1 253 177 A YOGA STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE THE KNEE ADDUCTION MOMENT FOR WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE COHORT STUDY. UNLABELLED: PEOPLE WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS MAY BENEFIT FROM EXERCISE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT MINIMIZE KNEE LOADS IN THE FRONTAL PLANE. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER A NOVEL 12-WEEK STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO THE KNEE ADDUCTION MOMENT (KAM) COULD IMPROVE SYMPTOMS AND KNEE STRENGTH IN WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMATIC KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE MOBILITY AND FITNESS, AND DECREASE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT. THE TERTIARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE THE BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS YOGA PROGRAM. IN PARTICULAR, WE COMPARED THE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT WITH THAT DURING YOGA POSTURES AT BASELINE. WE ALSO COMPARED LOWER LIMB NORMALIZED MEAN ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) AMPLITUDES DURING YOGA POSTURES BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. PRIMARY MEASURES INCLUDED SELF-REPORTED PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION (KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCORE) AND KNEE STRENGTH (EXTENSOR AND FLEXOR TORQUES). SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED MOBILITY (SIX-MINUTE WALK, 30-SECOND CHAIR STAND, STAIR CLIMBING), FITNESS (SUBMAXIMAL CYCLE ERGOMETER TEST), AND CLINICAL GAIT ANALYSIS USING MOTION CAPTURE SYNCHRONIZED WITH ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND FORCE MEASUREMENT. ALSO, KAM AND NORMALIZED MEAN EMG AMPLITUDES WERE COLLECTED DURING YOGA POSTURES. FORTY-FIVE WOMEN OVER AGE 50 WITH SYMPTOMATIC KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS, CONSISTENT WITH THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY CRITERIA, ENROLLED IN OUR 12-WEEK (3 SESSIONS PER WEEK) PROGRAM. DATA FROM 38 WERE ANALYZED (SIX DROP-OUTS; ONE LOST TO CO-INTERVENTION). PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED REDUCED PAIN (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 10.1-20.1 NORMALIZED TO 100; P<0.001), INCREASED KNEE EXTENSOR STRENGTH (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 0.01 NM/KG; P = 0.004), AND INCREASED FLEXOR STRENGTH (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 0.01 NM/KG; P = 0.001) AT FOLLOW-UP COMPARED TO BASELINE. PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MOBILITY ON THE SIX-MINUTE WALK (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 37.7 M; P<0.001) AND 30-SECOND CHAIR STAND (MEAN IMPROVEMENT 1.3; P = 0.006) AT FOLLOW-UP COMPARED TO BASELINE. FITNESS AND PEAK KAM DURING GAIT WERE UNCHANGED BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. AVERAGE KAM DURING THE YOGA POSTURES WERE LOWER THAN THAT OF NORMAL GAIT. NORMALIZED MEAN EMG AMPLITUDES DURING YOGA POSTURES WERE UP TO 31.0% OF MAXIMUM BUT DID NOT CHANGE BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. IN THIS COHORT STUDY, THE YOGA-BASED STRENGTHENING POSTURES THAT ELICIT LOW KAMS IMPROVED KNEE SYMPTOMS AND STRENGTH IN WOMEN WITH KNEE OA FOLLOWING A 12 WEEK PROGRAM (3 SESSIONS PER WEEK). THE PROGRAM ALSO IMPROVED MOBILITY, BUT DID NOT IMPROVE FITNESS OR REDUCE PEAK KAM DURING GAIT. THE KAM DURING THE YOGA POSTURES WERE LOWER THAN THAT OF NORMAL GAIT. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED PROGRAM MAY BE USEFUL IN IMPROVING PAIN, STRENGTH, AND MOBILITY IN WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. CLINICAL EFFICACY NEEDS TO BE ASSESSED USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02146105. 2015 2 2825 26 YOGA VERSUS HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE AIM WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM ON LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS (ERA). METHODS: TWENTY-ONE CHILDREN WITH ERA WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS YOGA (N = 11) AND HOME EXERCISE (N = 10). YOGA GROUP PERFORMED SUPERVISED YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. HOME EXERCISE GROUP PERFORMED VIDEO-BASED EXERCISES FOR THE SAME PERIOD. PAIN IN REST AND ACTIVITY, LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING EIGHT WEEKS. RESULTS: THE GROUPS WERE SIMILAR AT BASELINE (P > 0.05). ALL THE PARAMETERS, EXCEPT PARENT REPORTED QUALITY OF LIFE, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05), WHERE ONLY STAIR CLIMB TEST TIMES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN HOME EXERCISE GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA SEEMS