1 2575 124 YOGA FOR FUNCTIONAL ABILITY, PAIN AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS (MSCS) ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY AND CHRONIC PAIN IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, IMPACTING BOTH FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH. THE CURRENT REVIEW INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF FUNCTIONAL ABILITY, PAIN AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES ACROSS A RANGE OF MSCS. METHODS: A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF 20 DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED FOR FULL-TEXT, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED MSCS. RESULT: SEVENTEEN STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, INVOLVING 1,626 PARTICIPANTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN (LBP), OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA), RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA), KYPHOSIS OR FIBROMYALGIA. STUDIES WERE QUALITY RATED, AND ANALYSED FOR THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON PRIMARY OUTCOMES, IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION. TWELVE STUDIES WERE RATED AS GOOD QUALITY. YOGA INTERVENTIONS RESULTED IN A CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN MILD-TO-MODERATE LBP AND FIBROMYALGIA, AND SHOWED A TREND TO IMPROVEMENT IN KYPHOSIS. YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PAIN IN OA, RA AND MILD-TO-SEVERE LBP. PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN MILD-TO-MODERATE LBP AND OA. META-ANALYSIS OF GOOD-QUALITY STUDIES SHOWED A MODERATE TREATMENT EFFECT FOR YOGA OF -0.64 (95%CI -0.89 TO -0.39) FOR FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES AND -0.61 (95%CI -0.97 TO -0.26) FOR PAIN OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS AN ACCEPTABLE AND SAFE INTERVENTION, WHICH MAY RESULT IN CLINICALLY RELEVANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH A RANGE OF MSCS. FUTURE ANALYSIS OF OUTCOMES WHICH TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE AMOUNT OF YOGA RECEIVED BY PARTICIPANTS MAY PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO ANY PUTATIVE DURATION OR DOSAGE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MSCS. 2013 2 1516 36 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 3 2470 41 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AFFECTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, AND APPEARS TO BE INCREASING IN PREVALENCE. IT IS ASSOCIATED NOT ONLY WITH PAIN, BUT ALSO WITH INCREASED DISABILITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE ARE VARIOUS TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CLBP, BUT NO SINGLE THERAPY STANDS OUT AS BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE. IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN STUDIED AS A CLBP TREATMENT APPROACH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER IS TO REVIEW THE CURRENT LITERATURE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR CLBP. METHODS: A LITERATURE SEARCH THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF 2015 WAS CONDUCTED IN PUB MED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS ADDRESSING TREATMENT OF CLBP WITH YOGA. RESULTS: IN THIS REVIEW WE EVALUATE THE USE OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CLBP. SPECIFICALLY WE EVALUATE HOW YOGA IMPACTS PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND DISABILITY, PAIN, AND ASSOCIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. WE ALSO EVALUATE POSSIBLE MEDIATORS OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND THE SAFETY OF YOGA. DISCUSSION: WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, PREVIOUS STUDIES AND THE RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY, CAN BE PRACTICED SAFELY, AND IS WELL RECEIVED BY PARTICIPANTS. SOME STUDIES ALSO INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, BUT THESE EFFECTS ARE CURRENTLY NOT AS WELL ESTABLISHED. 2016 4 2609 50 YOGA FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, CANCER, AND CHRONIC PULMONARY DISEASE ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. COMPOUNDING SYMPTOMS AND LOSS OF FUNCTION, PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE OFTEN EXPERIENCE REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO RELIEVE STRESS AND IMPROVE QOL. YOGA IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICE THAT MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH FOR IMPROVING QOL IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS. METHODS: WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QOL OR HEALTH-RELATED QOL (HRQOL) FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. WE INCLUDED ONLY STUDIES THAT USED AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED MEASURE OF QOL OR HRQOL AND SPECIFIED A MINIMUM DURATION OF FOLLOW-UP OF AT LEAST 1 WK. INTERVENTIONS: WE INCLUDED BOTH MOVEMENT-BASED AND BREATH-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS PART OF A LARGER INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EG, MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING) OR STUDIES THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO YOGA WERE EXCLUDED. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYZED WAS IMPROVEMENT IN QOL AS MEASURED BY A VALIDATED QOL OR HRQOL SCALE. RESULTS: AMONG THE 1488 STUDIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON INITIAL SEARCH, 7 ARTICLES MET ALL INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER USUAL CARE ALONE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BUT THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES WAS CLEAR IN ONLY 1 TRIAL. WE FOUND CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY AMONG THE INCLUDED STUDIES AND STUDY QUALITY WAS GENERALLY LOW. CONCLUSIONS: MORE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. 2019 5 912 45 EFFECTIVENESS OF IYENGAR YOGA IN TREATING SPINAL (BACK AND NECK) PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT IN HEALTH CARE IS USED FOR TREATMENTS OF LIFESTYLE RELATED, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, WHICH COME FROM BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF THE POPULATION. BACK AND NECK PAIN ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS IN MODERN SOCIETY THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COST IN HEALTH CARE. YOGA, AS A BRANCH OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, HAS EMERGED AND IS SHOWING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AGAINST NONSPECIFIC SPINAL PAIN. RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN POSITIVE OUTCOME OF YOGA IN GENERAL ON REDUCING PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY OF THE SPINE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EXISTING RESEARCH WITHIN IYENGAR YOGA METHOD AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON RELIEVING BACK AND NECK PAIN (DEFINED AS SPINAL PAIN). DATABASE RESEARCH FORM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES (COCHRANE LIBRARY, NCBI PUBMED, THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF THE INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, EMBASE, CINAHL, AND PSYCHINFO) DEMONSTRATED INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA THAT SELECTED ONLY IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WHICH IN TURN, IDENTIFIED SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS DEDICATED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR BACK AND NECK PAIN VERSUS OTHER CARE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS ON THE POSTINTERVENTION PAIN OR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY INTENSITY ASSESSMENT WAS, IN ALL SIX STUDIES, FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP, WHICH PROJECTED A DECREASE IN BACK AND NECK PAIN. OVERALL SIX STUDIES WITH 570 PATIENTS SHOWED, THAT IYENGAR YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR BOTH BACK AND NECK PAIN IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUPS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS, BUT LITTLE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC SPINE PAIN IN THE PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES. 2015 6 1079 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS. YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES TO MANAGE ILLNESS. THIS META-ANALYSIS AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF SEVEN ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND WERE SELECTED IF THEY USED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. THE QUALITY OF EACH ARTICLE WAS RATED BY TWO OF THE AUTHORS USING THE PEDRO SCALE. TEN ARTICLES WERE SELECTED; THEIR PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 4 TO 7. THE YOGA GROUPS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL GROUPS OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH: ANXIETY (P = .009), DEPRESSION (P = .002), DISTRESS (P = .003), AND STRESS (P = .006). HOWEVER, DUE TO THE MIXED AND LOW TO FAIR QUALITY AND SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES CONDUCTED, THE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND LIMITED AND SHOULD BE CONFIRMED THROUGH HIGHER-QUALITY, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2011 7 2383 32 YOGA & CANCER INTERVENTIONS: A REVIEW OF THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOMES FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. LIMITED RESEARCH SUGGESTS YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE GENTLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION WITH A VARIETY OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOSOCIAL AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT BENEFITS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO DETERMINE THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS CONDUCTED WITH CANCER SURVIVORS. A TOTAL OF 25 PUBLISHED YOGA INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CANCER SURVIVORS FROM 2004-2011 HAD PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES, INCLUDING QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOSOCIAL OR SYMPTOM MEASURES. THIRTEEN OF THESE STUDIES MET THE NECESSARY CRITERIA TO ASSESS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR EACH OF THE OUTCOMES OF INTEREST WAS EXAMINED BASED ON 1 STANDARD ERROR OF THE MEASUREMENT, 0.5 STANDARD DEVIATION, AND RELATIVE COMPARATIVE EFFECT SIZES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES IN DETAIL THESE PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES, HOW THEY WERE OBTAINED, THEIR RELATIVE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH CLINICAL AND RESEARCH SETTINGS. OVERALL, CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES SUGGEST THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS HOLD PROMISE FOR IMPROVING CANCER SURVIVORS' WELL-BEING. THIS RESEARCH OVERVIEW PROVIDES NEW DIRECTIONS FOR EXAMINING HOW CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE CAN PROVIDE A UNIQUE CONTEXT FOR DESCRIBING CHANGES IN PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS. RESEARCHERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EMPLOY INDICES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN THE INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS FROM YOGA STUDIES. 