1 2777 124 YOGA SPINAL FLEXION POSITIONS AND VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE IN OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS OF SPINE: CASE SERIES. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS REPORT IS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE EFFECT OF STRENUOUS YOGA FLEXION EXERCISES ON OSTEOPENIC OR OSTEOPOROTIC SPINES. WE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN OSTEOPOROSIS IN WHOM VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES (VCFS) DEVELOPED AFTER SPINAL FLEXION EXERCISE (SFE) AND RECOMMENDED THAT SFES NOT BE PRESCRIBED IN PATIENTS WITH SPINAL OSTEOPOROSIS. METHODS: THIS REPORT DESCRIBES 3 HEALTHY PERSONS WITH LOW BONE MASS AND YOGA-INDUCED PAIN OR FRACTURE. RESULTS: ALL 3 PATIENTS HAD OSTEOPENIA, WERE IN GOOD HEALTH AND PAIN-FREE, AND HAD STARTED YOGA EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THEIR MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH. NEW PAIN AND FRACTURE AREAS OCCURRED AFTER PARTICIPATION IN YOGA FLEXION EXERCISES. CONCLUSIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAIN AND COMPLICATIONS WITH SOME FLEXION YOGA POSITIONS IN THE PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPENIA LEADS TO CONCERN THAT FRACTURE RISK WOULD INCREASE EVEN FURTHER IN OSTEOPOROSIS. ALTHOUGH EXERCISE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND DECREASING FRACTURE RISK, OUR SUBJECTS HAD DEVELOPMENT OF VCFS AND NECK AND BACK PAIN WITH YOGA EXERCISES. THIS FINDING SUGGESTS THAT FACTORS OTHER THAN BONE MASS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR EXERCISE COUNSELING IN PATIENTS WITH BONE LOSS. THE INCREASED TORQUE PRESSURE APPLIED TO VERTEBRAL BODIES DURING SFES MAY BE A RISK. EXERCISE IS EFFECTIVE AND IMPORTANT FOR TREATMENT OF OSTEOPENIA AND OSTEOPOROSIS AND SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED FOR PATIENTS WITH VERTEBRAL BONE LOSS. SOME YOGA POSITIONS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME STRAIN ON SPINES WITH BONE LOSS. ASSESSMENT OF FRACTURE RISK IN OLDER PERSONS PERFORMING SFES AND OTHER HIGH-IMPACT EXERCISES IS AN IMPORTANT CLINICAL CONSIDERATION. 2013 2 992 19 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. TEN HEALTHY, UNTRAINED VOLUNTEERS (NINE FEMALES AND ONE MALE), RANGING IN AGE FROM 18-27 YEARS, WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS, INCLUDING MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, BODY COMPOSITION, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO ATTEND A MINIMUM OF TWO YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 8 WEEKS. EACH YOGA SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES OF PRANAYAMAS (BREATH-CONTROL EXERCISES), 15 MINUTES OF DYNAMIC WARM-UP EXERCISES, 50 MINUTES OF ASANAS (YOGA POSTURES), AND 10 MINUTES OF SUPINE RELAXATION IN SAVASANA (CORPSE POSE). THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM. ISOKINETIC MUSCULAR STRENGTH FOR ELBOW EXTENSION, ELBOW FLEXION, AND KNEE EXTENSION INCREASED BY 31%, 19%, AND 28% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY, WHEREAS ISOMETRIC MUSCULAR ENDURANCE FOR KNEE FLEXION INCREASED 57% (P<0.01). ANKLE FLEXIBILITY, SHOULDER ELEVATION, TRUNK EXTENSION, AND TRUNK FLEXION INCREASED BY 13% (P<0.01), 155% (P<0.001), 188% (P<0.001), AND 14% (P<0.05), RESPECTIVELY. ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE INCREASED BY 7% AND 6%, RESPECTIVELY (P<0.01). THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE CAN ELICIT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. (C)2001 CHF, INC. 2001 3 322 23 ANKLE MOTION IN COMMON YOGA POSES. BACKGROUND: MOTION OF THE ANKLE IS ESSENTIAL FOR MANY YOGA POSES. AN UNDERSTANDING OF RANGE OF ANKLE MOTION DURING TYPICAL YOGA POSES MAY HELP THE CLINICIAN TO UNDERSTAND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF PATIENTS WHEN RETURNING FROM ANKLE SURGERY OR INJURY TO YOGA. METHODS: THE BIOMECHANICS OF TWENTY HEALTHY ACTIVE YOGIS WERE COLLECTED DURING SEVEN YOGA POSES THAT ARE COMMON WITHIN THEIR PRACTICES. MOTION CAPTURE AND FORCE PLATES WERE USED TO ASSESS THE RANGE OF MOTION AND JOINT MOMENTS OF THE ANKLE FOR EACH POSE. RESULTS: ALL POSES RESULTED IN PLANTARFLEXION AND EXTERNAL ROTATION MOMENTS AT THE ANKLE JOINTS. JOINT LOADING WAS HIGHEST IN SINGLE LEG POSES. THE ARC OF MOTION USED BY THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS IN THE POSES WAS 29 DEGREES OF SAGITTAL MOTION, 20 DEGREES OF FRONTAL MOTION AND 35 DEGREES OF TRANSVERSE MOTION. DISCUSSION: ANKLE MOTION WAS EVALUATED WHEN HEALTHY YOGIS PERFORM STANDARD POSES. THESE RESULTS MAY HELP IN DISCUSSION WITH PATIENTS REGARDING EXPECTED OUTCOMES AFTER ANKLE INJURY OR SURGERY. 