PROMISING FOR IMPROVING LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AS AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN REHABILITATION PROGRAMS OF CHILDREN WITH ERA. 2021 3 983 38 EFFECTS OF HATA YOGA ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF HATA YOGA EXERCISES ON WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. STUDIES ABOUT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES SHOW THAT THESE EXERCISES HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHRONIC DISEASES. AS KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IS VERY COMMON AMONG MIDDLE AGE WOMEN WE DECIDED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EXERCISES ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. METHODS: SAMPLE INCLUDED 30 WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND WERE DIVIDED INTO A CONTROL GROUP (15) AND A YOGA GROUP (15). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 60 MINUTES SESSIONS OF HATA YOGA, 3 TIMES A WEEK AND FOR 8 WEEKS. PAIN, SYMPTOMS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS AND SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RESPECTIVELY MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) AND KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCALE (KOOS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) METHOD FOR REPETITIVE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS (P = 0.05). RESULTS: FINDINGS SHOWED THAT PAIN AND SYMPTOMS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND SCORES OF DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS A CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT BESIDES USUAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2013 4 1760 38 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. CONTEXT: YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF ASANA AND ASANA WITH PRANAYAMA LESSONS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 28 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 52.7 YEARS) WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA ASANA (YA) GROUP AND YA WITH PRANAYAMA (YAP) GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 70-MIN SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE YA GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITHOUT SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS, WHILE THE YAP GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITH SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS (PRANAYAMA). RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOSPIROMETER. PHYSICAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 30-S CHAIR STAND TEST AND UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY. ALL TESTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN SCORES WERE ANALYZED WITH THE PAIRED T-TEST FOR EACH GROUP. PRE-POST RESULTS WERE COMPARED FOR ALL THE MEASURED VALUES. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL AND OVERALL RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY IMPROVED ONLY IN THE YAP GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IMPROVED THE OVERALL RESPIRATORY AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, AND THE INCLUSION OF PRANAYAMA HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF IMPROVING INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND GLOBAL BODY FLEXIBILITY. 2019 5 2090 20 THE EFFECT OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE STUDY MEASURED EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING. A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP AND AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. 2014 6 671 49 EFFECT OF A GENTLE IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON GAIT IN THE ELDERLY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE IF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN HIP EXTENSION, STRIDE LENGTH, AND ASSOCIATED INDICES OF GAIT FUNCTION IN HEALTHY ELDERS, CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED TO INCREASED RISK FOR FALLS, DEPENDENCY, AND MORTALITY IN GERIATRIC POPULATIONS. DESIGN: SINGLE GROUP PRE-POST TEST EXPLORATORY STUDY. A 3-DIMENSIONAL QUANTITATIVE GAIT EVALUATION, INCLUDING KINEMATIC AND KINETIC MEASUREMENTS, WAS PERFORMED PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. CHANGES OVER TIME (BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION) IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. SETTING: YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER (GROUP CLASSES) AND IN THE SUBJECTS' HOMES (YOGA HOME-PRACTICE ASSIGNMENTS). PRE- AND POSTASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED IN A GAIT LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-THREE HEALTHY ADULTS (AGE RANGE, 