURTHER DISABILITY, MORBIDITY, AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. METHODS: SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS (N = 46; AGE 60-89) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A HEALTH EDUCATION COMPARISON GROUP. YOGA SESSIONS (60-MIN) OCCURRED 2X WEEKLY, AND 90-MIN HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS OCCURRED WEEKLY, FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE RECRUITMENT RATE, INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND RETENTION AT ASSESSMENTS. ADVERSE EVENT RATES AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE ALSO MEASURED. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF GAIT, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH AND SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND 10-WEEKS. RESULTS: RECRUITMENT LASTED 6 MONTHS. RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP WAS HIGH (89% - PERFORMANCE MEASURES; 98% - SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES). ATTENDANCE WAS GOOD WITH 82% OF YOGA AND 74% OF HEALTH EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING AT LEAST 50% OF THE SESSIONS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE INTERVENTIONS WAS HIGH. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES WAS 0.35 WITH SOME OVER 0.50. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WAS 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONDUCT A LARGER RCT OF YOGA FOR SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY PROBLEMS. THE YOGA AND COMPARISON INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE, WELL ACCEPTED, AND WELL ATTENDED. EFFECT SIZES SUGGEST YOGA MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR THIS POPULATION AND SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS # NCT03544879 ; RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED 4 JUNE, 2018. 2018 5 1859 44 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES. PURPOSE: TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF TIME TO RECRUIT THE STUDY SAMPLE, RETENTION, FACILITY-BASED CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE FOR A STUDY OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS EFFICACY ON FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND WEIGHT CHANGE. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE POST-TREATMENT STAGES 0-III BORDERLINE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE (BODY MASS INDEX >/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 6 2628 43 YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AND SLEEP IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DESIGNED AND REPORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DELPHI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A HOSPITAL DATABASE, AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EIGHT WEEKLY 75-MIN YOGA CLASSES OR A USUAL CARE CONTROL. FEASIBILITY WAS DETERMINED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, RETENTION, PROTOCOL ADHERENCE, PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE (WEEK 0), WEEK 9 (PRIMARY TIME POINT) AND WEEK 12 (FOLLOW-UP). RESULTS: OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD, 26 PARTICIPANTS WITH MILD PAIN, MILD TO MODERATE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND MODERATE DISEASE ACTIVITY WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY (25% RECRUITMENT RATE). RETENTION RATES WERE 100% FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND 92% FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AT BOTH WEEKS 9 AND 12. PROTOCOL ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE HIGH. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEDIAN OF SEVEN CLASSES; ADDITIONALLY, SEVEN OF THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS (54%) REPORTED CONTINUING YOGA AT HOME DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES SHOWED NO GROUP EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE MINOR, AND NOT UNEXPECTED FROM AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING PHYSICAL COMPONENTS. THIS PILOT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGER INTERVENTION STUDIES, AND SUPPORTS FURTHER EXPLORATION OF YOGA AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO ASSIST WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. 2018 7 269 53 ADAPTED YOGA TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A HOLISTIC THERAPY OF EXPANDING POPULARITY, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A RANGE OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTS OF AN ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL, 52 OLDER ADULTS (90% FEMALE; MEAN AGE 74.8 YEARS, SD 7.2) WERE RANDOMISED 1:1 TO A YOGA PROGRAMME OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 25) RECEIVED A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EDUCATION BOOKLET AND WERE INVITED TO ATTEND TEN YOGA SESSIONS DURING A 12-WEEK PERIOD. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION (E.G., SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY; SPPB), HEALTH STATUS (EQ-5D) AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (WARWICK-EDINBURGH MENTAL WELL-BEING SCALE; WEMWBS) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 3 MONTHS. FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED USING COURSE ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENT DATA, AND PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS. RESULTS: FORTY-SEVEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. MEDIAN CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 8 (RANGE 3 TO 10). AT THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A HIGHER SPPB TOTAL SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE 0.9, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] -0.3 TO 2.0), A FASTER TIME TO RISE FROM A CHAIR FIVE TIMES (MEAN DIFFERENCE - 1.73 S, 95% CI -4.08 TO 0.62), AND BETTER PERFORMANCE ON THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH LOWER-LIMB FLEXIBILITY TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE 5 CM, 95% CI 0 TO 10). THE YOGA GROUP ALSO HAD SUPERIOR HEALTH STATUS AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (VS. CONTROL) AT 3 MONTHS, WITH MEAN DIFFERENCES IN EQ-5D AND WEMWBS SCORES OF 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03 TO 0.21) AND 6 (95% CI, 1 TO 11), RESPECTIVELY. THE INTERVIEWS INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS VALUED ATTENDING THE YOGA PROGRAMME, AND THAT THEY EXPERIENCED A RANGE OF BENEFITS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME APPEARED TO BE FEASIBLE AND POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL IN TERMS OF IMPROVING MENTAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. AN APPROPRIATELY-POWERED TRIAL IS REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS OF THE PRESENT STUDY AND TO DETERMINE LONGER-TERM EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02663726 . 2017 8 1242 50 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 9 1527 36 IYENGAR YOGA FOR DISTRESSED WOMEN: A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. DISTRESS IS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN DISTRESSED WOMEN AND EVALUATED A POTENTIAL DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP. SEVENTY-TWO FEMALE DISTRESSED SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED INTO A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP 1 (N = 24) WITH TWELVE 90 MIN SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, YOGA GROUP 2 (N = 24) WITH 24 SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, OR A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 24). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STRESS PERCEPTION, MEASURED BY COHEN STRESS SCALE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STATE TRAIT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, WELL BEING, AND BODILY COMPLAINTS. AFTER THREE MONTHS, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.003), STATE TRAIT ANXIETY (P = 0.021 AND P = 0.003), DEPRESSION (P = 0.008), PSYCHOLOGICAL QOL (P = 0.012), MOOD STATES BEING (P = 0.007), AND BODILY COMPLAINTS WELL(P = 0.012) WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BOTH YOGA PROGRAMS WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THESE OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, COMPLIANCE WAS BETTER IN THE GROUP WITH FEWER SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP 1). DOSE EFFECTS WERE SEEN ONLY IN THE ANALYSIS OF GROUP-INDEPENDENT EFFECTS FOR BACK PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES DISTRESS AND IMPROVES RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, ATTENDING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO ONCE-WEEKLY CLASSES, AS A RESULT OF LIMITED COMPLIANCE IN THE TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP. 2012 10 1180 45 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 11 1902 51 RESTORATIVE YOGA IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME INCREASES THE RISK OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IMPROVES SOME METABOLIC PARAMETERS, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN PERSONS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: TWENTY SIX UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND 15 YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH OVER 10 WEEKS OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, SUBJECT RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED BY INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRES. CHANGES IN METABOLIC OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 280 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED BY PHONE, AND 93 WITH HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE INVITED TO A SCREENING VISIT. OF THE 68 WHO ATTENDED SCREENING VISITS, 26 (38%) WERE RANDOMIZED, AND 24 (92%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES AND ADHERENCE TO HOME PRACTICE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE THE STUDY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SATISFACTION RATING, AND THE MAJORITY (87%) FELT THAT THE YOGA POSES WERE EASY TO PERFORM. THERE WAS TREND TO REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.07), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVEL (P < 0.009), AND TRENDS TO IMPROVEMENT IN WELL-BEING (P < 0.12) AND STRESS (P < 0.22) IN THE YOGA VERSUS CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN THIS POPULATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2008 12 2432 50 YOGA AND PILATES COMPARED TO PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN ELDERLY WOMEN: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: THERE IS LIMITED EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REGARDING THE USE OF YOGA AND PILATES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE (UI) IN WOMEN. THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF USING PILATES AND YOGA TO MANAGE UI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AN ASSESSOR-BLINDED, PROSPECTIVE, THREE-ARM PARALLEL-GROUP RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN THREE ELDERLY CARE CENTRES IN HONG KONG. THIRTY WOMEN AGED 60 YEARS OR ABOVE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. STUDY CENTRES WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EACH OF THE THREE INTERVENTIONS (YOGA, PILATES AND PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING [PFMT; STANDARD CARE CONTROL]). STUDY INTERVENTIONS WERE PROVIDED ONCE A WEEK FOR FOUR WEEKS, FOLLOWED BY UNSUPERVISED CD-GUIDED HOME EXERCISES FOR EIGHT WEEKS. OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON INCONTINENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-SHORT FORM (ICIQ-SF), 1-H PAD TEST, AND FEASIBILITY MEASURES SUCH AS ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION PROGRAMME, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 4 AND 12 WEEKS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED USING