2019 4 2565 32 YOGA FOR CORRECTION OF LYMPHEDEMA'S IMPAIRMENT OF GAIT AS AN ADJUNCT TO LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE: A PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY. INTRODUCTION: YOGA USED AS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT PROTOCOL IN 14 INDIAN VILLAGE CAMPS IMPROVED QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN 425 LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS PATIENTS. THEY EXPERIENCED BETTER MOBILITY AND REDUCED DISABILITY. THIS PAPER DOCUMENTS THE GAIT ABNORMALITIES OBSERVED IN LOWER LIMB LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS AND THE LOCOMOTOR CHANGES FOLLOWING INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: YOGA POSTURES WERE PERFORMED AS EXPLAINED BY TRADITIONAL YOGA PRACTICE IN TWO SESSIONS: BEFORE AYURVEDIC OIL MASSAGE WITHOUT COMPRESSION BANDAGES AND AFTER THE MASSAGE WITH COMPRESSION BANDAGES. EACH YOGA POSTURE LASTED FOR 5 MIN AND THE WHOLE SESSION ENDED IN 45 MIN. THROUGHOUT EACH SESSION, WE ADVISED PATIENTS TO DO LONG, DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, CONCENTRATING ON EACH BREATH. THE FLEXION OF JOINTS WAS COORDINATED WITH EXHALATION AND EXTENSION WITH INHALATION. WE EDUCATED THE PATIENTS TO DO LONGER EXPIRATION THAN INSPIRATION. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A TOTAL OF 98 PATIENTS (133 LIMBS) ATTENDING THE 6(TH) MONTH FOLLOW-UP WERE EVALUATED. THE MOST COMMON GAIT ABNORMALITY WAS ANTALGIC GAIT. STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ABNORMALITIES WERE OBSERVED IN HIP, KNEE AND ANKLE JOINTS. WE FOUND THAT YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO OTHER COMPONENTS IN INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT IMPROVED THE GAIT PROBLEMS. LONG STANDING LYMPHEDEMA CAUSED ALTERED GAIT AND JOINT DEFORMITIES. THIS WAS MOSTLY DUE TO INACTIVITY CAUSING MUSCLE WEAKNESS AND EDEMA WITHIN AND AROUND THE MUSCLES. BOTH LARGE AND SMALL LIMBS HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT VOLUME REDUCTION (P < 0.01) DURING FOLLOW-UP AFTER 6 MONTHS. CONCLUSION: THERE CAN BE A MIXED ETIOLOGY FOR GAIT RELATED PROBLEMS IN LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS. FURTHER STUDIES ARE RECOMMENDED TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES OF DEFORMITIES IN LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS AND AN EXACT ROLE OF YOGA. 2015 5 2853 48 YOGA, VERTEBRAL FRACTURES, AND OSTEOPOROSIS: RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BACKGROUND: OSTEOPOROSIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY DECREASED BONE DENSITY THAT LEAVES BONES FRAGILE AND HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FRACTURE. GLOBALLY, 1 IN 3 WOMEN AND 1 IN 5 MEN OLDER THAN 50 WILL SUFFER FROM AN OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURE, AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL EXPERIENCE A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER RISK OF POSTFRACTURE MORTALITY THAN WILL THE GENERAL POPULATION. GENTLE, WEIGHT-BEARING EXERCISES SUCH AS YOGA CAN HELP PREVENT OR CEASE THE PROGRESSION OF OSTEOPOROSIS; HOWEVER, THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA REGARDING WHICH YOGA POSES PRESENT THE LEAST RISK AND ARE MOST BENEFICIAL TO INDIVIDUALS WITH REDUCED BONE DENSITY. OBJECTIVES: REVIEW THE EXTANT LITERATURE ABOUT THE RISKS AND BENEFITS TO THE SPINE OF PARTICULAR FORMS OF MOVEMENT AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS RELATIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA. METHODS: A REVIEW OF THE PUBMED, MEDLINE, AND COCHRANE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED THAT IDENTIFIED MANUSCRIPTS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1966 AND 2011 ABOUT TOPICS RELATED TO OSTEOPOROSIS AND SPINAL MOVEMENT. CONCLUSIONS: MOVEMENTS INVOLVING SPINAL FLEXION CAN INCREASE RISK FOR VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES; HOWEVER, A COMBINATION OF MILD SPINAL FLEXION AND EXTENSION MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL. MODERATE, WEIGHT-BEARING ACTIVITIES THAT STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES SUPPORTING THE SPINAL COLUMN, PROMOTE BALANCE, IMPROVE POSTURE, AND ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE APPEAR TO BE OF GREATEST BENEFIT. AMPLE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE IMPORTANCE OF VARIED SPINAL MOVEMENT FOR PRESERVING THE HEALTH AND STRENGTH OF THE VERTEBRAL BODIES. EXERCISE MODIFICATIONS SUITABLE FOR HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS MAY BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR THOSE AT LOW RISK FOR VERTEBRAL FRACTURES. YOGA THERAPISTS ARE CAUTIONED TO NOT APPLY A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH WHEN WORKING WITH THIS POPULATION. WELL-DESIGNED EMPIRICAL STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH YOGA POSES PRESENT THE LEAST RISK AND ARE OF GREATEST BENEFIT TO INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. 