1 2712 114 YOGA LEADS TO MULTIPLE PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS AFTER STROKE, A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS CHANGE IN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), STRENGTH, AND ENDURANCE) AFTER 8 WEEKS OF THERAPEUTIC-YOGA. DESIGN: PLANNED ANALYSES OF DATA FROM A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY OF YOGA AFTER STROKE. SETTING: UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE (N=47) RANDOMIZED TO THERAPEUTIC-YOGA (N=37) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N=10). INTERVENTIONS: 16 SESSIONS OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA (TWICE A WEEK/8 WEEKS). YOGA WAS DELIVERED IN A STANDARDIZED AND PROGRESSIVE FORMAT WITH POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION IN SITTING, STANDING, AND SUPINE. MAIN MEASURES: PAIN WAS ASSESSED WITH THE PEG, A 3-ITEM FUNCTIONAL MEASURE OF THE INTERFERENCE OF PAIN. ROM INCLUDED NECK AND HIP ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROM MEASUREMENTS). UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH WERE ASSESSED WITH THE ARM CURL TEST AND CHAIR-TO-STAND TEST, RESPECTIVELY. ENDURANCE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE 6-MINUTE WALK AND MODIFIED 2-MIN STEP TEST. RESULTS: AFTER A BONFERRONI CORRECTION, PAIN, NECK ROM, HIP PASSIVE ROM, UPPER EXTREMITY STRENGTH, AND THE 6-MIN WALK SCORES ALL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER 8 WEEKS OF ENGAGING IN YOGA. NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A GROUP THERAPEUTIC-YOGA INTERVENTION MAY IMPROVE MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER STROKE. SUCH AN INTERVENTION MAY BE COMPLEMENTARY TO TRADITIONAL REHABILITATION. 2014 2 2825 28 YOGA VERSUS HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE AIM WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM ON LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH ENTHESITIS RELATED ARTHRITIS (ERA). METHODS: TWENTY-ONE CHILDREN WITH ERA WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS YOGA (N = 11) AND HOME EXERCISE (N = 10). YOGA GROUP PERFORMED SUPERVISED YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. HOME EXERCISE GROUP PERFORMED VIDEO-BASED EXERCISES FOR THE SAME PERIOD. PAIN IN REST AND ACTIVITY, LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING EIGHT WEEKS. RESULTS: THE GROUPS WERE SIMILAR AT BASELINE (P > 0.05). ALL THE PARAMETERS, EXCEPT PARENT REPORTED QUALITY OF LIFE, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05), WHERE ONLY STAIR CLIMB TEST TIMES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN HOME EXERCISE GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA SEEMS PROMISING FOR IMPROVING LOWER EXTREMITY FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PAIN, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AS AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN REHABILITATION PROGRAMS OF CHILDREN WITH ERA. 2021 3 1760 39 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. CONTEXT: YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF ASANA AND ASANA WITH PRANAYAMA LESSONS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 28 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 52.7 YEARS) WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA ASANA (YA) GROUP AND YA WITH PRANAYAMA (YAP) GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 70-MIN SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE YA GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITHOUT SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS, WHILE THE YAP GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITH SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS (PRANAYAMA). RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOSPIROMETER. PHYSICAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 30-S CHAIR STAND TEST AND UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY. ALL TESTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN SCORES WERE ANALYZED WITH THE PAIRED T-TEST FOR EACH GROUP. PRE-POST RESULTS WERE COMPARED FOR ALL THE MEASURED VALUES. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL AND OVERALL RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY IMPROVED ONLY IN THE YAP GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IMPROVED THE OVERALL RESPIRATORY AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, AND THE INCLUSION OF PRANAYAMA HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF IMPROVING INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND GLOBAL BODY FLEXIBILITY. 2019 4 2090 21 THE EFFECT OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE STUDY MEASURED EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING. A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP AND AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. 