1 1133 136 EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (VMS) FREQUENCY AND BOTHER. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS A THREE-BY-TWO FACTORIAL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ELIGIBLE WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142), AND WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY RANDOMIZED TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 12 WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE VMS FREQUENCY AND BOTHER ASSESSED BY DAILY DIARIES AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX) AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: AMONG 249 RANDOMIZED WOMEN, 237 (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. THE MEAN BASELINE VMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.4 PER DAY (95% CI, 6.6 TO 8.1) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 8.0 PER DAY (95% CI, 7.3 TO 8.7) IN THE USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES INCLUDED ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH RESPONSE DATA (N = 237). THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS IN THE CHANGE IN VMS FREQUENCY FROM BASELINE TO 6 AND 12 WEEKS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 6 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.1 TO 0.5]; MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 12 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.2 TO 0.6]; P = 0.119 ACROSS BOTH TIME POINTS). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR FOR VMS BOTHER. AT WEEK 12, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVEMENT IN INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA - USUAL ACTIVITY] IN THE CHANGE IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX, 1.3 [95% CI, -2.5 TO -0.1]; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: AMONG HEALTHY WOMEN, 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASS PLUS HOME PRACTICE, COMPARED WITH USUAL ACTIVITY, DO NOT IMPROVE VMS FREQUENCY OR BOTHER BUT REDUCE INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS. 2014 2 1602 71 MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE: RCT OF YOGA, EXERCISE, AND OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF 3 NONHORMONAL THERAPIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF MENOPAUSE-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK 3 X 2 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, FACTORIAL DESIGN TRIAL. PERI- AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, 40-62 YEARS OLD, WERE ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142) AND ALSO ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. WE PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING INTERVENTIONS: (1) WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY AT-HOME PRACTICE, (2) INDIVIDUALIZED FACILITY-BASED AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING 3 TIMES/WEEK, AND (3) 0.615 G OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENT, 3 TIMES/DAY. THE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED WITH THE FOLLOWING SCORES: MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (MENQOL) TOTAL AND DOMAIN (VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, PSYCHOSOCIAL, PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL). RESULTS: AMONG 355 RANDOMLY ASSIGNED WOMEN WHO AVERAGE AGE WAS 54.7 YEARS, 338 WOMEN (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. MEAN BASELINE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.6/DAY, AND THE MEAN BASELINE TOTAL MENQOL SCORE WAS 3.8 (RANGE, 1-8 FROM BETTER TO WORSE) WITH NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. FOR YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL ACTIVITY, BASELINE TO 12-WEEK IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN FOR MENQOL TOTAL -0.3 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.6 TO 0; P = .02), VASOMOTOR SYMPTOM DOMAIN (P = .02), AND SEXUALITY DOMAIN (P = .03) SCORES. FOR WOMEN WHO UNDERWENT EXERCISE AND OMEGA-3 THERAPY COMPARED WITH CONTROL SUBJECTS, IMPROVEMENTS IN BASELINE TO 12-WEEK TOTAL MENQOL SCORES WERE NOT OBSERVED. EXERCISE SHOWED BENEFIT IN THE MENQOL PHYSICAL DOMAIN SCORE AT 12 WEEKS (P = .02). CONCLUSION: ALL WOMEN BECOME MENOPAUSAL, AND MANY OF THEM SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE ON WAYS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; LITTLE EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION EXISTS. WE FOUND THAT, AMONG HEALTHY SEDENTARY MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, YOGA APPEARS TO IMPROVE MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE; THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR FINDING IS UNCERTAIN BECAUSE OF THE MODEST EFFECT. 