2013 6 2359 57 VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA: A CASE SERIES. BACKGROUND: THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE IN SKELETAL HEALTH IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED BY BOTH PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS. HOWEVER, THE SAFETY OF PRESCRIBED OR RECREATIONAL EXERCISE IN AT-RISK POPULATIONS REMAINS UNDER-REPORTED AND UNDER-PUBLICIZED. YOGA HAS GAINED WIDESPREAD POPULARITY DUE TO ITS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. WHEN PRACTICED IN A POPULATION AT INCREASED FRACTURE RISK, HOWEVER, SOME YOGA POSES MAY INCREASE FRACTURE RISK, PARTICULARLY AT THE SPINE, RATHER THAN INCREASING BMD AS NOTED IN RECENT POPULAR PRESS REPORTS. CASE REPORT: NINE SUBJECTS (8 WOMEN) WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 66 YEARS (RANGE 53-87), DEVELOPED VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE (VCF) ONE MONTH TO SIX YEARS AFTER INITIATING YOGA-ASSOCIATED SPINAL FLEXION EXERCISES (SFE). VCF PRESENTED WITH BACK PAIN AND OCCURRED IN THE THORACICSPINE (N.=6), LUMBAR-SPINE (N.=4) AND CERVICAL-SPINE (N.=1). FOUR PATIENTS HAD OSTEOPOROSIS BY BMD CRITERIA PRIOR TO VCF AND 2 HAD OSTEOPENIA (MEDIAN T-SCORE -2.35; RANGE -3.3 TO +2.0). INTERESTINGLY, ALL PATIENTS HAD THEIR LOWEST T-SCORES AT THE SPINE. THREE PATIENTS HAD A HISTORY OF FRAGILITY FRACTURE PRIOR TO THE INDEX VCF. WHILE ONE PATIENT HAD PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM AND ANOTHER WAS TREATED WITH HIGH DOSE PREDNISONE, NO OTHER RISK FACTORS FOR BONE LOSS INCLUDING MEDICATIONS OR SECONDARY OSTEOPOROSIS CAUSES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE OTHER PATIENTS. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: THIS STUDY IDENTIFIED PATIENTS IN WHOM INCREASED TORSIONAL AND COMPRESSIVE MECHANICAL LOADING PRESSURES OCCURRING DURING YOGA SFE RESULTED IN DE NOVO VCF. DESPITE THE NEED FOR SELECTIVITY IN YOGA POSES IN POPULATIONS AT INCREASED FRACTURE RISK, BOTH SCIENTIFIC AND MEDIA REPORTS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE YOGA AS A BONE PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY. ACCORDINGLY, YOGA IS MISCONCEIVED AS A 'ONESIZE-FITS-ALL' PRESCRIPTION. INSTEAD, THE APPROPRIATE SELECTION OF PATIENTS LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM YOGA MUST BE A CORNERSTONE OF FRACTURE PREVENTION. 2018 7 2100 32 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARM VOLUME, STRENGTH, AND RANGE OF MOTION IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND INITIAL ESTIMATES OF EFFICACY OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN POSTOPERATIVE CARE FOR WOMEN AT HIGH RISK FOR BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA (BCRL). DESIGN: SINGLE-GROUP PRETEST-POST-TEST DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO CAROL FRANC BUCK BREAST CARE CENTER. SUBJECTS: TWENTY-ONE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. WOMEN WERE >18 YEARS OF AGE, HAD UNDERGONE SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER, AND WERE AT HIGH RISK FOR BCRL. INTERVENTION: THE WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN AN ASHTANGA YOGA INTERVENTION FOR 8 WEEKS. SESSIONS CONSISTED OF ONCE/WEEK INSTRUCTOR-LED PRACTICE AND ONCE/WEEK HOME PRACTICE. PARTICULAR ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO POSES THAT EMPHASIZED UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY, WHILE AVOIDING SIGNIFICANT TIME WITH THE UPPER EXTREMITY (UE) IN A DEPENDENT POSITION. OUTCOME MEASURES: UE VOLUME WAS ASSESSED THROUGH CIRCUMFERENTIAL FOREARM MEASUREMENT, WHICH WAS CONVERTED TO VOLUME USING THE FORMULA FOR A TRUNCATED CONE. RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) WAS ASSESSED FOR THE SHOULDERS, ELBOWS, AND WRISTS, USING A STANDARD GONIOMETER. UE STRENGTH WAS ASSESSED FOR SHOULDER ABDUCTION, ELBOW FLEXION, WRIST FLEXION, AND GRIP USING A DYNAMOMETER. RESULTS: TWENTY WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION, WITH 17 RETURNING FOR FINAL ASSESSMENT. MEAN AGE WAS 52 (+/-9.1) YEARS AND BODY MASS INDEX WAS 24.8 (+/-5.1) KG/M(2). POSTINTERVENTION, MEAN VOLUME IN THE AT-RISK UE WAS SLIGHTLY REDUCED (P = 0.397). ROM FOR SHOULDER FLEXION (P < 0.01) AND EXTERNAL ROTATION (P < 0.05) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BILATERALLY. SHOULDER ABDUCTION ROM SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FOR THE UNAFFECTED LIMB (P = 0.001). FOLLOWING INTERVENTION, STRENGTH IMPROVED ON THE AFFECTED SIDE FOR SHOULDER ABDUCTION AND GRIP STRENGTH, AND BILATERALLY FOR ELBOW FLEXION (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). CONCLUSIONS: THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE AT RISK FOR BCRL AND MAY RESULT IN SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOULDER ROM AND UE STRENGTH. 