1 753 155 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON PAIN, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE (CONTROL) ON PAIN AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP). DESIGN: THIS WAS A WAIT-LIST, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A RESIDENTIAL INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CENTER IN BANGALORE, SOUTH INDIA. SUBJECTS: EIGHTY (80) SUBJECTS (FEMALES, N = 37) WITH CLBP, WHO CONSENTED WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE IF THEY SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA. INTERVENTION: THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF A 1-WEEK INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPRISED OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES) DESIGNED FOR BACK PAIN, PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION, AND DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS OF YOGA. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER A TRAINED PHYSIATRIST AND ALSO HAD DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON LIFESTYLE CHANGE. BOTH OF THE GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR TIME ON INTERVENTION AND ATTENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BY SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, WHICH WAS ASSESSED USING GONIOMETER AT PRE AND POST INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (RMANOVA). RESULTS: DATA CONFORMED TO A GAUSSIAN DISTRIBUTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ODI SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.01; EFFECT SIZE 1.264). SPINAL FLEXIBILITY MEASURES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS BUT THE YOGA GROUP HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENT AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ON SPINAL FLEXION (P = 0.008; EFFECT SIZE 0.146), SPINAL EXTENSION (P = 0.002; EFFECT SIZE 0.251), RIGHT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.059; EFFECT SIZE 0.006); AND LEFT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.006; EFFECT SIZE 0.171). CONCLUSIONS: SEVEN (7) DAYS OF A RESIDENTIAL INTENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM REDUCED PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AND IMPROVED SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP BETTER THAN A PHYSICAL EXERCISE REGIMEN. 2008 2 459 58 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 3 2871 42 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 4 847 64 EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF CLBP PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. CONTEXT: IN TWO OF THE EARLIER RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS ON YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN (CLBP), 12 TO 16 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION WERE FOUND EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND DISABILITY. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF A RESIDENTIAL SHORT TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN CLBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ABOUT 80 PATIENTS WITH CLBP (FEMALES 37) REGISTERED FOR A WEEK LONG TREATMENT AT SVYASA HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE IN BENGALURU, INDIA. THEY WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS (40 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A SPECIFIC MODULE FOR CLBP COMPRISING OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION AND LECTURES ON YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES FOR BACK PAIN. PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) WAS USED TO MEASURE BASELINE STRESS LEVELS. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE WHOQOL BREF FOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND STRAIGHT LEG RAISING TEST (SLR) USING A GONIOMETER. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS (PEARSON'S, P<0.005, R>0.30) BETWEEN BASELINE PSS WITH ALL FOUR DOMAINS AND THE TOTAL SCORE OF WHOQOLBREF. ALL THE FOUR DOMAINS' WHOQOLBREF IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA P=0.001) WITH SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTION (P<0.05) AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS (P<0.01). SLR INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P=0.001) WITH HIGHER INCREASE IN YOGA (31.1 % RIGHT, 28.4 % LEFT) THAN CONTROL (18.7% RIGHT, 21.5 % LEFT) GROUP WITH SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTION (SLR RIGHT LEG P=0.044). CONCLUSION: IN CLBP, A NEGATIVE CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA INCREASES QUALITY OF LIFE AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY BETTER THAN PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES. 2010 5 2222 52 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 6 192 54 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISES ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN AMONG NURSING POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) ADVERSELY AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN NURSING PROFESSIONALS. INTEGRATED YOGA HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON CLBP. STUDIES ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CLBP IN NURSING POPULATION ARE LACKING. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES ON QOL IN NURSES WITH CLBP. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 WOMEN NURSES FROM A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF SOUTH INDIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 31.45 +/- 3.47 YEARS) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 32.75 +/- 3.71 YEARS). YOGA GROUP WAS INTERVENED WITH INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY MODULE PRACTICES, 1 H/DAY AND 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF PHYSICAL EXERCISES FOR THE SAME DURATION. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE-BRIEF (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PAIRED-SAMPLES T-TEST AND INDEPENDENT-SAMPLES T-TEST FOR WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS, RESPECTIVELY, USING THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSIS FOR QOL REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL DOMAINS (EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN) IN BOTH GROUPS. BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS SHOWED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN. CONCLUSIONS: INTEGRATED YOGA WAS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH DOMAINS OF QOL BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISES AMONG NURSING PROFESSIONALS WITH CLBP. THERE IS A NEED TO INCORPORATE YOGA AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR NURSING PROFESSIONALS. 