2012 8 1740 44 PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS, A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY AIMED TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND TO CONDUCT A META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH IN TEN DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED IN NOVEMBER 2011. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY HAD AN RCT DESIGN, FOCUSED ON CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS, INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES IN THE YOGA PROGRAM, COMPARED YOGA WITH A NON-EXERCISE OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP, AND EVALUATED PHYSICAL AND/OR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. TWO RESEARCHERS INDEPENDENTLY RATED THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED RCTS, AND HIGH QUALITY WAS DEFINED AS >50% OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE. EFFECT SIZES (COHEN'S D) WERE CALCULATED FOR OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER USING MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF POST-TEST SCORES OF THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. RESULTS: SIXTEEN PUBLICATIONS OF 13 RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, OF WHICH ONE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMAS AND THE OTHERS FOCUSED ON PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. THE MEDIAN QUALITY SCORE WAS 67% (RANGE: 22-89%). THE INCLUDED STUDIES EVALUATED 23 PHYSICAL AND 20 PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. OF THE OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, WE FOUND LARGE REDUCTIONS IN DISTRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION (D = -0.69 TO -0.75), MODERATE REDUCTIONS IN FATIGUE (D = -0.51), MODERATE INCREASES IN GENERAL QUALITY OF LIFE, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION (D = 0.33 TO 0.49), AND A SMALL INCREASE IN FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (D = 0.31). EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SLEEP WERE SMALL AND NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARED TO BE A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AND BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEVERAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS WERE REPORTED. IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, EFFECT SIZE ON FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING WAS SMALL, AND THEY WERE MODERATE TO LARGE FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. 2012 9 1088 40 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS: A FOCUSED REVIEW. OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT AND DISABLING CHRONIC CONDITION. BECAUSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A KEY COMPONENT IN OA MANAGEMENT, EFFECTIVE EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED. YOGA IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR MULTIMODAL MIND-BODY EXERCISE THAT AIMS TO PROMOTE FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, AND BALANCE. ITS GENTLE APPROACH IS POTENTIALLY A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OPTION FOR MANAGING OA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS FOCUSED REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OA SYMPTOMS AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING SEVEN ELECTRONIC DATABASES. TWELVE REPORTS MET INCLUSION CRITERIA INVOLVING A TOTAL OF 589 PARTICIPANTS WITH OA-RELATED SYMPTOMS. A VARIETY OF TYPES, FREQUENCIES, AND DURATIONS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE REPORTED; HATHA AND IYENGAR YOGA WERE THE MOST COMMONLY USED TYPES. FREQUENCY OF INTERVENTION RANGED FROM ONCE A WEEK TO 6 DAYS A WEEK. DURATION OF THE INTERVENTIONS RANGED FROM 45 TO 90 MINS PER SESSION FOR 6 TO 12 WKS. YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN REDUCTIONS IN PAIN, STIFFNESS, AND SWELLING, BUT RESULTS ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING WERE INCONCLUSIVE BECAUSE OF A VARIETY OF OUTCOME MEASURES BEING USED. 2016 10 2589 43 YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON LOW BACK PAIN AND FUNCTION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR LOW BACK PAIN. SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO MARCH 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. SEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. FIVE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN LOW BACK PAIN THAN USUAL CARE, EDUCATION OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. TWO RCTS SHOWED NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ALLEVIATE LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, ANY DEFINITIVE CLAIMS SHOULD BE TREATED WITH CAUTION. 