2014 3 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 4 193 48 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 5 521 51 COMPARING YOGA, EXERCISE, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS ONLY MODESTLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A NONPROFIT, INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. PATIENTS: 101 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: 12-WEEK SESSIONS OF YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE CLASSES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED 24-POINT ROLAND DISABILITY SCALE) AND "BOTHERSOMENESS" OF PAIN (11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE). THE PRIMARY TIME POINT WAS 12 WEEKS. CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE 2.5 POINTS ON THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS SCALE AND 1.5 POINTS ON THE BOTHERSOMENESS SCALE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE DAYS OF RESTRICTED ACTIVITY, GENERAL HEALTH STATUS, AND MEDICATION USE. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK AND EXERCISE GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS (YOGA VS. BOOK: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.4 [95% CI, -5.1 TO - 1.6] [P < 0.001]; YOGA VS. EXERCISE: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [CI, -3.5 TO - 0.1] [P = 0.034]). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SYMPTOM BOTHERSOMENESS WERE FOUND BETWEEN ANY 2 GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS; AT 26 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP WITH RESPECT TO THIS MEASURE (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -2.2 [CI, -3.2 TO - 1.2]; P < 0.001). AT 26 WEEKS, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.6 [CI, -5.4 TO - 1.8]; P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THIS STUDY WERE FOLLOWED FOR ONLY 26 WEEKS AFTER RANDOMIZATION. ONLY 1 INSTRUCTOR DELIVERED EACH INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, AND THE BENEFITS PERSISTED FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. 2005 6 2681 49 YOGA IN SEDENTARY ADULTS WITH ARTHRITIS: EFFECTS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PRAGMATIC TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRAL-BASED HATHA YOGA IN SEDENTARY PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS. METHODS: THERE WERE 75 SEDENTARY ADULTS AGED 18+ YEARS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) OR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA (TWO 60-MIN CLASSES AND 1 HOME PRACTICE/WK) OR WAITLIST. POSES WERE MODIFIED FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS PHYSICAL HEALTH [MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) PHYSICAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (PCS)] ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE; EXPLORATORY ADJUSTED OUTCOMES INCLUDED FITNESS, MOOD, STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY, SF-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL), AND RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. IN EVERYONE COMPLETING YOGA, WE EXPLORED LONGTERM EFFECTS AT 9 MONTHS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE MOSTLY FEMALE (96%), WHITE (55%), AND COLLEGE-EDUCATED (51%), WITH A MEAN (SD) AGE OF 52 YEARS (12 YRS). AVERAGE DISEASE DURATION WAS 9 YEARS AND 49% HAD RA. AT 8 WEEKS, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PCS (6.5, 95% CI 2.0-10.7), WALKING CAPACITY (125 M, 95% CI 15-235), POSITIVE AFFECT (5.2, 95% CI 1.4-8.9), AND LOWER CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE (-3.0, 95% CI -4.8 - -1.3). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.05) WERE EVIDENT IN SF-36 ROLE PHYSICAL, PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH SCALES. BALANCE, GRIP STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY WERE SIMILAR BETWEEN GROUPS. TWENTY-TWO OUT OF 28 IN THE WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED YOGA. AMONG ALL YOGA PARTICIPANTS, SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN MEAN PCS, FLEXIBILITY, 6-MIN WALK, AND ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MOST HRQOL DOMAINS AT 8 WEEKS WITH MOST STILL EVIDENT 9 MONTHS LATER. OF 7 ADVERSE EVENTS, NONE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS YOGA MAY HELP SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS WITH ARTHRITIS SAFELY INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HRQOL. CLINICAL TRIALS NCT00349869. 