1 2639 169 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC BACK PAIN AFFECTS A LARGE PROPORTION OF BOTH THE GENERAL POPULATION AND OF MILITARY VETERANS. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS THERAPIES EXIST FOR TREATING CHRONIC BACK PAIN, THEY CAN BE COSTLY AND TEND TO HAVE LIMITED EFFECTIVENESS. THUS, DEMONSTRATING THE EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDITIONAL TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES IS IMPORTANT. THE PURPOSE OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE BENEFITS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA) PATIENTS. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN WERE REFERRED BY THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO A YOGA PROGRAM AS PART OF CLINICAL CARE. BEFORE STARTING YOGA, A VA PHYSICIAN TRAINED IN YOGA EVALUATED EACH PATIENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY COULD PARTICIPATE SAFELY. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH STUDY CONSISTED OF COMPLETING A SHORT BATTERY OF QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE AND AGAIN 10 WEEKS LATER. OUTCOME MEASURES: QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE BASELINE SCORES TO THOSE AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP FOR THE SINGLE GROUP, PRE-POST DESIGN. CORRELATIONS WERE USED TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER OUTCOMES. RESULTS: BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP DATA WERE AVAILABLE FOR 33 PARTICIPANTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE VA PATIENTS WITH A MEAN AGE OF 55 YEARS. THEY WERE 21% FEMALE, 70% WHITE, 52% MARRIED, 68% COLLEGE GRADUATES, AND 44% WERE RETIRED. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, AND THE SHORT FORM-12 MENTAL HEALTH SCALE. THE NUMBER OF YOGA SESSIONS ATTENDED AND THE FREQUENCY OF HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED OUTCOMES. PARTICIPANTS APPEARED HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND MODERATELY SATISFIED WITH THE EASE OF PARTICIPATION AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN MAY IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF VETERANS. HOWEVER, THE LIMITATIONS OF A PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN MAKE CONCLUSIONS TENTATIVE. A LARGER RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE YOGA PROGRAM IS PLANNED. 2008 2 2060 79 THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC LOW BACK (CLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG MILITARY VETERANS AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGIC SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE, AND HIGHER HEALTH CARE COSTS. AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF U.S. VETERANS ARE WOMEN, AND WOMEN VETERANS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT HEALTH CARE NEEDS THAN MEN VETERANS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON WOMEN AND MEN WITH CLBP. SUBJECTS/SETTING/INTERVENTION: VA PATIENTS WITH CLBP WERE REFERRED BY PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A BRIEF BATTERY OF QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE THEIR FIRST YOGA CLASS AND AGAIN 10 WEEKS LATER IN A SINGLE-GROUP, PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN. OUTCOME MEASURES: QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN (PAIN SEVERITY SCALE), DEPRESSION (CESD-10), ENERGY/FATIGUE, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-12). YOGA ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA WERE ALSO MEASURED. REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: THE 53 PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED BOTH ASSESSMENTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 53 YEARS, AND WERE WELL EDUCATED, 41% NONWHITE, 49% MARRIED, AND HAD VARYING EMPLOYMENT STATUS. WOMEN PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER DECREASES IN DEPRESSION (P=0.046) AND PAIN "ON AVERAGE" (P=0.050), AND LARGER INCREASES IN ENERGY (P=0.034) AND SF-12 MENTAL HEALTH (P=0.044) THAN MEN WHO PARTICIPATED. THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON YOGA ATTENDANCE OR HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT WOMEN VETERANS MAY BENEFIT MORE THAN MEN VETERANS FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC BACK PAIN. CONCLUSIONS ARE TENTATIVE BECAUSE OF THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGN. A MORE RIGOROUS STUDY IS BEING DESIGNED TO ANSWER THESE RESEARCH QUESTIONS MORE DEFINITIVELY. 2012 3 1953 58 SECONDARY OUTCOMES FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN. CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A PREVALENT CONDITION, AND RATES ARE HIGHER AMONG MILITARY VETERANS. CLBP IS A PERSISTENT CONDITION, AND TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE EITHER MODEST EFFECTS OR A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SIDE-EFFECTS, WHICH HAS LED TO RECENT EFFORTS TO EXPLORE MIND-BODY INTERVENTION OPTIONS AND REDUCE OPIOID MEDICATION USE. PRIOR STUDIES OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN COMMUNITY SAMPLES, AND THE MAIN RESULTS OF A RECENT TRIAL WITH MILITARY VETERANS, INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE BACK-RELATED DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES FROM THE TRIAL OF YOGA WITH MILITARY VETERANS ARE PRESENTED HERE. IN THE STUDY, 150 MILITARY VETERANS (VETERANS ADMINISTRATION PATIENTS) WITH CLBP WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A DELAYED-TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVING USUAL CARE BETWEEN 2013 AND 2015. ASSESSMENTS OCCURRED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED. YOGA CLASSES LASTING 60 MINUTES EACH WERE OFFERED TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS. YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, MOVEMENT, FOCUSED ATTENTION, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. HOME PRACTICE GUIDED BY A MANUAL WAS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AFTER 12 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN INTERFERENCE, DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND MEDICATION USAGE. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MORE THAN DELAYED-TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS ON PAIN INTERFERENCE, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SELF-EFFICACY AT 12 WEEKS AND/OR 6 MONTHS. YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT SECONDARY HEALTH OUTCOMES COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BENEFITS EMERGED DESPITE SOME VETERANS FACING CHALLENGES WITH ATTENDING YOGA SESSIONS IN PERSON. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS, WITH ATTENTION TO INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY OF YOGA PROGRAMS IN THIS POPULATION. 2020 4 2222 61 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 5 1413 32 IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY LOW BACK PAIN IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC SETTING. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK. METHOD: EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT WAS ASSESSED USING A PRETEST/POSTTEST DESIGN OF PATIENTS WHO VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN YOGA CLASSES AS PART OF THEIR BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT. MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED LOW BACK PAIN RATING, PERCEPTION OF BACK PAIN INTERFERENCE WITH DAILY ACTIVITIES, AND SELF-EFFICACY IN DEALING WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. FINDINGS: ALTHOUGH NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS WERE FOUND DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, MOST PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL SCORES ON ALL MEASUREMENT SURVEYS INCLUDING QUALITATIVE COMMENTS. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THIS PILOT STUDY, FURTHER STUDIES ON IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ARE ENCOURAGED. 2019 6 1242 58 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 7 721 45 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED REASONS FOR THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN SUBJECTS WITH NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARING IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY TO AN EDUCATIONAL CONTROL GROUP. BOTH PROGRAMS WERE 16 WEEKS LONG. SUBJECTS WERE PRIMARILY SELF-REFERRED AND SCREENED BY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS FOR STUDY OF INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FOR THE STUDY WAS FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDING PRESENT PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN MEDICATION USAGE, PAIN-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND SPINAL RANGE OF MOTION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. SUBJECTS HAD LOW BACK PAIN FOR 11.2+/-1.54 YEARS AND 48% USED PAIN MEDICATION. OVERALL, SUBJECTS PRESENTED WITH LESS PAIN AND LOWER FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY THAN SUBJECTS IN OTHER PUBLISHED INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OF THE 60 SUBJECTS ENROLLED, 42 (70%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES OF OUTCOMES IN THE CATEGORIES OF MEDICAL, FUNCTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS EXISTED IN FUNCTIONAL AND MEDICAL OUTCOMES BUT NOT FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OR BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. UNIVARIATE ANALYSES OF MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES REVEALED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTENSITY (64%), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (77%) AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE (88%) IN THE YOGA GROUP AT THE POST AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THESE PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF SELF-REFERRED PERSONS WITH MILD CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WILL COMPLY TO AND REPORT IMPROVEMENT ON MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY. 2005 8 2830 48 YOGA VS STRETCHING IN VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN AND THE ROLE OF MINDFULNESS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING, RANDOMIZING, ENROLLING, AND COLLECTING OUTCOME DATA ON VETERAN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WHO UNDERGO AN 8-WEEK, ACTIVE EXERCISE CLASS WITH MINDFULNESS (YOGA CLASS) AND WITHOUT (STRETCHING CLASS). METHODS: UNITED STATES VETERANS WITH CLBP BASED ON INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMIZED TO 1 OF 2 GROUPS. THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWENTY CLBP PATIENTS ATTENDED A YOGA CLASS OR STRETCHING CLASS ONCE PER WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS AT THE VETERANS AFFAIRS ROCHESTER OUTPATIENT CENTER, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. THE FOLLOWING MEASUREMENTS WERE OBTAINED: RECRUITMENT OR ENROLLMENT DATA, COMPLIANCE DATA TO INCLUDE CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME EXERCISE, AND COMPLIANCE DATA REGARDING ABILITY TO COLLECT OUTCOME MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AT