2011 11 2683 37 YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUALS WITH THESE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO BENEFIT FROM YOGA, ITS EFFECTIVENESS REMAINS UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVE: TO PERFORM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY, HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE AND DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURE AND DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS. RESEARCH DESIGN: WE PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS EXAMINING YOGA PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND COPD COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. QUALITY WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. META-ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED USING REVIEW MANAGER 5.3. THE PROTOCOL WAS REGISTERED ON PROSPERO (CRD42014014589). RESULTS: TEN STUDIES (431 INDIVIDUALS, MEAN AGE 56+/-8 Y) WERE INCLUDED AND WERE COMPARABLE IN THEIR DESIGN AND COMPONENTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CHRONIC DISEASE. THE STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR THE MEAN CHANGE IN EXERCISE CAPACITY WAS 2.69 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 1.39-3.99) AND FOR HRQL IT WAS 1.24 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.37 TO 2.85). SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH STROKE, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT OBSERVED IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COPD. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION VARIED ACROSS STUDIES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PROGRAMS HAVE SIMILAR DESIGNS AND COMPONENTS ACROSS CHRONIC DISEASE POPULATIONS. COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE, YOGA RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN EXERCISE CAPACITY AND A MEAN IMPROVEMENT IN HRQL. YOGA PROGRAMS MAY BE A USEFUL ADJUNCT TO FORMAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 2015 12 559 43 COULD YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVE TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. AIM: TO DETERMINE IF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED HEALTH AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXAMINES WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE PROVIDES ANY MEASURABLE BENEFIT, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY, FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THROUGHOUT JUNE 2013. WE EVALUATED THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES BY THE COCHRANE HANDBOOK 5.2 STANDARDS AND ANALYZED THE DATA USING THE STATA SOFTWARE, VERSION 10.0. META-REGRESSION AND SUBGROUP ANALYSIS WERE ALSO PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL PREDICTORS OF OUTCOME AND TO ASSESS HETEROGENEITY. RESULTS: SIXTEEN RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 930 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARING YOGA GROUPS TO CONTROL GROUPS, THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN OVERALL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS. META-REGRESSION ANALYSES REVEALED THAT THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AND TYPE OF CONTROL GROUP PARTLY EXPLAINED THE HETEROGENEITY. SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED THAT YOGA HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON ANXIETY ONLY WHEN IT HAD BEEN PRACTICED FOR LONGER THAN 3 MONTHS. ONLY THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP SHOWED AN EFFECT OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSION: THE CURRENT EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT YOGA PRACTICE COULD BE EFFECTIVE IN ENHANCING HEALTH AND MANAGING SOME TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS FOR PATIENTS RECOVERING FROM BREAST CANCER. IN FUTURE CLINICAL STUDIES, CLINICIANS SHOULD CONSIDER THE PATIENT'S WISHES ALONG WITH THE CURRENT BEST EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN THEIR CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING. 2017 13 228 42 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. OBJECTIVES: EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS SUITABLE FOR OLDER ADULTS CAN HELP TO SLOW AND MANAGE AGE-RELATED CONDITIONS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW LOOKS AT AGE-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS IN A POPULATION WITH A MEAN AGE OVER 50 YEARS, EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: CENTRAL,CINAHL, PUBMED, PSYCINFO, SCOPUS, SPORTS DISCUS, WEB OF SCIENCE CORE COLLECTION, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE SEARCHED. STUDY SELECTION AND QUALITY SCREENING USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WERE CONDUCTED BY TWO REVIEWERS TO MITIGATE BIAS. PRISMA GUIDELINES WERE FOLLOWED IN CONDUCTING AND REPORTING THE REVIEW. RESULTS: 11 STUDIES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH A TOTAL SAMPLE OF 2221 (>/=70% FEMALE). EIGHT STUDIES MEASURED PAIN, SIX SHOWING SIGNIFICANT EFFECTIVENESS (P=