2015 7 1841 32 QIGONG OR YOGA VERSUS NO INTERVENTION IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REDUCTION OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN IN OLDER ADULTS USING EITHER YOGA CLASSES OR QIGONG CLASSES COMPARED WITH NO INTERVENTION. OLDER ADULTS (65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER) WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE ENROLLED IN AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO: 1) YOGA (24 CLASSES, 45 MINUTES EACH, DURING 3 MONTHS), 2) QIGONG (12 CLASSES, 90 MINUTES EACH, DURING 3 MONTHS), OR 3) A CONTROL GROUP WHO RECEIVED NO ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION. THE PAIN INTENSITY ITEM OF THE FUNCTIONAL RATING INDEX AFTER 3 MONTHS WAS USED AS PRIMARY OUTCOME PARAMETER. A TOTAL OF 176 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED (N = 61 YOGA, N = 58 QIGONG, N = 57 CONTROL; MEAN AGE 73 +/- 5.6 YEARS, 89% FEMALE). THE MEAN ADJUSTED PAIN INTENSITY AFTER 3 MONTHS WAS 1.71 FOR THE YOGA GROUP (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], 1.54-1.89), 1.67 FOR THE QIGONG GROUP (95% CI, 1.45-1.89), AND 1.89 FOR NO INTERVENTION (95% CI, 1.67-2.11). NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS LACK OF PAIN RELIEF MIGHT INCLUDE THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTIONS, INAPPROPRIATE OUTCOMES, OR DIFFERENCES IN PAIN PERCEPTION AND PROCESSING IN OLDER ADULTS. PERSPECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REDUCTION OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN IN OLDER ADULTS USING EITHER YOGA CLASSES OR QIGONG CLASSES COMPARED WITH NO INTERVENTION. THIS 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED TRIAL WITH 176 OLDER ADULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA AND QIGONG WERE NOT SUPERIOR TO NO TREATMENT IN REDUCING PAIN AND INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE. 2016 8 1859 54 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 9 167 41 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED BICENTER TRIAL OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH NON-METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (90 MIN ONCE WEEKLY) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY - COLORECTAL [FACT-C]) AT WEEK 10. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED FACT-C SUBSCALES: SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (FACT - SPIRITUALITY); FATIGUE (FACT - FATIGUE); SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INVENTORY); DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE); BODY AWARENESS (SCALE OF BODY CONNECTION); AND BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS (BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 10 AND WEEK 22 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 68.3 +/- 9.7 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 22.2%) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 18.5%). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED A MEAN OF 5.3 +/- 4.0 YOGA CLASSES. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR THE FACT-C TOTAL SCORE WERE FOUND. GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AT WEEK 22 ( = 1.59; 95% CI = 0.27,2.90; P = 0.019), SLEEP DISTURBANCES AT WEEK 22 ( = -1.08; 95% CI = -2.13, -0.03; P = 0.043), ANXIETY AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.14; 95% CI = -2.20, -0.09; P = 0.043), AND DEPRESSION AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.34; 95% CI = -2.61, -0.8; P = 0.038). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE LIVER METASTASES WERE DIAGNOSED IN ONE PATIENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS RANDOMIZED TRIAL FOUND NO EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. GIVEN THE HIGH ATTRITION RATE AND LOW INTERVENTION ADHERENCE, NO DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN FROM THIS TRIAL. 2016 10 2811 35 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 11 2560 46 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND USUAL CARE FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: PARALLEL-GROUP, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOMIZATION CONDUCTED FROM APRIL 2007 TO MARCH 2010. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE. (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL NUMBER REGISTER: ISRCTN 81079604) SETTING: 13 NON-NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE PREMISES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. PATIENTS: 313 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: YOGA (N = 156) OR USUAL CARE (N = 157). ALL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A BACK PAIN EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED A 12-CLASS, GRADUALLY PROGRESSING YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED BY 12 TEACHERS OVER 3 MONTHS. MEASUREMENTS: SCORES ON THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RMDQ) AT 3 (PRIMARY OUTCOME), 6, AND 12 (SECONDARY OUTCOMES) MONTHS; PAIN, PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, AND