2018 8 2766 32 YOGA PROTOCOL FOR TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA. INTRODUCTION: VAQAS AND RYAN (2003) ADVOCATED YOGA AND BREATHING EXERCISES FOR LYMPHEDEMA. NARAHARI ET AL. (2007) DEVELOPED AN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE PROTOCOL FOR LOWER-LIMB LYMPHEDEMA USING YOGA. STUDIES HAVE HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA PLAYS A SIMILAR ROLE AS THAT OF CENTRAL MANUAL LYMPH DRAINAGE OF FOLDI'S TECHNIQUE. THIS STUDY EXPLAINS HOW WE HAVE USED YOGA AND BREATHING AS A SELF-CARE INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA (BCRL). METHODS: THE STUDY OUTCOME WAS TO CREATE A YOGA PROTOCOL FOR BCRL. SELECTION OF YOGA WAS BASED ON THE ACTIONS OF MUSCLES ON JOINTS, ANATOMICAL AREAS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS OF LYMPH NODES, STRETCHING OF SKIN, AND METHOD OF BREATHING IN EACH YOGA. THE PROTOCOL WAS PILOTED IN EIGHT BCRL PATIENTS, OBSERVED ITS DIFFICULTIES BY INTERACTING WITH PATIENTS. A LITERATURE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED IN PUBMED AND COCHRANE LIBRARY TO IDENTIFY THE YOGA PROTOCOLS FOR BCRL. RESULTS: TWENTY YOGA AND 5 BREATHING EXERCISES WERE ADOPTED. THEY HAVE SLOW, METHODICAL JOINT MOVEMENTS WHICH HELPED PATIENTS TO TOLERATE PAIN. BREATHING WAS LONG AND DIAPHRAGMATIC. FLEXION OF JOINTS WAS COORDINATED WITH EXHALATION AND EXTENSION WITH INHALATION. ALTERNATE YOGA WAS INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE PATIENTS TO PERFORM COMPLEX MOVEMENTS. YOGA'S JOINT MOVEMENTS, INITIAL POSITIONS, AND MODE OF BREATHING WERE COMPARED TO TWO OTHER PROTOCOLS. THE VOLUME REDUCED FROM 2.4 TO 1.2 L IN EIGHT PATIENTS AFTER CONTINUOUS PRACTICE OF YOGA AND COMPRESSION AT HOME FOR 3 MONTHS. THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT IN THE RANGE OF MOVEMENT AND INTENSITY OF PAIN. DISCUSSION: YOGA EXERCISES WERE SELECTED ON THE BASIS OF THEIR ROLE IN CHEST EXPANSION, MAXIMIZING RANGE OF MOVEMENTS: FLEXION OF LARGE MUSCLES, MAXIMUM STRETCH OF SKIN, AND THUS PART-BY-PART LYMPH DRAINAGE FROM CENTER AND PERIPHERY. THIS PROTOCOL ADDRESSED FUNCTIONAL, VOLUME, AND MOVEMENT ISSUES OF BCRL AND WAS FOUND TO BE SUPERIOR TO OTHER BCRL YOGA PROTOCOLS. HOWEVER, THIS PROTOCOL NEEDS TO BE TESTED IN CENTERS ROUTINELY MANAGING BCRL. 2016 9 81 19 A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF EFFECTS ON SPECIFIC JOINTS DURING PRACTICE OF THE SUN SALUTATION--A SEQUENCE OF YOGA POSTURES. THE 'SUN SALUTATION' CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE OF TEN YOGA POSTURES, EACH POSTURE COUNTERACTING THE PRECEDING ONE PRODUCING A BALANCE BETWEEN FLEXION AND EXTENSION, PERFORMED WITH SYNCHRONIZED BREATHING AND AEROBIC ACTIVITY. AS THIS SEQUENCE IS OFTEN PERFORMED AND RECOMMENDED BY MANY YOGA PRACTITIONERS, THERE IS A NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOMECHANICAL MODEL TO SUPPORT ITS REPORTED CLINICAL BENEFITS. THIS REQUIRES A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF THE FORCES AND MOMENTS AT THE VARIOUS JOINTS INVOLVED. A SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL MODEL BASED ON RIGID BODY MECHANICS IS DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE SUN SALUTATION POSTURES. DYNAMIC MOMENTS WITH HIGH MAGNITUDES AND RATES, APPLIED WITH UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS, OPTIMAL FOR OSTEOGENESIS, ARE FOUND TO OCCUR. ALSO, THE JOINTS ARE SUBJECTED TO SUBMAXIMAL LOADINGS THUS ENSURING THAT NONE OF THE JOINTS ARE OVERSTRESSED. 2011 10 408 23 BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. THIS STUDY WAS AIMED AT EXPLORING THE BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AMONGST THREE TYPICAL YOGA MANOEUVRES. A TOTAL OF THIRTEEN EXPERIENCED FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE RECRUITED IN THE CURRENT STUDY; THEY WERE ALL CERTIFIED WITH THE YOGA ALLIANCE. A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM WITH 10 CAMERAS COMBINED WITH FOUR SYNCHRONISED FORCE PLATES WAS USED TO COLLECT KINEMATICS OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY AND GROUND REACTIVE FORCE WHILST THE PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED THE CRESCENT LUNGE POSE, WARRIOR II POSE, AND TRIANGLE POSE. ONE-WAY REPEATED ANOVA WAS USED IN EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES AMONGST THE THREE YOGA MOVEMENTS, AND THE SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET TO ALPHA < 0.05. THE TRIANGLE POSE PERFORMED THE LARGEST RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) OF THE HIP (90.5 DEGREES +/- 22.9 DEGREES ), KNEE (68.8 DEGREES +/- 23.1 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (46.4 DEGREES +/- 11.3 DEGREES ) IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AND THE HIP (54.8 DEGREES +/- 6.5 DEGREES ), KNEE (42.4 DEGREES +/- 12.8 DEGREES ), AND ANKLE (4.8 DEGREES +/- 1.7 DEGREES ) IN THE FRONTAL PLANE AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND FOR THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINT MOMENT AMONGST THE THREE MANOEUVRES (P > 0.05). KNEE JOINT TRAVELLED INTO 9.5 DEGREES OF EXTENSION AND SLIGHT ADDUCTION OF 1.94 DEGREES WHILST EXPRESSING THE LARGEST KNEE JOINT ADDUCTION MOMENTS (0.30 +/- 0.22 NM/KG) IN THE TRIANGLE POSE. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE ANGULAR IMPULSE OF THE LOWER LIMB JOINTS INDICATED THAT THE HIP JOINT CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY THE MOST IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES OF THE THREE YOGA MANOEUVRES (P < 0.05), RANGING FROM 51.67% TO 70.56%. RESULTS INDICATED THAT TRIANGLE POSE MAY BE SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER TWO MANOEUVRES, WHICH IMPROVED HIP JOINT ROM, STRENGTH, AND DYNAMIC STABILITY. HOWEVER, KNEE INJURIES SUCH AS OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THE LARGE KNEE EXTENSOR ANGLE AND ADDUCTOR MOMENTS. 2021 11 2306 30 TRAINING BENEFITS AND INJURY RISKS OF STANDING YOGA APPLIED IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS: LOWER LIMB BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS. STANDING YOGA POSES STRENGTHEN A PERSON'S LEGS AND HELPS TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF MUSCULOSKELETAL REHABILITATION, BUT INADEQUATE EXERCISE PLANNING CAN CAUSE INJURIES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGES IN THE ELECTROMYOGRAM AND JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE (JMOFS) OF LOWER EXTREMITIES DURING COMMON STANDING YOGA POSES IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND POSSIBLE INJURY RISK IN DEALING WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS. ELEVEN YOGA INSTRUCTORS WERE RECRUITED TO EXECUTE FIVE YOGA POSES (CHAIR, TREE, WARRIOR 1, 2, AND 3). THE RESULTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HIP, KNEE, AND ANKLE JMOFS AND VARYING DEGREES OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AMONG THE POSES. AMONG THESE POSES, RECTUS FEMORIS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING THE CHAIR POSE WAS THE HIGHEST, WARRIOR 2 PRODUCED THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS LATERALIS OF THE FRONT LIMB, WHILE WARRIOR 1 HAD THE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN THE VASTUS MEDIALIS OF THE BACK LIMB. THEREFORE, ALL THREE POSES CAN POSSIBLY BE SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR QUADRICEPS STRENGTHENING. WARRIOR 1 WAS POSSIBLY SUGGESTED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN ORDER TO REDUCE EXCESSIVE LATERAL OVERLOAD OF THE PATELLA, BUT THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WARRIOR 2 WITH THE HIGHEST KNEE ADDUCTOR JMOF IN THE BACK LIMB COULD RAISE JOINT REACTION FORCES ACROSS THE MEDIAL CONDYLES. IN SINGLE-LEG BALANCE POSTURES, WARRIOR 3 HAD UNIQUE TRAINING EFFECTS ON THE HAMSTRING, AND IS THEREFORE SUGGESTED AS A PART OF HAMSTRING REHABILITATION EXERCISES. THE TREE POSE INDUCED LOW LOWER-EXTREMITY JMOFS AND A LOW LEVEL OF THIGH MUSCLE ACTIVATIONS WHEN IT WAS PERFORMED BY SENIOR INSTRUCTORS WITH EXCELLENT BALANCE CONTROL; HOWEVER, FOR YOGA BEGINNERS WITH INSUFFICIENT STABILITY, IT WILL BE A USEFUL TRAINING MODE FOR STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES THAT HELP TO KEEP ONE UPRIGHT. THIS STUDY QUANTIFIED THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF YOGA POSES USING BIOMECHANICAL DATA AND ELUCIDATED THE STRUCTURES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING EACH YOGA MOVEMENT. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2021 12 1757 27 POSITION OF THE HIP IN YOGA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY AS A FORM OF EXERCISE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ORTHOPEDIC PATIENTS PARTICIPATE IN YOGA, YET LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RANGES-OF-MOTION OF THE HIP WITHIN VARIOUS YOGA POSES. ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS ARE UNSURE ABOUT WHAT POTENTIAL POSITIONS THEIR PATIENTS ARE PLACING THEIR HIPS DURING A YOGA PRACTICE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO QUANTIFY THE DEGREE OF HIP MOTION WITH COMMON YOGA POSES. METHODS: TWENTY HEALTHY, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA PERFORMED 11 DIFFERENT YOGA POSES IN A STANDARDIZED FASHION. MOTION ANALYSIS WAS USED TO CAPTURE RANGE-OF-MOTION OF THE HIP DURING EACH POSE. RESULTS: MANY YOGA POSES PUT THE HIP IN EXTREMES OF MOTION. POSES SUCH AS DOWNWARD DOG, FORWARD FOLD, SEATED TWIST, AND PIGEON STRESSED THE HIP IN FLEXION. WARRIOR 1, WARRIOR 2, CRESCENT LUNGE, PIGEON, AND TRIANGLE STRESSED THE HIP IN EXTENSION. EAGLE AND SEATED TWIST PUT THE HIP IN HIGHER ADDUCTION, WHILE HALF MOON, EAGLE, AND TRIANGLE PRODUCED MORE HIP INTERNAL ROTATION. CONCLUSION: MANY POSES WERE FOUND TO REACH EXTREMES OF HIP MOTION. THIS STUDY MAY HELP GUIDE THE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON IN COUNSELING HIP ARTHROPLASTY AND HIP IMPINGEMENT PATIENTS ABOUT YOGA-RELATED ACTIVITY. BY KNOWING WHICH POSES POTENTIALLY STRESS THE HIP IN PARTICULAR PLANES OF MOTION, SURGEONS MAY BETTER INFORM THEIR PATIENTS WHO ARE RETURNING TO YOGA AFTER INJURY OR SURGERY. 