COMPLETION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED PAIN (PEG), QUALITY OF LIFE (PROMIS GLOBAL HEALTH SURVEY), SELF-EFFICACY (2-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE), FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEF, CATASTROPHIZING, AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT IN ADDITION TO QUALITATIVE CLINICIAN OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: FORTY-FIVE VETERANS WERE QUERIED REGARDING INTEREST IN PARTICIPATION. OF THESE, 34 (76%) MET THE STUDY'S CRITERIA. TWENTY (44%) AGREED TO PARTICIPATE AND WERE CONSENTED, RANDOMIZED, AND ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. INITIAL AND FINAL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT (100%). FORTY PERCENT ATTENDED MORE THAN 80% OF THE SESSIONS FOR BOTH YOGA AND STRETCHING GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY DEMONSTRATED FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING, ENROLLING, AND COLLECTING OUTCOME DATA ON CLBP VETERAN PATIENTS PARTICIPATING IN YOGA AND STRETCHING CLASS. THE DATA FROM THIS PILOT WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RANDOMIZED, COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY OF YOGA WITH AND WITHOUT MINDFULNESS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CLBP. 2020 9 2628 42 YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AND SLEEP IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DESIGNED AND REPORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DELPHI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A HOSPITAL DATABASE, AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EIGHT WEEKLY 75-MIN YOGA CLASSES OR A USUAL CARE CONTROL. FEASIBILITY WAS DETERMINED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, RETENTION, PROTOCOL ADHERENCE, PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE (WEEK 0), WEEK 9 (PRIMARY TIME POINT) AND WEEK 12 (FOLLOW-UP). RESULTS: OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD, 26 PARTICIPANTS WITH MILD PAIN, MILD TO MODERATE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND MODERATE DISEASE ACTIVITY WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY (25% RECRUITMENT RATE). RETENTION RATES WERE 100% FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND 92% FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AT BOTH WEEKS 9 AND 12. PROTOCOL ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE HIGH. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEDIAN OF SEVEN CLASSES; ADDITIONALLY, SEVEN OF THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS (54%) REPORTED CONTINUING YOGA AT HOME DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES SHOWED NO GROUP EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE MINOR, AND NOT UNEXPECTED FROM AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING PHYSICAL COMPONENTS. THIS PILOT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGER INTERVENTION STUDIES, AND SUPPORTS FURTHER EXPLORATION OF YOGA AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO ASSIST WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. 2018 10 112 42 A PILOT STUDY OF A MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA INTERVENTION IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOSIS. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE ACCEPTABILITY AND SAFETY OF A MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA INTERVENTION AS ADJUNCT TO USUAL CARE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. METHODS: PEOPLE AGED 16-25 YEARS ATTENDING A COMMUNITY-BASED SPECIALIST EARLY PSYCHOSIS CLINIC WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 1-H WEEKLY CLASSES OF MINDFULNESS INFORMED YOGA. ACCEPTABILITY WAS MEASURED BY UPTAKE, ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPANTS' SATISFACTION. SAFETY WAS MEASURED BY INCIDENCE OF PHYSICAL INJURY, PARTICIPANTS' LEVEL OF COMFORT, DISTRESS AND ANXIETY DURING THE SESSIONS, AND THE FOLLOWING MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PSYCHOTIC, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SYMPTOMS, SLEEP QUALITY AND FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: OF THOSE WHO CONSENTED TO THE STUDY, 80% (12) PARTICIPATED AND ON AVERAGE ATTENDED 4.4 YOGA CLASSES. THERE WERE NO PHYSICAL INJURIES AND PARTICIPANTS REPORTED MINIMAL DISTRESS AND ANXIETY. POST-INTERVENTION, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTION. CONCLUSIONS: MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE BOTH ACCEPTABLE AND SAFE AS AN INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. THOUGH NUMBERS WERE SMALL, THE STUDY SHOWS PROMISE FOR YOGA AS A POTENTIALLY USEFUL INTERVENTION. IMPORTANTLY, THERE WAS NO DETERIORATION IN MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. A LARGER TRIAL EVALUATING CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS IS NOW TIMELY. 2022 11 2754 45 YOGA PRACTICE PREDICTS IMPROVEMENTS IN DAY-TO-DAY PAIN IN WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER. CONTEXT: WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM BURDEN, INCLUDING CANCER PAIN. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE THAT HAS SHOWN PROMISE FOR ALLEVIATING CANCER PAIN, BUT FEW STUDIES HAVE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC DISEASE OR EXAMINED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER DAILY PAIN CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM AMONG WOMEN WITH MBC AND WHETHER TIME SPENT IN YOGA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO DAILY PAIN. METHODS: ON ALTERNATE WEEKS DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, WE COLLECTED DAILY MEASURES OF PAIN FROM A SUBSET OF 48 WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 30) OR A SUPPORT GROUP CONDITION (N = 18). WE ALSO ASSESSED DAILY DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA. RESULTS: PAIN LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS, AND NO DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT EFFECTS WERE FOUND ON DAILY PAIN. HOWEVER, AMONG WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO YOGA, A DOSE/RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE DURATION AND DAILY PAIN. WHEN PATIENTS HAD SPENT RELATIVELY MORE TIME PRACTICING YOGA ACROSS TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS, THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE LOWER PAIN ON THE NEXT DAY. THIS FINDING IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EARLIER MBC STUDY. MEDITATION PRACTICE SHOWED THE STRONGEST ASSOCIATION WITH LOWER DAILY PAIN. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE (MEDITATION PRACTICE IN PARTICULAR) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE IMPROVEMENTS IN CANCER PAIN, AND THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY BE MORE IMPACTFUL IF TESTED IN A SAMPLE OF PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCER IN WHICH PAIN IS RELATIVELY ELEVATED. 2021 12 976 43 EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM WITH HEALTH EDUCATION AND HATHA YOGA ON THE HEALTH OF PROFESSIONALS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS. INTRODUCTION: MUSCULOSKELETAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS ARE RELEVANT IN THE WORKERS' DISEASE PROCESS, AND ERGONOMIC INTERVENTIONS THAT INCLUDE GUIDANCE AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE CONSIST OF STRATEGIES OF HEALTH PROMOTION. INTEGRATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES ARE PRESENTED AS A POSSIBILITY OF PROMOTING COMPREHENSIVE CARE AND YOGA CONSISTS OF A THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVE. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING EDUCATIONAL MEASURES AND HATHA YOGA IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS IN PROFESSIONALS OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. METHODS: WE SELECTED 125 PROFESSIONALS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS OF INTENSITY >/= 1 WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED THEM TO INTERVENTION (N = 63) AND CONTROL (N = 62) GROUPS, REQUESTING ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION, THE NORDIC MUSCULOSKELETAL QUESTIONNAIRE AND A NUMERIC SCALE, THE PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WENT THROUGH A 12-WEEK PROGRAM WITH EDUCATIONAL MEASURES AND HATHA YOGA. AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD, BOTH GROUPS ANSWERED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRES ONCE AGAIN. WE COMPARED DATA BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION AND BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS PRESENTED IMPROVEMENTS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEAN RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND DATA COLLECTIONS REVEALED THAT THE LEVELS OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS DECREASED MORE STRONGLY IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONSIDERING THAT THE INTERVENTION GROUP BEGAN THE PROGRAM IN WORSE CLINICAL CONDITIONS, THE PROGRAM LED TO A REDUCTION IN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS, BUT THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP TO REACH BETTER RESULTS THAN THE CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: THE INTERVENTION PROMOTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE INTENSITY OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP. SIMILAR PROGRAMS COULD BE EXPLORED IN THE PROMOTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH. 2020 13 282 50 ADHERENCE TO YOGA AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN A 6-MONTH CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT PREDICT ADHERENCE TO A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. DESIGN: WE ANALYZED ADHERENCE DATA FROM A 3-ARM TRIAL INVOLVING 135 GENERALLY HEALTHY SENIORS 65-85 YEARS OF AGE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-MONTH INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF: AN IYENGAR YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, AN EXERCISE CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL MEASURES. ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION WAS OBTAINED BY CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BIWEEKLY HOME PRACTICE LOGS. RESULTS: THE DROP-OUT RATE WAS 13%. AMONG THE COMPLETERS OF THE TWO ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, AVERAGE YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 77% AND HOME PRACTICE OCCURRED 64% OF ALL DAYS. AVERAGE EXERCISE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 69% AND HOME EXERCISE OCCURRED 54% OF ALL DAYS. THERE WERE NO CLEAR EFFECTS OF ADHERENCE ON THE SIGNIFICANT STUDY OUTCOMES (QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES). CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH BASELINE MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL COMPONENTS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE MEASURES WERE ALSO FOUND BETWEEN STUDY COMPLETERS AND DROP-OUTS IN THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS. ADHERENCE WAS NOT RELATED TO AGE, GENDER, OR EDUCATION LEVEL. CONCLUSION: HEALTHY SENIORS HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE AT CLASSES WITH A PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INTERVENTION. HOME PRACTICE TAKES PLACE OVER HALF OF THE TIME. DECREASED ADHERENCE TO A POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION IN A CLINICAL TRIAL BECAUSE SUBJECTS WHO MIGHT SUSTAIN THE GREATEST BENEFIT WILL RECEIVE A LOWER DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER ADHERENCE RATES MAY BE FUNCTIONING CLOSER TO MAXIMUM ABILITY BEFORE THE INTERVENTION. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ADHERENCE AMONG SUBJECTS AT GREATER RISK FOR LOW ADHERENCE WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRIALS, ESPECIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS REQUIRING GREATER EFFORT THAN SIMPLE PILL-TAKING. 2007 14 1180 51 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 15 2322 41 TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN: STUDY PROTOCOL OF A COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY ON YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. BACKGROUND: WE AIM TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, I.E., YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISE, ON CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OVER 16 WEEKS (8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, 8 WEEKS OF FOLLOW-UP), DATA OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN WILL BE ANALYZED. INTERVENTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED AS GROUP SESSIONS (75 MIN) ONCE PER WEEK. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A MANUAL FOR HOME-BASED PRACTICE AND ARE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AT THE END OF THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD, AND AT THE END OF AN 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES ARE: THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY SCORE, VISUAL ANALOG SCALES MEASURING INTENSITY OF PAIN, THE BRIEF MULTIDIMENSIONAL LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE, THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, THE INNER CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE PRACTICES QUESTIONNAIRE, THE FREIBURG MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE, THE GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY SCALE, A SELF-REGULATION QUESTIONNAIRE, THE INTERNAL COHERENCE SCALE, A PAIN DIARY (REGISTERING THE NEED OF ANALGESIC MEDICATION), AND A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE PATIENTS' EXPECTATION THAT THE INTERVENTIONS WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND HOW STRONG THIS REDUCTION MIGHT BE (2 SINGLE ITEMS), ETC. DISCUSSION: THIS LARGE MULTICENTER STUDY WILL PROVIDE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 CONTRASTING MOVEMENT-ORIENTATED TREATMENTS THAT SHARE SOME SIMILARITIES BUT DIFFER IN ESSENTIAL DETAILS: YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. IT WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT DATA ON NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS TO TREAT LOWER BACK PAIN IN A LARGE GROUP OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. 2018 16 2824 52 YOGA VERSUS EDUCATION FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS THE MOST FREQUENT PAIN CONDITION IN VETERANS AND CAUSES SUBSTANTIAL SUFFERING, DECREASED FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, AND LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE. SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ARE HIGHLY PREVALENT IN VETERANS WITH BACK PAIN. YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR CIVILIANS IN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNKNOWN IF RESULTS FROM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED TRIALS GENERALIZE TO MILITARY POPULATIONS. METHODS/DESIGN: THIS STUDY IS A PARALLEL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA TO EDUCATION FOR 120 VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS ARE VETERANS >/=18 YEARS OLD WITH LOW BACK PAIN PRESENT ON AT LEAST HALF THE DAYS IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS AND A SELF-REPORTED AVERAGE PAIN INTENSITY IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK OF >/=4 ON A 0-10 SCALE. THE 24-WEEK STUDY HAS AN INITIAL 12-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD, WHERE PARTICIPANTS ARE RANDOMIZED EQUALLY INTO (1) A STANDARDIZED WEEKLY GROUP YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE OR (2) EDUCATION DELIVERED WITH A SELF-CARE BOOK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES ARE CHANGE AT 12 WEEKS IN LOW BACK PAIN INTENSITY MEASURED BY THE DEFENSE AND VETERANS PAIN RATING SCALE (0-10) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION USING THE 23-POINT ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE. IN THE SUBSEQUENT 12-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE HOME YOGA PRACTICE AND EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS CONTINUE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BOOK. QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND THEIR PARTNERS EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND YOGA ON FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. WE ALSO ASSESS COST-EFFECTIVENESS FROM THREE PERSPECTIVES: THE VETERAN, THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, AND SOCIETY USING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS, SELF-REPORTED COST DATA, AND STUDY RECORDS. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL HELP DETERMINE IF YOGA CAN BECOME AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COMORBIDITIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT02224183. 