GENERAL HEALTH MEASURES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS (SECONDARY OUTCOMES). RESULTS: 93 (60%) PATIENTS OFFERED YOGA ATTENDED AT LEAST 3 OF THE FIRST 6 SESSIONS AND AT LEAST 3 OTHER SESSIONS. THE YOGA GROUP HAD BETTER BACK FUNCTION AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS THAN THE USUAL CARE GROUP. THE ADJUSTED MEAN RMDQ SCORE WAS 2.17 POINTS (95% CI, 1.03 TO 3.31 POINTS) LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP AT 3 MONTHS, 1.48 POINTS (CI, 0.33 TO 2.62 POINTS) LOWER AT 6 MONTHS, AND 1.57 POINTS (CI, 0.42 TO 2.71 POINTS) LOWER AT 12 MONTHS. THE YOGA AND USUAL CARE GROUPS HAD SIMILAR BACK PAIN AND GENERAL HEALTH SCORES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS, AND THE YOGA GROUP HAD HIGHER PAIN SELF-EFFICACY SCORES AT 3 AND 6 MONTHS BUT NOT AT 12 MONTHS. TWO OF THE 157 USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AND 12 OF THE 156 YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS, MOSTLY INCREASED PAIN. LIMITATION: THERE WERE MISSING DATA FOR THE PRIMARY OUTCOME (YOGA GROUP, N = 21; USUAL CARE GROUP, N = 18) AND DIFFERENTIAL MISSING DATA (MORE IN THE YOGA GROUP) FOR SECONDARY OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: OFFERING A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM TO ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN LED TO GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN BACK FUNCTION THAN DID USUAL CARE. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: ARTHRITIS RESEARCH UK. 2011 12 430 44 CAN YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IMPROVE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG ADULTS FROM A RACIALLY DIVERSE, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY? A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE AND COMPARE THE EFFECT OF YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT), AND EDUCATION ON DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). DESIGN: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY NET HOSPITAL AND 7 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 320 ADULTS WITH CLBP. INTERVENTION: YOGA CLASSES, PT SESSIONS, OR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK. OUTCOME MEASURE: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY WERE MEASURED USING THE PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER 7-ITEM SCALE, RESPECTIVELY, AT BASELINE, 12, AND 52 WEEKS. WE IDENTIFIED BASELINE AND MIDTREATMENT (6-WK) FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPRESSIVE (>/=3 POINTS) OR ANXIOUS (>/=2 POINTS) SYMPTOMS AT 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (FEMALE=64%; MEAN AGE, 46.0+/-10.7 YEARS) WERE PREDOMINANTLY NON-WHITE (82%), LOW-INCOME (<$30,000/YEAR, 59%), AND HAD NOT RECEIVED A COLLEGE DEGREE (71%). MOST PARTICIPANTS HAD MILD OR WORSE DEPRESSIVE (60%) AND ANXIOUS (50%) SYMPTOMS. AT 12 WEEKS, YOGA AND PT PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED MODEST WITHIN-GROUP IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD]=-1.23 [95% CI, -2.18 TO -0.28]; MD=-1.01 [95% CI, -2.05 TO -0.03], RESPECTIVELY). COMPARED WITH THE EDUCATION GROUP, 12-WEEK DIFFERENCES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, ALTHOUGH TRENDS FAVORED YOGA (MD=-0.71 [95% CI, -2.22 TO 0.81]) AND PT (MD= -0.32 [95% CI, -1.82 TO 1.18]). AT 12 WEEKS, IMPROVEMENTS IN ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS WERE ONLY FOUND IN PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD MILD OR MODERATE ANXIETY AT BASELINE. INDEPENDENT OF TREATMENT ARM, PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD 30% OR GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN OR FUNCTION MIDTREATMENT WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (ODDS RATIO [OR], 1.82 [95% CI, 1.03-3.22]; OR, 1.79 [95% CI, 1.06-3.04], RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSIONS: IN OUR SECONDARY ANALYSIS WE FOUND THAT DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, COMMON IN THIS SAMPLE OF UNDERSERVED ADULTS WITH CLBP, MAY IMPROVE MODESTLY WITH PT AND YOGA. HOWEVER, EFFECTS WERE NOT SUPERIOR TO EDUCATION. IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN AND FUNCTION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASE IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO OPTIMIZE THE INTEGRATION OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN PT AND YOGA. 2021 13 1794 55 PRENATAL YOGA FOR BACK PAIN, BALANCE, AND MATERNAL WELLNESS: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF A PRENATAL YOGA RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) FOR GESTATIONAL LOW BACK PAIN (LBP), MOBILITY, AND MATERNAL WELL-BEING. METHODS: IN THIS PILOT, WOMEN AGED 18 TO 39 YEARS WITH UNCOMPLICATED PREGNANCIES AT 12 TO 26 WEEKS WERE RANDOMIZED, STRATIFIED BY PRESENCE OF LBP, TO ATTEND A WEEKLY YOGA CLASS OR A TIME-MATCHED EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT GROUP FOR 12 WEEKS. SAMPLE SIZE WAS BASED ON ANTICIPATED ENROLLMENT OF 2 SUBJECTS PER MONTH. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE MEASURES OF FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED LBP DISABILITY, PREGNANCY SYMPTOM BURDEN, CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY, INSTRUMENTED GAIT, BALANCE, AND FALLS AT BASELINE, EVERY 4 WEEKS, AND 6 WEEKS POSTPARTUM. RESULTS: FROM APRIL 2015 TO DECEMBER 2015, 168 WOMEN WERE CONTACTED AND 115 (68%) WERE ELIGIBLE. TWENTY WOMEN ENROLLED (N = 11 YOGA; N = 9 CONTROL; MEAN GESTATIONAL AGE 20.2 WEEKS). RETENTION AT 12 WEEKS WAS 81% IN YOGA AND 77% IN CONTROL. THERE WERE NO YOGA-RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES SHOW NO DIFFERENCES IN BACK PAIN DISABILITY BETWEEN GROUPS. SIGNIFICANT GROUPS EFFECTS WERE FOUND ON BIOMECHANICAL ASSESSMENTS, INCLUDING PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN GAIT SPEED (F = 4.4, P = .04), DOUBLE SUPPORT TIME (F = 23.6, P < .01), INSTRUMENTED TIMED-UP-AND-GO (F = 8.6, P < .01), AND TURN TIME (F = 5.7, P = .02) SUGGESTING CLINICALLY RELEVANT IMPROVEMENTS WITH YOGA. PREGNANCY SYMPTOM INVENTORY (PSI) SCORES IMPROVED (13.1 POINT DIFFERENCE, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 5.1-21.1) AT 12 WEEKS IN YOGA COMPARED TO CONTROL, ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE GESTATIONAL AGE. CONCLUSION: CONDUCTING AN RCT OF PRENATAL YOGA TO IMPROVE GESTATIONAL LBP AND MATERNAL WELL-BEING IS FEASIBLE AND SAFE. WHILE NO DIFFERENCES IN BACK PAIN WERE OBSERVED, BIOMECHANICAL MEASURES WERE SENSITIVE ASSESSMENTS FOR EVALUATING GESTATIONAL LBP-RELATED MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT AND SHOWED GROUP DIFFERENCES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PSI SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SYMPTOM BURDEN OVER 12 WEEKS, SUPPORTING THE ONGOING CLAIMS THAT YOGA IMPROVES A PREGNANT WOMAN'S OVERALL WELL-BEING. 2019 14 269 46 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 15 290 48 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA V. HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PERSISTENT MAJOR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CONTINUED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. METHOD: WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (N = 63) V. HEALTH EDUCATION CLASSES (HEALTHY LIVING WORKSHOP; HLW; N = 59) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. HLW SERVED AS AN ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 10 WEEKS, WITH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSED BY BLIND RATER AT 10 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIODS, SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: AT 10 WEEKS, WE DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (B = -0.82, S.E. = 0.88, P = 0.36). HOWEVER, OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LOWER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION THAN HLW PARTICIPANTS (B = -1.38, S.E. = 0.57, P = 0.02). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, 51% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A RESPONSE (50% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS) COMPARED WITH 31% OF HLW PARTICIPANTS (ODDS RATIO = 2.31; P = 0.04). YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. 2017 16 428 40 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 17 1180 42 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 18 2318 45 TREATING MAJOR DEPRESSION WITH YOGA: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPIES AND PSYCHOTHERAPIES FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LIMITED ADHERENCE TO CARE AND RELATIVELY LOW REMISSION RATES. YOGA MAY OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTION, BUT RIGOROUS STUDIES ARE FEW. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS EXAMINED AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION AS MONO-THERAPY FOR MILD-TO-MODERATE MAJOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: INVESTIGATORS RECRUITED 38 ADULTS IN SAN FRANCISCO MEETING CRITERIA FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION OF MILD-TO-MODERATE SEVERITY, PER STRUCTURED PSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW AND SCORES OF 14-28 ON BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI). AT SCREENING, INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN PSYCHOTHERAPY, ANTIDEPRESSANT PHARMACOTHERAPY, HERBAL OR NUTRACEUTICAL MOOD THERAPIES, OR MIND-BODY PRACTICES WERE EXCLUDED. PARTICIPANTS WERE 68% FEMALE, WITH MEAN AGE 43.4 YEARS (SD = 14.8, RANGE = 22-72), AND MEAN BDI SCORE 22.4 (SD = 4.5). TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA PRACTICE GROUPS TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. EIGHTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 90-MINUTE ATTENTION CONTROL EDUCATION GROUPS TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS DELIVERED BOTH INTERVENTIONS AT A UNIVERSITY CLINIC. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SEVERITY, MEASURED BY BDI SCORES EVERY 2 WEEKS FROM BASELINE TO 8 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-ESTEEM, MEASURED BY SCORES ON THE GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY SCALE (GSES) AND ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE (RSES) AT BASELINE AND AT 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: IN INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER 8-WEEK DECLINE IN BDI SCORES THAN CONTROLS (P-VALUE = 0.034). IN SUB-ANALYSES OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING FINAL 8-WEEK MEASURES, YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE REMISSION, DEFINED PER FINAL BDI SCORE 3-POINT REDUCTION IN PSQI) AT 12 WEEKS VARIED BY CHANGES IN PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS. KEY RESULTS: AMONG PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46.0, 64% FEMALE, 82% NON-WHITE), NEARLY ALL (92%) REPORTED POOR SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI > 5) AT BASELINE. AT 12 WEEKS, MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED AMONG THE YOGA (PSQI MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = - 1.19, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] - 1.82, - 0.55) AND PT (PSQI MD = - 0.91, 95% CI - 1.61, - 0.20) GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORTED A >/= 30% IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN OR PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS, COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO IMPROVED < 10%, WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE A SLEEP QUALITY RESPONDER AT 12 WEEKS (ODDS RATIO [OR] = 3.51, 95% CI 1.73, 7.11 AND OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.18, 3.95, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR AT 52 WEEKS. CONCLUSION: IN A SAMPLE OF ADULTS WITH CLBP, VIRTUALLY ALL WITH POOR SLEEP QUALITY PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, MODEST BUT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED WITH BOTH YOGA AND PT. IRRESPECTIVE OF TREATMENT, CLINICALLY IMPORTANT SLEEP IMPROVEMENTS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH MID-INTERVENTION PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01343927. 2020 20 1034 47 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HQOL), PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) PATIENTS. DESIGN: SINGLE-CENTRE PARALLEL-ARMS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA (N = 30) AND EDUCATION CONTROL GROUP (N = 27). SETTING: TERTIARY CARE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. INTERVENTION: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, BASED ON THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE SYSTEM, INCLUDED 2X WEEKLY/90-MINUTE SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD 1XWEEKLY/60-MINUTE EDUCATIONAL LECTURES ON ARTHRITIS-RELATED TOPICS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AT BASELINE, 12 (POST-INTERVENTION) AND 24 WEEKS (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN THE SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) HQOL AT 12 WEEKS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE SCORES. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR SF-36 (ALL P > 0.05). AT 12 WEEKS THE ADJUSTED MEAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS FAVOURED YOGA FOR FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE (5.08 CI 1.29 TO 8.86; P = 0.009) AND HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)-DEPRESSION (-1.37 CI -2.38 TO -0.36); P = 0.008) AND AT 24 WEEKS FOR HADS-ANXIETY (-1.79 CI -3.34 TO - 0.23; P = 0.025), WHILE THE IMPACT ON FATIGUE WAS SUSTAINED (5.43 CI 1.33 TO 9.54, P = 0.01). THE PROGRAM HAD NO IMPACT ON RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES INCLUDED RECRUITMENT RATE 16 %, RETENTION 80.7 %, AND ADHERENCE TO YOGA 87.5 VS 82.7 % FOR CONTROL. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RECORDED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF RA PATIENTS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND MOOD WERE OBSERVED AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. THIS YOGA PROGRAM WAS FOUND FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PATIENTS AND MAY COMPLEMENT STANDARD RA TREAT-TO-TARGET STRATEGY. 2021