2018 7 60 40 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 8 428 37 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 9 748 36 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. 2012 10 998 38 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 11 1180 60 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 12 344 36 ASSESSING DEPRESSION FOLLOWING TWO ANCIENT INDIAN INTERVENTIONS: EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON OLDER ADULTS IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON GERIATRIC DEPRESSION WERE EVALUATED IN 69 PERSONS OLDER THAN 60 WHO WERE LIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. PARTICIPANTS WERE STRATIFIED BY AGE AND GENDER AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THREE GROUPS: YOGA, AYURVEDA, OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE 15-ITEM GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE WAS USED TO ASSESS DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION, AND AFTER 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. PARTICIPATION IN ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS LASTED 24 WEEKS. THE YOGA PROGRAM (7 HOURS 30 MINUTES PER WEEK) INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, REGULATED BREATHING, DEVOTIONAL SONGS, AND LECTURES. THE AYURVEDA GROUP RECEIVED AN HERBAL PREPARATION TWICE DAILY FOR THE WHOLE PERIOD. THE DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP AT BOTH 3 AND 6 MONTHS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM A GROUP AVERAGE BASELINE OF 10.6 TO 8.1 AND 6.7, RESPECTIVELY (P < .001, PAIRED T-TEST). THE OTHER GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. HENCE, AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA INCLUDING THE MENTAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS IN ADDITION TO THE PHYSICAL PRACTICES WAS USEFUL FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER PERSONS. 2007 13 1076 43 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 14 852 32 EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF YOUNG WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF NON-ATHLETE WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA (PD) AGED 18-22 YEARS. THIRTY-FOUR VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO CONTROL AND YOGA GROUPS. MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE 12-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ASKED TO PRACTICE YOGA FOR 30 MIN PER DAY, TWICE A WEEK, FOR 12 WEEKS AT HOME, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FORM OF EXERCISE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVE IN MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL IN THE YOGA GROUP MORE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THEREFORE, THIS SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE A POSSIBLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR PD. 2017 15 2825 31 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 16 159 39 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 17 920 41 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON DISABILITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN IN PEOPLE WITH CLBP: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WITH EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH AN INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLET ON DISABILITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN, IN PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). METHODS: THIRTY INDIVIDUALS (AGE 34.2+/-4.52YRS) WITH CLBP WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO A YOGA GROUP (YG, N=15) AND A PAMPHLET GROUP (PG, N=15). THE YG PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WEEK (2 DAYS PER WEEK) YOGA PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDED EDUCATION ON SPINE ANATOMY/BIOMECHANICS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF CLBP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MONITORING RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION, THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (ODI-I), ZUNG SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (SDS), ZUNG SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (SAS) AND NUMERIC RATING SCALE FOR PAIN (NRS 0-10) WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA. RESULTS: AFTER INTERVENTION, THE YG SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P<0.05) IN THE MEAN SCORE IN ALL ASSESSED VARIABLES WHEN COMPARED WITH BASELINE DATA. IN ADDITION, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED AMONG GROUPS AT THE END OF INTERVENTION IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND PAIN, BUT NOT IN DISABILITY. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA PROGRAM AND EDUCATION TOGETHER APPEAR TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, WHICH CAN AFFECT PERCEPTION OF PAIN. 2018 18 909 38 EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL YOGA EXERCISES ON FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DISORDERS POSES HEAVY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP EXERCISES ON FATIGUE ON PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL, 85 PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALIZED EXERCISE AND TEAM EXERCISE. THE INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED FOR 6 WEEKS AND COMPRISED OF MILD STRETCHING AND BASIC YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A DAY. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, STANDARD FATIGUE SCALE AND SELF-REPORTED CHECKLIST. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY SPSS SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE MEAN LEVELS OF FATIGUE PERCEPTION AFTER THE INTERVENTION IN GROUP EXERCISE WAS 27.9 +/- 15.9 AND 27.1 +/- 17.2 IN INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE MEAN LEVEL OF PERCEIVED FATIGUE IN TRIPLICATE MEASUREMENTS (P = 0.013) AMONG PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. HOWEVER, THIS DIFFERENCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE GROUP EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: PERFORMING MILD STRETCHING EXERCISES AND BASIC YOGA ARE RECOMMENDED AS A COST-EFFECTIVE METHOD WHICH IS EASY TO PERFORM AMONG PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES. 2015 19 1402 43 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179/