2018 13 1741 23 PHYSICAL DEMAND PROFILES OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES PERFORMED BY OLDER ADULTS. UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS PLACED UPON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM BY INDIVIDUAL POSTURES MAY ALLOW EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS AND THERAPISTS TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE YOGA PROGRAMS WHICH REDUCE UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THUS, WE USED BIOMECHANICAL METHODS TO QUANTIFY THE LOWER EXTREMITY JOINT ANGLES, JOINT MOMENTS OF FORCE, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES OF 21 HATHA YOGA POSTURES, COMMONLY USED IN SENIOR YOGA PROGRAMS. TWENTY OLDER ADULTS, 70.7 YEARS +/- 3.8 YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN A 32-WK YOGA CLASS (2 D/WK) WHERE THEY LEARNED INTRODUCTORY AND INTERMEDIATE POSTURES (ASANAS). THEY THEN PERFORMED THE ASANAS IN A MOTION ANALYSIS LABORATORY. KINEMATIC, KINETIC, AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC DATA WAS COLLECTED OVER THREE SECONDS WHILE THE PARTICIPANTS HELD THE POSES STATICALLY. PROFILES ILLUSTRATING THE POSTURES AND INCLUDING THE BIOMECHANICAL DATA WERE THEN GENERATED FOR EACH ASANA. OUR FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED THAT HATHA YOGA POSTURES ENGENDERED A RANGE OF APPRECIABLE JOINT ANGLES, JMOFS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITIES ABOUT THE ANKLE, KNEE, AND HIP, AND THAT DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME POSTURES AND POSTURE MODIFICATIONS WERE NOT ALWAYS INTUITIVE. THEY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT ALL OF THE POSTURES ELICITED APPRECIABLE RECTUS ABDOMINIS ACTIVITY, WHICH WAS UP TO 70% OF THAT INDUCED DURING WALKING. 2013 14 753 30 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON PAIN, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE (CONTROL) ON PAIN AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP). DESIGN: THIS WAS A WAIT-LIST, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A RESIDENTIAL INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CENTER IN BANGALORE, SOUTH INDIA. SUBJECTS: EIGHTY (80) SUBJECTS (FEMALES, N = 37) WITH CLBP, WHO CONSENTED WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE IF THEY SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA. INTERVENTION: THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF A 1-WEEK INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPRISED OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES) DESIGNED FOR BACK PAIN, PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION, AND DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS OF YOGA. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER A TRAINED PHYSIATRIST AND ALSO HAD DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON LIFESTYLE CHANGE. BOTH OF THE GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR TIME ON INTERVENTION AND ATTENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BY SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, WHICH WAS ASSESSED USING GONIOMETER AT PRE AND POST INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (RMANOVA). RESULTS: DATA CONFORMED TO A GAUSSIAN DISTRIBUTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ODI SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.01; EFFECT SIZE 1.264). SPINAL FLEXIBILITY MEASURES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS BUT THE YOGA GROUP HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENT AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ON SPINAL FLEXION (P = 0.008; EFFECT SIZE 0.146), SPINAL EXTENSION (P = 0.002; EFFECT SIZE 0.251), RIGHT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.059; EFFECT SIZE 0.006); AND LEFT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.006; EFFECT SIZE 0.171). CONCLUSIONS: SEVEN (7) DAYS OF A RESIDENTIAL INTENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM REDUCED PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AND IMPROVED SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP BETTER THAN A PHYSICAL EXERCISE REGIMEN. 2008 15 782 21 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) INTERVENTION IN INDIVIDUAL WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINCIAL TRAIL. PARTICIPANTS: SIXTY-SIX INDIVIDUAL PREDIAGNOSED WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AGED BETWEEN 30 AND 75 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS, I.E., YOGA (N = 31) AND CONTROL (N = 35). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED IAYT INTERVENTION FOR 1 WEEK AT YOGA CENTER OF S-VYASA WHEREAS CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR NORMAL LIFESTYLE. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE FALLS EFFICACY SCALE (FES), HANDGRIP STRENGTH TEST (LEFT HAND LHGS AND RIGHT HAND RHGS), TIMED UP AND GO TEST (TUG), SIT-TO-STAND (STS), AND RIGHT & LEFT EXTENSION AND FLEXION WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1 AND DAY 7. RESULTS: THERE WERE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN TUG (P < 0.001), RIGHT (P < 0.001), AND LEFT FLEXION (P < 0.001) WHEREAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN LHGS (P < 0.01), AND RIGHT EXTENSION (P < 0.05) & LEFT EXTENSION (P < 0.001) FROM BASELINE IN YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: IAYT PRACTICE SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN TUG, STS, HGS, AND GONIOMETER TEST, WHICH SUGGEST IMPROVED MUSCULAR STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, AND FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY. CTRI REGISTRATION NUMBER: HTTP://CTRI.NIC.IN/CLINICALTRIALS, IDENTIFIER CTRI/2017/10/010141. 