62-83 Y) WHO WERE NAIVE TO YOGA WERE RECRUITED; 19 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. INTERVENTION: AN 8-WEEK IYENGAR HATHA YOGA PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO ELDERLY PERSONS AND DESIGNED TO IMPROVE LOWER-BODY STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWO 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK, AND WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE AT LEAST 20 MINUTES OF DIRECTED HOME PRACTICE ON ALTERNATE DAYS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PEAK HIP EXTENSION, AVERAGE ANTERIOR PELVIC TILT, AND STRIDE LENGTH AT COMFORTABLE WALKING SPEED. RESULTS: PEAK HIP EXTENSION AND STRIDE LENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (F1,18=15.44, P<.001; F1,18=5.57, P=.03, RESPECTIVELY). WE ALSO OBSERVED A TREND TOWARD REDUCED AVERAGE PELVIC TILT (F1,18=4.10, P=.06); ADJUSTING FOR THE MODIFYING INFLUENCE OF FREQUENCY OF HOME YOGA PRACTICE STRENGTHENED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ASSOCIATION (ADJUSTED F1,17=14.30, P=.001). BOTH THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF YOGA HOME PRACTICE SHOWED A STRONG, LINEAR, DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP TO CHANGES IN HIP EXTENSION AND AVERAGE PELVIC TILT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE MAY IMPROVE HIP EXTENSION, INCREASE STRIDE LENGTH, AND DECREASE ANTERIOR PELVIC TILT IN HEALTHY ELDERS, AND THAT YOGA PROGRAMS TAILORED TO ELDERLY ADULTS MAY OFFER A COST-EFFECTIVE MEANS OF PREVENTING OR REDUCING AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THESE INDICES OF GAIT FUNCTION. 2005 7 2152 34 THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ASANAS IN IYENGAR YOGA ON FLEXIBILITY: PILOT STUDY. IN RECENT YEARS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE, AND HAS BEEN SAID TO IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SIX WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION ON FLEXIBILITY. N = 16 LOW TO MODERATELY ACTIVE FEMALES (52.37 +/- 7.79 YEARS) ATTENDED IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 6 WEEKS, CONSISTING OF ONE 90 MIN SESSION PER WEEK. LUMBAR AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION USING A STANDARD SIT AND REACH TEST. THE RESULTS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FLEXIBILITY, INDICATING 6 WEEKS OF SINGLE SESSION YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING ERECTOR SPINAE AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE POPULATION FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE SESSION A WEEK INTO THEIR TRAINING SCHEDULE. 2014 8 1743 40 PHYSICAL-PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND BIOMECHANICAL CORRELATES FROM THE 32-WEEK YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY. BACKGROUND. YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS) QUANTIFIED PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PERFORMANCE USING BIOMECHANICAL METHODS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFICACY OF THE PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION OUTCOMES. METHODS. TWENTY COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS AGED 70.7 +/- 3.8 YEARS ATTENDED BIWEEKLY 60-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 32 WEEKS. FOUR DOMAINS OF THE PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS INCLUDING (1) FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE, (2) FLEXIBILITY, (3) MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND (4) BALANCE WERE TAKEN AT THE BASELINE, 16-WEEK AND 32-WEEK TIME POINTS. REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA OMNIBUS TESTS AND TUKEY'S POST HOC TESTS WERE EMPLOYED TO EXAMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN EACH OUTCOME VARIABLE ACROSS THE 3 TIME POINTS. RESULTS. IMPROVED TIMED CHAIR STANDS (P < 0.01), 8-FOOT UP AND GO (P < 0.05), 2-MIN STEP TEST (P < 0.05), AND VERTICAL REACH (P = 0.05) PERFORMANCE WERE EVIDENT. ISOMETRIC KNEE FLEXOR STRENGTH (P < 0.05) AND REPETITIONS OF THE HEEL RISE TEST (P < 0.001) ALSO INCREASED FOLLOWING THE 32-WEEK INTERVENTION. BOTH FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE PERFORMANCE REMAINED UNCHANGED. CONCLUSIONS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND MUSCLE-SPECIFIC LOWER-EXTREMITY STRENGTH OCCUR WITH THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR SENIORS. THESE ADAPTATIONS CORRESPONDED WITH THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BIOMECHANICAL DEMANDS OF THE POSES. 