2016 17 1243 51 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA, AEROBIC AND STRETCHING-TONING EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS: THE STAYFIT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE USE OF YOGA AS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR AMONG CLINICAL POPULATIONS AND OLDER ADULTS WHO USE THIS PRACTICE TO MANAGE AGE AND CHRONIC DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH YOGA CONTINUES TO GAIN POPULARITY AMONG PRACTITIONERS AND RESEARCHERS, PILOT STUDIES THAT EXAMINE ITS FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, ESPECIALLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS, ARE LIMITED. FEASIBILITY STUDIES PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN DETERMINING WHETHER THE TARGET POPULATION IS LIKELY TO ENGAGE WITH LARGER SCALE EFFICACY AND EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS. IN THIS PAPER WE PRESENT FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY DATA FROM A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) CONDUCTED WITH ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS N = 78 (MEAN AGE: 55 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: A HATHA YOGA, AEROBIC EXERCISE, OR STRETCHING-TONING CONTROL GROUP WITH GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES HELD FOR 150 MIN/WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. HEREIN WE REPORT FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, INCLUDING ENROLLMENT RATES, ATTENDANCE, ATTRITION AND ADVERSE EVENTS, AND PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK AND SATISFACTION DATA. RESULTS: OF THE 233 ADULTS SCREENED, 109 WERE ELIGIBLE AND 78 RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF THE THREE INTERVENTION ARMS. SESSION ATTENDANCE WAS HIGH FOR ALL GROUPS (75.5-89.5%) AND 17 PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT DURING THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. PROGRAM SATISFACTION WAS HIGH (4.8 OR HIGHER OUT OF 5) AND NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. ONE COHORT (N = 15) OF THE INTERVENTION TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE INTERVENTION DELIVERY DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. FEASIBILITY DATA FROM THESE PARTICIPANTS SUGGESTED THAT SYNCHRONIZED GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES VIA ZOOM WITH A LIVE INSTRUCTOR WERE ACCEPTABLE AND ENJOYABLE. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK REGARDING MOST AND LEAST HELPFUL ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE SUMMARIZED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS HIGHLY FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE. THE FEASIBILITY PARAMETERS FROM THIS TRIAL CAN AID RESEARCHERS IN ESTIMATING RECRUITMENT RATES FOR DESIRED SAMPLE SIZES TO SUCCESSFULLY RANDOMIZE AND RETAIN CANCER SURVIVORS IN SHORT- AND LONG-TERM YOGA-BASED EFFICACY AND EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS. THE FINDINGS ALSO PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO CLINICIANS WHO CAN RECOMMEND UP TO 150 MIN OF A COMBINATION OF EXERCISES-AEROBIC, YOGA, OR STRETCHING-TONING TO THEIR CANCER PATIENTS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLBEING DURING CANCER SURVIVORSHIP. 2021 18 2235 40 THE IMPACT OF YOGA UPON FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE WHO QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE(22) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF 20 FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. SUBJECTS ATTENDED ONE HOUR YOGA SESSIONS DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF ONE MONTH. A PRETEST-POST-TEST RESEARCH DESIGN WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FOLLOWING THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE GREATER THAN SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING YOGA (P < 0.01). PATIENTS ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF THEIR HEALTH POST YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING THE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS TO MANAGE THEIR DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDICAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROID DISORDER. 2011 19 115 34 A PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY IS COMMON IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR THIS CO-MORBIDITY REMAIN LIMITED. YOGA IS A PROMISING ADJUNCT INTERVENTION THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE ANXIETY FOR ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, THEREFORE THIS PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE ACCEPTABILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE SINGLE ARM PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN AN EARLY INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOSIS SERVICE. RATES OF ATTENDANCE, AS WELL AS SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY PRE AND POST YOGA SESSION WERE MEASURED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 14 YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY AND OVER 70% ATTENDED HALF OR MORE OF THE YOGA SESSIONS OFFERED. SIGNIFICANT TRANSIENT REDUCTION IN STATE ANXIETY AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA WAS OBSERVED (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE AND POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND THE RESULTS WARRANT FURTHER CLINICAL TRIALS. 2022 20 159 46 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