2018 16 2722 34 YOGA MIGHT BE AN ALTERNATIVE TRAINING FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND BALANCE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS. AIM: OSTEOPOROTIC VERTEBRA AND HIP FRACTURES ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF DYSFUNCTION, DISABILITY, MORTALITY AND IMPAIRED LIFE QUALITY IN THE AGEING POPULATION. IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL PERIOD, EXERCISES PREVENT RAPID BONE LOSS AND INCREASE MUSCLE STRENGTH, MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY THEREBY DECREASING THE RISK OF FALLS AND FRACTURES. YOGA EXERCISES, WHICH HAVE BEEN AN INSEPARABLE PART OF EASTERN CULTURE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, ARE NOW BEING USED IN THE FIELD OF OSTEOPOROSIS REHABILITATION. YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BALANCE, POSTURE, FLEXIBILITY, AND LIFE QUALITY RESULTING FROM ITS EFFECTS ON BALANCE, STRETCHING, RELAXATION AND STRENGTHENING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROTIC WOMEN ON BALANCE AND LIFE QUALITY AND TO COMPARE THE RESULTS WITH A CLASSIC OSTEOPOROSIS EXERCISE PROGRAM. METHODS: TWENTY-SIX POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROTIC WOMEN OVER 55 YEARS OF AGE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. A NEUROMUSCULAR TEST BATTERY AND THE QUALEFFO AS A LIFE QUALITY INDEX WERE USED FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF BALANCE AND LIFE QUALITY, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA EDUCATION HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, GENERAL CONCLUSION: IN CONCLUSION, YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR THE REHABILITATION OF OSTEOPOROTIC SUBJECTS. 2010 17 825 38 EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE AT RISK OF FRACTURES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. WE SUMMARIZED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES AND ADVERSE EVENTS IN MEN AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN >/=50 YEARS-OLD AT INCREASED RISK OF FRACTURE, TO INFORM THE UPDATED OSTEOPOROSIS CANADA CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES. SIX DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AND CASE SERIES. CERTAINTY OF EVIDENCE WAS ASSESSED USING THE GRADING OF RECOMMENDATIONS, ASSESSMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION HANDBOOK. NINE STUDIES WERE INCLUDED AND REPORTED USING NARRATIVE SYNTHESES DUE TO THE LIMITED AVAILABLE EVIDENCE. OVERALL, THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE WAS OF VERY LOW CERTAINTY. THERE WAS NO EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. EFFECTS ON OTHER HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE MIXED OR NOT AVAILABLE IN THE LITERATURE. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED NO ADVERSE EVENTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STUDY INTERVENTION, AND 2 STUDIES DID NOT REPORT WHETHER ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. HOWEVER, 2 CASE SERIES REPORTED VERTEBRAL FRACTURES RELATED TO YOGA PARTICIPATION, POSSIBLY DUE TO EXCESSIVE SPINAL FLEXION. DUE TO THE LIMITED AND VERY LOW CERTAINTY EVIDENCE, GUIDELINE DEVELOPERS WILL NEED TO DRAW INDIRECT EVIDENCE FROM YOGA STUDIES AMONG MIDDLE AGED OR OLDER ADULTS THAT ARE NOT AT FRACTURE RISK. PROSPERO: CRD42019124898. NOVELTY: EVIDENCE IN GENERAL WAS OF VERY LOW CERTAINTY. YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. EVIDENCE WAS MIXED OR UNAVAILABLE FOR OTHER OUTCOMES. CASE STUDIES REPORTED YOGA POSES INVOLVING SPINAL FLEXION COINCIDED WITH INCIDENTS OF VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH INCREASED FRACTURE RISK. 2022 18 1984 44 SOFT TISSUE AND BONY INJURIES ATTRIBUTED TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA: A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT. OBJECTIVE: TO ANALYZE INJURIES THAT WERE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE AND IDENTIFY SPECIFIC POSES THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: WE RETROSPECTIVELY REVIEWED THE MEDICAL RECORDS OF PATIENTS WITH INJURIES THAT WERE PRIMARILY CAUSED BY YOGA. PATIENTS WERE SEEN FROM JANUARY 1, 2006, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2018. INJURIES WERE CATEGORIZED INTO 3 GROUPS: (1) SOFT TISSUE INJURY, (2) AXIAL NONBONY INJURY, AND (3) BONY INJURY. PATIENTS UNDERWENT EVALUATION AND WERE COUNSELED TO MODIFY EXERCISE ACTIVITY. RESULTS: WE IDENTIFIED 89 PATIENTS FOR INCLUSION IN THE STUDY. WITHIN THE SOFT TISSUE GROUP, 66 PATIENTS (74.2%) HAD MECHANICAL MYOFASCIAL PAIN DUE TO OVERUSE. ROTATOR CUFF INJURY WAS SEEN IN 6 (6.7%), AND TROCHANTERIC BURSOPATHY WAS OBSERVED IN 1 (1.1%). IN THE AXIAL GROUP, EXACERBATION OF PAIN IN DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE (46 PATIENTS [51.7%]) AND FACET ARTHROPATHY (N=34 [38.2%]) WERE OBSERVED. RADICULOPATHY WAS SEEN IN 5 PATIENTS (5.6%). WITHIN THE BONY INJURY CATEGORY, KYPHOSCOLIOSIS WAS SEEN ON IMAGING IN 15 PATIENTS (16.9%). SPONDYLOLISTHESIS WAS PRESENT IN 15 PATIENTS (16.9%). ANTERIOR WEDGING WAS SEEN IN 16 (18.0%), AND COMPRESSION FRACTURES WERE PRESENT IN 13 (14.6%). THE POSES THAT WERE MOST COMMONLY IDENTIFIED AS CAUSING THE INJURIES INVOLVED HYPERFLEXION AND HYPEREXTENSION OF THE SPINE. WE CORRELATED THE KINESIOLOGIC EFFECT OF SUCH EXERCISES ON SPECIFIC MUSCULOSKELETAL STRUCTURES. CONCLUSION: YOGA POTENTIALLY HAS MANY BENEFITS, BUT CARE MUST BE TAKEN WHEN PERFORMING POSITIONS WITH EXTREME SPINAL FLEXION AND EXTENSION. PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS MAY HAVE HIGHER RISK OF COMPRESSION FRACTURES OR DEFORMITIES AND WOULD BENEFIT FROM AVOIDING EXTREME SPINAL FLEXION. PHYSICIANS SHOULD CONSIDER THIS RISK WHEN DISCUSSING YOGA AS EXERCISE. 2019 19 987 34 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISES ON SPINE FLEXIBILITY IN WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OLD. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ACCESS THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPINE IN WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA AS A PART OF THE "UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH" PROJECT. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THE STUDY INCLUDED 56 WOMEN RANGING IN AGE BETWEEN 50-79 AND ATTENDING 90 MINUTES HATHA YOGA SESSIONS ONCE A WEEK. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED TWICE-AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND AFTER ITS COMPLETION, I.E., AFTER 20 WEEKS OF CLASSES. THE RANGE OF SPINE MOBILITY IN THREE PLANES WAS MEASURED USING A RIPPSTEIN PLURIMETER. THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES WAS MEASURED IN A STANDING POSITION WITH THE FEET HIP-WIDTH APART. THE TORSIONAL RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SUBJECTS WAS MEASURED WITH THE TRUNK BENT AT A RIGHT ANGLE AND THE LEGS APART. THE FLEXIBILITY RANGES OF THE SPINE AND HAMSTRINGS WERE ALSO MEASURED BY THE TOE-TOUCH TEST IN A STANDING POSITION. [RESULTS] THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT THE APPLIED YOGA EXERCISES INCREASED SPINAL MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES REGARDLESS OF AGE. [CONCLUSION] YOGA EXERCISES SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE ELDERLY TO MAKE THEIR MUSCLES MORE FLEXIBLE AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE JOINTS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THEIR LIFE QUALITY. 2015 20 973 34 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND STRENGTH IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: AGING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A RESULT OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND HORMONAL IMBALANCE THAT CAN CAUSE DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE AND AGING-RELATED INFLAMMATION. AS AGE ADVANCES, A DECREASE IN MUSCLE MASS, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY CAN IMPAIR PHYSICAL FUNCTION. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE IN IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: THIS RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A PROSPECTIVE, TWO-ARM, OPEN-LABEL, AND PARALLEL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AT DIVINE PARK, YOGA & NATUROPATHY HOSPITAL, UDUPI, KARNATAKA, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 96 OLDER ADULTS, AGED 60-75 YEARS (64.1 +/- 3.95 YEARS) TAKING PART IN A YOGA PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT. INTERVENTION: THE PROGRAM WAS A THREE-MONTH, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 48) OR TO A WAITLISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 48). THE INTERVENTION GROUP UNDERWENT THREE ONE-HOUR SESSIONS OF YOGA WEEKLY, WITH EACH SESSION INCLUDING LOOSENING EXERCISES, ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION SPANNING. OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND POST INTERVENTION, ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE: (1) FOR SPINAL FLEXIBILITY USING A SIT AND REACH TEST, (2) FOR BACK AND LEG STRENGTH USING A BACK LEG DYNAMOMETER, (3) FOR HANDGRIP STRENGTH (HGS) AND ENDURANCE (HGE) USING A HAND-GRIP DYNAMOMETER, AND (4) THE OLDER PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE (OPQOL) QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED EMPLOYING WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TESTS AND MANN WHITNEY TESTS, USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN SPINAL FLEXIBILITY (P < .001), BACK LEG STRENGTH (P < .001), HGE (P < .01), AND QOL (P < .001) AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE USED SAFELY FOR OLDER ADULTS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND FUNCTIONAL QOL. LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ARE WARRANTED. 2022