2014 5 2815 39 YOGA TRAINING HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THERE IS A LITTLE EVIDENCE ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF A SIX-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND SUBJECTIVE IMPACT OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. SETTING: PROTOCOL DEVELOPED AT THE ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STUDY DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION, STATE UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS, BRAZIL. SUBJECTS: A TOTAL OF 12 (11 WOMEN) YOGA NAIVE PEOPLE WITH MS RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL (C-WAITING LIST, N = 6) AND YOGA (Y-YOGA TRAINING, N = 6). INTERVENTIONS: YOGA GROUP PRACTICED POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION ON WEEKLY 60-MIN CLASSES FOR A SIX-MONTH PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE FOLLOWING EVALUATIONS WERE PERFORMED AT STUDY ENTRY (BASELINE), AND AFTER SIX MONTHS (SIX MONTHS): BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS), EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS), AND SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE QUALITY AND INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BBS SCORE FROM BASELINE TO SIX MONTHS ONLY IN THE YOGA GROUP, ESPECIALLY IN SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER EDSS SCORE, WITH INCREASED QUALITY OF SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE, AND DECREASED INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. IN CONCLUSION, A SIX-MONTH YOGA TRAINING IS BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE WITH MS, SINCE IT IMPROVES POSTURAL BALANCE AND DECREASES THE INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. A GREATER SAMPLE SIZE IS NECESSARY TO INCREASE GENERALIZATION, BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOGA COULD BE INCLUDED AS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH MS. 2016 6 936 27 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA VERSUS EXERCISE FOR REDUCING FALLING RISK IN OLDER ADULTS: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES. OUR PURPOSE IN THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS OF FALLING IN ACTIVE AND LOW ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 35) OVER THE AGE OF 65 ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN EITHER A YOGA PROGRAM, AN EXERCISE PROGRAM, OR A NO-PROGRAM CONTROL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES ASSOCIATED WITH FALLING RISKS. PHYSICAL MEASURES INCLUDED LOWER BODY STRENGTH, STATIC BALANCE, AND LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES INCLUDED PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY WITH RESPECT TO FALLS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. WE DETERMINED BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES USING PLANNED COMPARISONS, EFFECT SIZE, CONFIDENCE INTERVALS, AND PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY. RESULTS OF PLANNED COMPARISONS AND PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE TESTING INDICATED THAT YOGA PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN THE EXERCISE AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ALSO SCORED HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON RIGHT LEG STATIC BALANCE, AND THE RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY TESTS. THE EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS SCORED HIGHER THAN YOGA PARTICIPANTS ON THE RAND-36 QUALITY OF LIFE SUBSCALES OF ENERGY/FATIGUE, PAIN, AND GENERAL HEALTH. THE PROBABILITY OF SUPERIORITY RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE NO-PROGRAM OLDER ADULT PARTICIPANTS WOULD BENEFIT BY ENROLLING IN THE YOGA RATHER THAN THE EXERCISE PROGRAM TO REDUCE PHYSICAL RISKS OF FALLING. THESE FINDINGS WERE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS TO REDUCE RISKS OF FALLING, AND THE ROLES OF THE PROTOCOL, PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND MEASURES EMPLOYED WHEN DETERMINING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. 2022 7 2871 30 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 8 2152 28 THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED ASANAS IN IYENGAR YOGA ON FLEXIBILITY: PILOT STUDY. IN RECENT YEARS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND EXERCISE, AND HAS BEEN SAID TO IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SIX WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION ON FLEXIBILITY. N = 16 LOW TO MODERATELY ACTIVE FEMALES (52.37 +/- 7.79 YEARS) ATTENDED IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 6 WEEKS, CONSISTING OF ONE 90 MIN SESSION PER WEEK. LUMBAR AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION USING A STANDARD SIT AND REACH TEST. THE RESULTS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FLEXIBILITY, INDICATING 6 WEEKS OF SINGLE SESSION YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING ERECTOR SPINAE AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THAT MUCH OF THE POPULATION FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE SESSION A WEEK INTO THEIR TRAINING SCHEDULE. 