2016 9 936 37 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA VERSUS EXERCISE FOR REDUCING FALLING RISK IN OLDER ADULTS: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES. OUR PURPOSE IN THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS OF FALLING IN ACTIVE AND LOW ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 35) OVER THE AGE OF 65 ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN EITHER A YOGA PROGRAM, AN EXERCISE PROGRAM, OR A NO-PROGRAM CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES ASSOCIATED WITH FALLING RISKS. PHYSICAL MEASURES INCLUDED LOWER BODY STRENGTH, STATIC BALANCE, AND LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES INCLUDED PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY WITH RESPECT TO FALLS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. WE DETERMINED BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES USING PLANNED COMPARISONS, EFFECT SIZE, CONFIDENCE INTERVALS, AND PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY. RESULTS OF PLANNED COMPARISONS AND PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE TESTING INDICATED THAT YOGA PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN THE EXERCISE AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ALSO SCORED HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON RIGHT LEG STATIC BALANCE, AND THE RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. THE EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN YOGA PARTICIPANTS ON THE RAND-36 QUALITY OF LIFE SUBSCALES OF ENERGY/FATIGUE, PAIN, AND GENERAL HEALTH. THE PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE NO-PROGRAM OLDER ADULT PARTICIPANTS WOULD BENEFIT BY ENROLLING IN THE YOGA RATHER THAN THE EXERCISE PROGRAM TO REDUCE PHYSICAL RISKS OF FALLING. THESE FINDINGS WERE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS TO REDUCE RISKS OF FALLING, AND THE ROLES OF THE PROTOCOL, PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND MEASURES EMPLOYED WHEN DETERMINING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. 2022 10 1580 48 MEASURING THE EFFECT OF AN EIGHT-WEEK ADAPTIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. A PILOT STUDY. PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) IS A NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE THAT AFFECTS MUSCLE TONE, STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, MOTOR CONTROL, PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTLOOK, COGNITION, AND FUNCTION. EXERCISE HAS BEEN FOUND TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTLOOK, BUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON INDIVIDUALS WITH PD HAS NOT BEEN WELL RESEARCHED. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO IDENTIFY OUTCOME MEASURES THAT WERE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PD AFTER AN 8-WEEK ADAPTIVE YOGA PROGRAM AND TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE SAMPLE SIZES FOR FUTURE STUDIES. IN A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, 10 PARTICIPANTS WITH A HOEHN AND YAHR STAGE OF 2 OR 3 WERE TESTED PRIOR TO AND AFTER AN 8-WEEK CONTROL PHASE AND AGAIN AFTER THEY UNDERWENT AN 8-WEEK ADAPTIVE YOGA PROGRAM. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) TESTS REVEALED DIFFERENCES IN TIME OF MEASURE THAT APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE DEPRESSION SUBSCALE OF THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS) (P = 0.008) AND THE 30-SECOND CHAIR STAND (TSCS) (P = 0.013). THE INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME OF MEASURE AND GENDER APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST (SRT) (P = 0.08 AND 0.03, RIGHT AND LEFT RESPECTIVELY), WITH MALE PARTICIPANTS IMPROVING IN SIT-AND-REACH FLEXIBILITY COMPARED WITH FEMALE PARTICIPANTS AFTER INTERVENTION. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME OF MEASURE AND AGE APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE SINGLE-LEG BALANCE TEST (SLB) (P = 0.007), WITH YOUNGER PARTICIPANTS IMPROVING IN SLB TIME AFTER INTERVENTION. POWER CALCULATIONS FOUND THAT A SAMPLE SIZE RANGING FROM 33 TO 153 WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANCE AT THE 0.01 LEVEL IN THE VARIOUS OUTCOME MEASURES IN A FUTURE STUDY OF THIS DESIGN. THE DEPRESSION SUBSCALE OF THE HADS, THE TSCS, THE SLB, AND THE RIGHT AND LEFT SRT WERE THE MEASURES THAT CHANGED FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION AND ARE RECOMMENDED AS OUTCOME MEASURES IN FUTURE STUDIES INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SUPPORTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF ADAPTIVE YOGA USING A RANDOMIZED DESIGN AND A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. 