TWO-WAY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE. RESULTS: ALL THREE INTERVENTIONS DEMONSTRATED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON ICIQ-SF SCORES FROM BASELINE TO WEEKS 4 AND 12. SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS IN UI WERE REPORTED FOR YOGA COMPARED WITH PILATES (MEAN: -2.93, 95% CI -5.35, -0.51; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: YOGA POSES INTENDED TO ADDRESS THE PELVIC FLOOR AND CORE MUSCLES WERE FOUND TO HAVE SUPERIOR BENEFITS OVER PILATES EXERCISES IN TERMS OF IMPROVED CONTINENCE MEASURED WITH THE ICIQ-SF. 2022 13 428 36 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 14 282 44 ADHERENCE TO YOGA AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN A 6-MONTH CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT PREDICT ADHERENCE TO A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. DESIGN: WE ANALYZED ADHERENCE DATA FROM A 3-ARM TRIAL INVOLVING 135 GENERALLY HEALTHY SENIORS 65-85 YEARS OF AGE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-MONTH INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF: AN IYENGAR YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, AN EXERCISE CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL MEASURES. ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION WAS OBTAINED BY CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BIWEEKLY HOME PRACTICE LOGS. RESULTS: THE DROP-OUT RATE WAS 13%. AMONG THE COMPLETERS OF THE TWO ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, AVERAGE YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 77% AND HOME PRACTICE OCCURRED 64% OF ALL DAYS. AVERAGE EXERCISE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 69% AND HOME EXERCISE OCCURRED 54% OF ALL DAYS. THERE WERE NO CLEAR EFFECTS OF ADHERENCE ON THE SIGNIFICANT STUDY OUTCOMES (QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES). CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH BASELINE MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL COMPONENTS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE MEASURES WERE ALSO FOUND BETWEEN STUDY COMPLETERS AND DROP-OUTS IN THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS. ADHERENCE WAS NOT RELATED TO AGE, GENDER, OR EDUCATION LEVEL. CONCLUSION: HEALTHY SENIORS HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE AT CLASSES WITH A PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INTERVENTION. HOME PRACTICE TAKES PLACE OVER HALF OF THE TIME. DECREASED ADHERENCE TO A POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION IN A CLINICAL TRIAL BECAUSE SUBJECTS WHO MIGHT SUSTAIN THE GREATEST BENEFIT WILL RECEIVE A LOWER DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER ADHERENCE RATES MAY BE FUNCTIONING CLOSER TO MAXIMUM ABILITY BEFORE THE INTERVENTION. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ADHERENCE AMONG SUBJECTS AT GREATER RISK FOR LOW ADHERENCE WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRIALS, ESPECIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS REQUIRING GREATER EFFORT THAN SIMPLE PILL-TAKING. 2007 15 162 52 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (LBP) TO INFORM THE FEASIBILITY AND PRACTICALITY OF CONDUCTING A FULL-SCALE TRIAL IN THE UK; AND TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: A PRAGMATIC RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD PRESENTED TO THEIR GP WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE PREVIOUS 18 MONTHS WERE RECRUITED VIA GP RECORDS FROM ONE PRACTICE IN YORK, UK. INTERVENTIONS: TWENTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO EITHER 12 WEEKLY 75-MIN SESSIONS OF SPECIALISED YOGA PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE, OR USUAL CARE PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE. ALLOCATION WAS 50/50. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: RECRUITMENT RATE, LEVELS OF INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP WERE THE MAIN NON-CLINICAL OUTCOMES. CHANGE AS MEASURED BY THE ROLAND AND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE WAS THE PRIMARY CLINICAL OUTCOME. CHANGES IN THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE, SF-12, EQ-5D, AND PAIN SELF-EFFICACY WERE SECONDARY CLINICAL OUTCOMES. DATA WERE COLLECTED VIA POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE, 4 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 286 PATIENTS IDENTIFIED FROM THE GP DATABASE, 52 (18%) CONSENTED AND RETURNED THE ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, OUT OF THESE 20 (6.9%) WERE ELIGIBLE AND RANDOMISED. THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS RANDOMISED FROM THE GP PRACTICE POPULATION WAS 0.28%. TEN PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO YOGA, RECEIVING AN AVERAGE OF 1.7 SESSIONS (RANGE 0-5), AND 10 WERE RANDOMISED TO USUAL CARE. AT 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS RECEIVED FROM 60% OF PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 90% OF PATIENTS IN THE USUAL CARE GROUP (75% OVERALL). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE SEEN BETWEEN GROUPS IN CLINICAL OUTCOMES APART FROM ON THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE AT FOUR WEEKS FOLLOW-UP WHERE THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDED USEFUL DATA AND INFORMATION TO INFORM THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL-SCALE TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN THE UK. A KEY FINDING IS THE CALCULATION OF GP PRACTICE TOTAL LIST SIZE REQUIRED FOR PATIENT RECRUITMENT IN A FULL-SCALE TRIAL, AND THE NEED TO IMPLEMENT METHODS TO INCREASE CLASS ATTENDANCE. 2010 16 1072 59 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). METHODS: THE STUDY HAS A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN WITH TWO ARMS: AN IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP AND A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA-FOR-PD PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED VIA TWICE WEEKLY 60-MIN GROUP-BASED CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SLEEP QUALITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DATA ON PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND YOGA ADHERENCE WERE COLLECTED DURING THE INTERVENTION AND AT 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 20) HAD A MEAN AGE OF 63 YEARS (SD 8, RANGE 49-75) AND DISEASE DURATION 4.8 YEARS (SD 2.9, RANGE 1-13). ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD MILD-MODERATE DISEASE SEVERITY; 18 (90%) WERE ON DOPAMINERGIC MEDICATIONS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS (85%) ATTENDED AT LEAST 75% OF THE CLASSES AND 4 (20%) ATTENDED ALL CLASSES. MOST PARTICIPANTS (N = 17) REPORTED THEY "DEFINITELY ENJOYED" THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. AT 12 WEEKS, THERE WERE NO MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. MOTOR FUNCTION BASED ON THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE WAS BETTER IN THE TREATMENT GROUP, BUT THEIR SCORES ON SLEEP AND OUTLOOK IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQUALIF) SCALE AND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS BASED ON THE LONGITUDINAL AGING STUDY AMSTERDAM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE WERE WORSE THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. IN WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS, MOTOR FUNCTION, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND CATALASE IMPROVED BUT THREE PDQUALIF DOMAINS (SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTION, SLEEP, AND OUTLOOK) AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL WORSENED BY THE END OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE RESPONSE RATE FOR THE 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP SURVEY WAS 74% (N = 14) WITH SIX PARTICIPANTS (43%) WHO SIGNED UP FOR A YOGA CLASS AND FOUR (29%) WHO PRACTICED IT INDEPENDENTLY. HEALTH PROBLEMS WERE THE MAIN BARRIER TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE AND MAY SERVE AS A COMPLEMENTARY METHOD FOR IMPROVING MOTOR FUNCTION IN PD. FURTHER RESEARCH USING A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE ITS IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02509610031. 2018 17 2415 43 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 18 2553 34 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 19 2604 46 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AFFLICTS UP TO 33% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, YET THERE ARE NO EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS FOR THIS SYMPTOM. METHODS: THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A 2-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. PARTICIPANTS WERE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO HAD COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENTS (OTHER THAN ENDOCRINE THERAPY) AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENROLLMENT, REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, AND HAD NO OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR FATIGUE SYMPTOMS OR INTERFERE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS USED TO ASSIGN PARTICIPANTS TO A 12-WEEK, IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO 12 WEEKS OF HEALTH EDUCATION (CONTROL). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE MEASURED AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN VIGOR, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED WITH ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (N = 16) OR HEALTH EDUCATION (N = 15). FATIGUE SEVERITY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT AND OVER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .032). IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VIGOR RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .011). BOTH GROUPS HAD POSITIVE CHANGES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SLEEP OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A TARGETED YOGA INTERVENTION LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND VIGOR AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. 2012 20 193 42 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA, STRETCHING, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM LACKING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. SMALL TRIALS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFITS FOR THIS CONDITION. THIS TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 228 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 WEEKLY CLASSES OF YOGA (92 PATIENTS) OR CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES (91 PATIENTS) OR A SELF-CARE BOOK (45 PATIENTS). BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED ROLAND DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A 23-POINT SCALE) AND BOTHERSOMENESS OF PAIN (AN 11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE) AT 12 WEEKS WERE THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6, 12, AND 26 WEEKS BY INTERVIEWERS UNAWARE OF TREATMENT GROUP. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, 12-WEEK OUTCOMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP WERE SUPERIOR TO THOSE FOR THE SELF-CARE GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR FUNCTION, -2.5 [95% CI, -3.7 TO -1.3]; P < .001; MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR SYMPTOMS, -1.1 [95% CI, -1.7 TO -0.4]; P < .001). AT 26 WEEKS, FUNCTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP REMAINED SUPERIOR (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [95% CI, -3.1 TO -0.5]; P < .001). YOGA WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES AT ANY TIME POINT. CONCLUSION: YOGA CLASSES WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK, BUT NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN STRETCHING CLASSES, IN IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING SYMPTOMS DUE TO CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, WITH BENEFITS LASTING AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00447668. 2011