2014 9 60 29 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 10 640 31 DO YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAVE IMPACT ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, FATIGUE, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS? AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA ON THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 52 PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 2 GROUPS: AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 28) AND YOGA ADDED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 24). BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE 30 MINUTES/D, 3 D/WK FOR 6 WEEKS. THE SECOND GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-HOUR YOGA PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING. FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT). PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS EVALUATED WITH A HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETER. THE FATIGUE SEVERITY LEVEL WAS ASSESSED WITH THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS). THE QOL WAS DETERMINED BY THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, THE 6MWT DISTANCE, AND THE PERCEPTION OF QOL IN BOTH GROUPS (P < .05). ADDITIONALLY, THE GROUP WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA SHOWED MARKED IMPROVEMENT COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUP IN FATIGUE PERCEPTION (P < .05). CONCLUSION: ACCORDING TO THE DATA FROM THIS STUDY, AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND QOL OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAMS CAN BE SUPPORTED BY BODY MIND TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS YOGA, IN THE REHABILITATION OF CANCER PATIENTS FOR IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLNESS. 2015 11 2222 44 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 12 255 31 A YOGA-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: THIS WAS A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC (GREATER THAN 9 MONTHS) POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS. MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD A STROKE REPORT AN IMPAIRED HEALTH STATUS BECAUSE OF A REDUCED LEVEL OF ACTIVITY. PROPONENTS OF YOGA CONTEND THAT IT OFFERS A GENTLE ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE PROGRAM THAT CAN BE EASILY ADAPTED FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD A STROKE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: FOUR SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS PARTICIPATED IN THIS SINGLE-CASE STUDY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE THE BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) AND THE TIMED MOVEMENT BATTERY (TMB). A SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE STROKE IMPACT SCALE (SIS). THE BASELINE TESTING PHASE VARIED FOR EACH SUBJECT AND RANGED FROM 4 TO 7 WEEKS. THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION PHASE CONSISTED OF 1.5-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS, 2 TIMES PER WEEK, IN THE SUBJECT'S HOME. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME DATA WERE COLLECTED EACH WEEK, AND THE SECONDARY OUTCOME DATA WERE COLLECTED BEFORE THE BASELINE TESTING PHASE AND BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PHASE. RESULTS: SUBJECTS 1, 2, AND 4 HAD IMPROVED TMB SCORES, AND SUBJECTS 3 AND 4 HAD IMPROVED BBS SCORES. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD A STROKE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS WARRANTED TO FURTHER EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN THIS POPULATION. 2004 13 428 27 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 14 1076 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 15 947 25 EFFECTS OF A 4-MONTH ANANDA YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR ADDRESSING PROBLEMS WITH STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE, GAIT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND CONCENTRATION. VARYING DEGREES OF THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE, 4-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON STRENGTH, MOBILITY, BALANCE, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. METHODS: TWENTY FOUR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS PARTICIPATED IN AN INTENSIVE ANANDA YOGA TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 17 WEEKS OF HOME PRACTICE. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW AND A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES WERE DETECTED FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PERSONS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 16 852 22 EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF YOUNG WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF NON-ATHLETE WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA (PD) AGED 18-22 YEARS. THIRTY-FOUR VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO CONTROL AND YOGA GROUPS. MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE 12-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ASKED TO PRACTICE YOGA FOR 30 MIN PER DAY, TWICE A WEEK, FOR 12 WEEKS AT HOME, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FORM OF EXERCISE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVE IN MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL IN THE YOGA GROUP MORE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THEREFORE, THIS SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE A POSSIBLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR PD. 2017 17 1008 35 EFFECTS OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA IN INDUSTRIAL REHABILITATION ON PHYSICAL FITNESS AND STRESS OF INJURED WORKERS. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON PHYSICAL FITNESS AND STRESS LEVEL IN INJURED WORKERS. METHODS: EIGHTEEN MALE AND FEMALE INJURED WORKERS, AGE BETWEEN 18 AND 55 YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY. THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: AN ADDITIVE HATHA YOGA TRAINING TO ROUTINE INDUSTRIAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM GROUP (HYG: N = 9) AND A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO YOGA TRAINING (CG: N = 9). A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL WAS DESIGNED FOR THIS POPULATION BY TWO CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS, APPROVED BY A PHYSICAL THERAPIST, AND CONDUCTED FOR 1 H, THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES INCLUDING FLEXIBILITY OF LOWER BACK AND HAMSTRINGS, HAND GRIP STRENGTH AND LUNG CAPACITY AND SCORES OF SENSITIVITY TO STRESS WERE EVALUATED AT THE TIME OF RECRUITMENT AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE VALUES OF ALL PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES AND STRESS SCORES WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE. SIGNIFICANT POST-YOGA IMPROVEMENTS FOR HYG GROUP WERE NOTED IN FLEXIBILITY, HAND GRIP STRENGTH, AND VITAL CAPACITY (P < 0.05). IN CONTRAST, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE CG GROUP. STRESS SCORES DID NOT CHANGE AS A RESULT OF HATHA YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA TRAINING EXPERIENCE EXERTED THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES INCLUDING FLEXIBILITY OF LOWER BACK AND HAMSTRINGS, HAND GRIP STRENGTH AND VITAL CAPACITY, BUT NOT ON STRESS LEVEL IN INJURED WORKERS. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT HATHA YOGA CAN BE A BENEFICIAL ADJUNCT TO ROUTINE PHYSICAL THERAPY TREATMENT IN INDUSTRIAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 2015 18 459 31 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 19 2651 35 YOGA IMPROVES BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND PERCEIVED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: THIS WAS A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF GROUP YOGA, AS PAST WORK HAS INDICATED THAT ONE-ON-ONE YOGA CAN IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS IN ADULTS WITH BRAIN INJURY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS SERVED AS THEIR OWN CONTROLS. NINE PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY WERE RECRUITED, AND SEVEN (FOUR FEMALE) COMPLETED THE STUDY. PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF BALANCE AND MOBILITY AND SELF-REPORTED MEASURES OF BALANCE CONFIDENCE, PAIN, AND OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND SATISFACTION WERE USED. DATA WERE COLLECTED 3 TIMES: BASELINE (STUDY ONSET), PRE-YOGA (AFTER AN 8-WEEK NO-CONTACT PERIOD), AND POST-YOGA (AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA). GROUP YOGA WAS LED BY A YOGA INSTRUCTOR/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, AND SESSIONS LASTED 1 H AND OCCURRED TWICE A WEEK. RESULTS: NO PARTICIPANTS WITHDREW DUE TO ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM YOGA. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BETWEEN BASELINE AND PRE-YOGA. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED POST-YOGA IN BALANCE (P = 0.05), MOBILITY (P = 0.03), AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: WE OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCE, MOBILITY, AND SELF-REPORTED OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC BRAIN INJURY. 2020 20 909 26 EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL YOGA EXERCISES ON FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DISORDERS POSES HEAVY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP EXERCISES ON FATIGUE ON PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL, 85 PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALIZED EXERCISE AND TEAM EXERCISE. THE INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED FOR 6 WEEKS AND COMPRISED OF MILD STRETCHING AND BASIC YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A DAY. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, STANDARD FATIGUE SCALE AND SELF-REPORTED CHECKLIST. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY SPSS SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE MEAN LEVELS OF FATIGUE PERCEPTION AFTER THE INTERVENTION IN GROUP EXERCISE WAS 27.9 +/- 15.9 AND 27.1 +/- 17.2 IN INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE MEAN LEVEL OF PERCEIVED FATIGUE IN TRIPLICATE MEASUREMENTS (P = 0.013) AMONG PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. HOWEVER, THIS DIFFERENCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE GROUP EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: PERFORMING MILD STRETCHING EXERCISES AND BASIC YOGA ARE RECOMMENDED AS A COST-EFFECTIVE METHOD WHICH IS EASY TO PERFORM AMONG PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES. 2015