2014 11 387 46 BENEFITS OF THAI YOGA ON PHYSICAL MOBILITY AND LOWER LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ALTHOUGH THAI YOGA (TY) IS REPORTED TO IMPROVE HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS FOR THE ELDERLY, NO STUDY HAS YET CARRIED OUT THE EFFECT OF TY PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL MOBILITY AND LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT DESIGN, TWENTY-TWO SEDENTARY WOMEN WITH A BMI >/= 23 KG/M(2), AGED 62 +/- 1 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A TY GROUP FOR 60 MIN, 3 TIMES A WEEK OR TO A "NO EXERCISE" CONTROL (CON) GROUP. SIT AND REACH (SRT), FUNCTIONAL REACH (FRT) AND 30-S CHAIR STAND (CST-30), 8-FOOT UP AND GO (8UGT), 6-MIN WALK (6MWT)) AND LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE MEASURED AT THE BEGINNING, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: AT WEEK 4, A SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN GROUPS WAS OBTAINED IN CST-30, 8UGT, AND 6MWT. AT WEEK 8, FRT, 8UGT, 6MWT AND KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE IMPROVED IN THE TY OVER THE CON. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN ALL VARIABLES WITHIN THE TY, BUT NO CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE CON. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK TY PROGRAM APPEARS TO PROVIDE BENEFICIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL MOBILITY IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN. 2021 12 459 39 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 13 2073 42 THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION. STUDY DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A STRETCH AND STRENGTHBASED YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM ON NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LDH WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN INFLUENCES TREATMENT OUTCOMES NEGATIVELY. MOST YOGA POSES INCLUDE THE PARAMETERS OF SPINAL TRAINING AND HELP REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK INJURIES. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA POSITIVELY AFFECTS BOTH LDH AND NEUROPATHIC PAIN BY INCREASING MOBILIZATION, CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND SPINAL AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. METHODS: IN TOTAL, 48 PATIENTS WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A CONTROL GROUP AND A YOGA GROUP. ALL PATIENTS UNDERWENT A PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE SELECTED YOGA EXERCISE WAS TAUGHT AND PERFORMED TO THE YOGA GROUP FOR ONE HOUR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS. NEUROPATHIC PAIN (DOULEUR NEUROPATHIQUE 4 FOR DIAGNOSIS; LEEDS ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPATHIC SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS FOR SEVERITY), LOW BACK PAIN (THE SHORT-FORM OF MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE), DISABILITY (OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX), AND FUNCTION (MODIFIED SCHOBER AND PASSIVE KNEE EXTENSION TEST) WERE MEASURED BLIND BEFORE AND AT THE ONE-, THREE-, AND SIX-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. THE PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESSMENT WAS APPLIED AT THE SIX-MONTH FOLLOWUP. THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN, PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESS MENT, LOW BACK PAIN, DISABILITY, AND FUNCTION IN FAVOR OF THE YOGA GROUP AT POST-TREATMENT. THE BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES WERE MODERATE AT SIX-MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SELECTED STRETCH AND STRENGTH-BASED YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE A PROMISING TREATMENT OPTION FOR NEUROPATHIC PAIN DUE TO LDH. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2. 2022 14 2871 31 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 15 2183 62 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES AND EXERCISE ADHERENCE: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IS A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. BECAUSE OF CONDITIONS THAT RESULT FROM INACTIVITY, INDIVIDUALS INCUR CLOSE TO $1 TRILLION USD IN HEALTH-CARE COSTS, AND APPROXIMATELY 250 000 PREMATURE DEATHS OCCUR PER YEAR. RESEARCHERS HAVE LINKED ENGAGING IN YOGA TO IMPROVED OVERALL FITNESS, INCLUDING IMPROVED MUSCULAR STRENGTH, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND BALANCE. RESEARCHERS HAVE NOT YET INVESTIGATED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON EXERCISE ADHERENCE. OBJECTIVE: THE RESEARCH TEAM ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF 10 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES HELD TWICE A WEEK ON EXERCISE ADHERENCE IN PREVIOUSLY SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. THE TEAM COLLECTED DATA FROM THE INTERVENTION (YOGA) AND CONTROL GROUPS AT BASELINE, MIDPOINT, AND POSTTEST (POSTTEST 1) AND ALSO COLLECTED DATA PERTAINING TO EXERCISE ADHERENCE FOR THE YOGA GROUP AT 5 WEEKS POSTTEST (POSTTEST 2). SETTING: THE PILOT TOOK PLACE IN A YOGA STUDIO IN CENTRAL NEW JERSEY IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PRETESTING OCCURRED AT THE YOGA STUDIO FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. MIDPOINT TESTING AND POSTTESTING OCCURRED AT THE STUDIO FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND BY MAIL FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 27 ADULTS (MEAN AGE 51 Y) WHO HAD BEEN PHYSICALLY INACTIVE FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE STUDY. INTERVENTIONS THE INTERVENTION GROUP (YOGA GROUP) RECEIVED HOUR-LONG HATHA YOGA CLASSES THAT MET TWICE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS. THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN CLASSES DURING THE RESEARCH STUDY; HOWEVER, THEY WERE OFFERED COMPLIMENTARY POST RESEARCH CLASSES. OUTCOME MEASURES THE STUDY'S PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS EXERCISE ADHERENCE AS MEASURED BY THE 7-DAY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECALL. THE SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED (1) EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY AS MEASURED BY THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL SELF-EFFICACY FOR EXERCISE SCALE, (2) GENERAL WELL-BEING AS MEASURED BY THE GENERAL WELL-BEING SCHEDULE, (3) EXERCISE-GROUP COHESION AS MEASURED BY THE GROUP ENVIRONMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (GEQ), (4) ACUTE FEELING RESPONSE AS MEASURED BY THE EXERCISE-INDUCED FEELING INVENTORY (EFI), AND (5) TWO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS CODED FOR EMERGING THEMES AND SUBCATEGORIES. RESULTS: THE ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP'S MEAN HOURS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT 10 WEEKS REFLECTED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN EXERCISE ADHERENCE FROM BASELINE (P < .012) AND A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FROM THE CONTROL GROUP (P < .004). AT 5 WEEKS POST-INTERVENTION, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE HAD OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP'S EXERCISE ADHERENCE (P = .906). EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO MIDPOINT (P < .029). THE GENERAL WELLBEING DATA DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT (P < .001), RESULTING FROM AN INCREASE IN GENERAL WELL-BEING IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND A DECREASE IN GENERAL WELL-BEING IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP'S COHESION SCORE WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE NORMS ON TWO CONSTRUCTS OF THE GEQ: ATTRACTION TO GROUP TASK AND GROUP INTEGRATION TASK. THE EFI REVEALED THAT THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS "FELT STRONGLY" THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN YOGA WERE PEACEFUL, HAPPY, UPBEAT, AND ENTHUSIASTIC AND THAT THEY FELT REVIVED FOLLOWING THE YOGA CLASSES. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DATA REVEALED SELF-REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN EXERCISE BEHAVIORS, STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND EATING HABITS. CONCLUSIONS: TEN WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES TWICE A WEEK SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PREVIOUSLY INACTIVE PARTICIPANTS' ADHERENCE TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A MIND-BODY EXERCISE PROGRAM MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST PHYSICAL INACTIVITY. 2012 16 1528 49 IYENGAR YOGA FOR TREATING SYMPTOMS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEES: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY (ACR) GUIDELINES FOR THE MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) EMPHASIZE THE USE OF NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS INCLUDING EXERCISE. IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EXERCISE PROGRAM CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR PATIENTS, AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF USING YOGA IN THE TRADITION OF B.K.S. IYENGAR TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE. DESIGN: PARTICIPANTS WERE INSTRUCTED IN MODIFIED IYENGAR YOGA POSTURES DURING 90-MINUTE CLASSES ONCE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. SUBJECTS: PARTICIPANTS MET ACR CRITERIA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE AND COMPLETED A MEDICAL HISTORY AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION, WESTERN ONTARIO AND MCMASTER UNIVERSITIES OSTEOARTHRITIS INDEX (WOMAC), ARTHRITIS IMPACT MEASUREMENT SCALE 2 (AIMS2), PATIENT GLOBAL ASSESSMENT (GA) BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS), PHYSICIAN GA BY VAS, AND 50-FOOT WALK TIME BEFORE AND FOLLOWING AN 8-WEEK COURSE OF YOGA INSTRUCTION. ELEVEN (11) SUBJECTS ENROLLED, NINE COMPLETED AT LEAST ONE SESSION AND SEVEN (SIX OF WHOM WERE OBESE) HAD DATA FROM PRE- AND POST-COURSE TIME POINTS AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN WOMAC PAIN, WOMAC PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND AIMS2 AFFECT WERE OBSERVED WHEN PARTICIPANTS' STATUS WERE COMPARED TO THEIR PRE-COURSE STATUS. WOMAC STIFFNESS, AIMS2 SYMPTOMS, SOCIAL AND ROLE, PHYSICIAN GA, AND PATIENT GA MEASURED TRENDS IN IMPROVEMENT OF SYMPTOMS. NO ADVERSE EVENTS FROM TREATMENT WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY PROVIDE A FEASIBLE TREATMENT OPTION FOR PREVIOUSLY YOGA-NAIVE, OBESE PATIENTS >50 YEARS OF AGE AND OFFERS POTENTIAL REDUCTIONS IN PAIN AND DISABILITY CAUSED BY KNEE OA. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD COMPARE YOGA TO OTHER NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS FOR KNEE OA, SUCH AS PATIENT EDUCATION OR QUADRICEPS-STRENGTHENING EXERCISES. 2005 17 2187 49 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020 18 594 35 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 19 2083 35 THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE: A CASE SERIES. THIS CASE SERIES DESCRIBES THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS FORMS OF EXERCISE ON SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE. A GROUP OF 15 WOMEN AND MEN PERFORMED ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: TRADITIONAL STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES, IYENGAR YOGA, OR NO STRUCTURED GROUP EXERCISE. LOW BACK AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY AND QUADRICEPS STRENGTH AND FUNCTION WERE MONITORED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM. THE WESTERN ONTARIO AND MCMASTER UNIVERSITIES OSTEOARTHRITIS INDEX (WOMAC) WAS USED TO ASSESS SUBJECTIVE CHANGE AFTER THE SIX-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD. A GLOBAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ALSO COMPLETED BY EACH PARTICIPANT AND EACH INSTRUCTOR AT THE EXIT SESSIONS TO MEASURE PERCEIVED CHANGES IN IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THE INITIATION OF THE INTERVENTION. THIS STUDY FOUND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE IN TRADITIONAL EXERCISE AND A YOGA BASED APPROACH THAT SHOULD ENCOURAGE FURTHER COMPREHENSIVE AND CAREFULLY DESIGNED STUDIES OF YOGA IN OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2006 20 2780 44 YOGA THERAPY AND AMBULATORY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSESSMENT OF GAIT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS, FATIGUE AND BALANCE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: GAIT IMPAIRMENT, FALLS DUE TO BALANCE PROBLEMS AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPLAINTS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) TO HELP SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IS GROWING AMONG MS PATIENTS. YOGA IS WIDELY USED AS ONE OF THESE CAM INTERVENTIONS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN MS IS INADEQUATE. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT TERM YOGA PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, BALANCE AND GAIT IN PATIENTS WITH MS. METHOD: EIGHT VOLUNTEER AMBULATORY MS PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE RELAPSING REMITTING MS WHOSE EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE (EDSS) IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0, AND EIGHT HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS OF A BI-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM UNDER SUPERVISION. AT THEIR BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) AND BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) ARE USED TO ASSESS FATIGUE AND BALANCE. THREE DIMENSIONAL GAIT ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE VICON 612 SYSTEM WITH SIX CAMERAS AND TWO BERTEC FORCE PLATES, BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY. RESULTS: AFTER SHORT TERM YOGA THERAPY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OBTAINED IN FATIGUE, BALANCE, STEP LENGTH AND WALKING SPEED. ALTHOUGH SAGITTAL PLANE PELVIS AND HIP ANGLES, ANKLE PLANTAR FLEXOR MOMENT, POWERS GENERATED AT THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINTS AT THE PRE-SWING WERE IMPROVED, THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A SAFE AND BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, BALANCE AND SPATIOTEMPORAL GAIT PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH MS. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY. 2015