1 2405 170 YOGA AND EXERCISE FOR SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PEOPLE WITH POSTSTROKE DISABILITY: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. CONTEXT: MOOD DISORDERS ARE PREVALENT IN PEOPLE AFTER STROKE, AND A DISORDER'S ONSET CAN EXACERBATE STROKE-RELATED DISABILITIES. WHILE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE MENTAL-HEALTH BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION IN EXERCISE AND YOGA, IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER SUCH BENEFITS EXTEND TO A POPULATION WITH POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER SUPPLEMENTING EXERCISE WITH PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA PROGRAM WOULD PROVIDE FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN A CHRONIC POSTSTROKE POPULATION, AND IT ALSO ASSESSED TRIAL FEASIBILITY FOR FUTURE STUDIES. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL THAT INCLUDED AN EXERCISE-ONLY GROUP (EX, CONTROL) AND A YOGA-AND-EXERCISE GROUP (YEX, INTERVENTION). SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE AT THE CENTRE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN AGEING AN EXERCISE REHABILITATION AND ACTIVITY CENTER AT THE ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. PARTICIPANTS: THE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 14 INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS: EIGHT IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND SIX IN THE CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: THE YEX GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 6-WEEK STANDARDIZED PROGRAM THAT INCLUDED YOGA IN WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS AND HOME PRACTICE IN ADDITION TO EXERCISE IN A WEEKLY GROUP CLASS. THE EX GROUP PARTICIPATED ONLY IN THE GROUP EXERCISE CLASS WEEKLY FOR 6 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE RESEARCH TEAM ASSESSED SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION USING THE GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE (GDS15) AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE AFFECT USING THE STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI). THE TEAM BASED THE FEASIBILITY EVALUATION ON RECRUITMENT OUTCOMES, RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS, PARTICIPANTS' COMPLIANCE WITH THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM, AND THE SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: CHANGES IN DEPRESSION AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFER BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS (GDS15 P=.749, STAI-Y1, P=.595, STAI-Y2, P=.407). COMPARISON OF INDIVIDUALS' CASE RESULTS INDICATED CLINICALLY RELEVANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH GROUPS, ALTHOUGH MEMBERS OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENTS. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED NO ADVERSE EVENTS, AND THE STUDY EXPERIENCED HIGH RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AND HIGH COMPLIANCE IN THE YOGA PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMBINED WITH EXERCISE TO INFLUENCE MOOD POSTSTROKE. IT IS A FEASIBLE, SAFE, AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION, AND THE FIELD REQUIRES ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE. 2012 2 1864 46 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS: MOTOR FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES. PURPOSE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR MOTOR FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN PERSONS WITH CHRONIC POSTSTROKE HEMIPARESIS. METHOD: TWENTY-TWO INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVOLVING ASSESSMENT OF TASK-ORIENTATED FUNCTION, BALANCE, MOBILITY, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE DOMAINS BEFORE AND AFTER EITHER A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 11) OR NO TREATMENT (N = 11). RESULTS: THE YOGA INTERVENTION DID NOT RESULT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OBJECTIVE MOTOR FUNCTION MEASURES, HOWEVER THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVED MOTOR FUNCTION (P = .0001) AND IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED RECOVERY APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE (P = .072). MEMORY-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = .022), AND THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THE INTERVENTION EXHIBITED CLINICALLY RELEVANT DECREASES IN STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OFFER PROMISE FOR YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERSONS WITH STROKE-RELATED ACTIVITY LIMITATIONS. THERE IS A NEED TO MORE RIGOROUSLY EVALUATE THESE YOGA BENEFITS WITH A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WHICH, BASED ON THIS PRELIMINARY TRIAL, IS FEASIBLE. 2014 3 255 45 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 4 1765 44 POSTSTROKE BALANCE IMPROVES WITH YOGA: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: BALANCE IMPAIRMENT IS COMMON AFTER STROKE; MODIFIED YOGA MAY BE ABLE TO IMPROVE BALANCE AND OTHER IMPORTANT POSTSTROKE VARIABLES. SCIENTIFIC-EVIDENCE IS NEEDED TO SUPPORT SUCH TREATMENT INTERVENTIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A YOGA-BASED REHABILITATION INTERVENTION ON BALANCE, BALANCE SELF-EFFICACY, FEAR OF FALLING (FOF), AND QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER STROKE. METHODS: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, PILOT STUDY OF YOGA-BASED REHABILITATION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE. ALL YOGA SESSIONS WERE TAUGHT BY A REGISTERED YOGA THERAPIST, OCCURRED TWICE PER WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS AND INCLUDED SEATED, STANDING, AND FLOOR POSTURES WITH RELAXATION AND MEDITATION. BALANCE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE BERG BALANCE SCALE, BALANCE SELF-EFFICACY WITH THE ACTIVITIES-SPECIFIC BALANCE CONFIDENCE SCALE, FOF WITH A DICHOTOMOUS YES/NO QUESTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE STROKE SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N=10) AND YOGA (N=37) GROUPS IN BASELINE OR FOLLOW-UP SCORES. HOWEVER, USING WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS, YOGA GROUP DATA DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE (BERG BALANCE SCALE, 41.3+/-11.7 VS 46.3+/-9.1; P<0.001) AND FOF (51% VS 46% WITH FOF; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A GROUP YOGA-BASED REHABILITATION INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE HAS POTENTIAL IN IMPROVING MULTIPLE POSTSTROKE VARIABLES. GROUP YOGA MAY BE COMPLEMENTARY TO REHABILITATION, MAY BE POSSIBLE IN MEDICAL-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED SETTINGS, AND MAY BE COST-EFFECTIVE. FURTHER TESTING OF GROUP YOGA-BASED REHABILITATION INTERVENTIONS IS WARRANTED. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION- URL: HTTP://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV. UNIQUE IDENTIFIER: NCT01109602. 2012 5 12 49 "MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (MY-OT): A FEASIBILITY AND PILOT STUDY". OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF THE MERGING YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (MY-OT) INTERVENTION. DESIGN: THIS IS THE PRIMARY ANALYSIS OF A NON-CONTROLLED PRETEST-POSTTEST PILOT STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF MY-OT ON BALANCE, BALANCE SELF-EFFICACY, AND FALL RISK FACTOR MANAGEMENT IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE. SETTING: UNIVERSITY RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY IF THEY: HAD SUSTAINED A FALL OR HAD FEAR OF FALLING, WERE ABLE TO STAND, AND HAND IMPAIRED BALANCE AND WERE AT RISK FOR FALLS (/=12 ON THE HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA (N = 28) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N = 29) GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 16 CLASSES OVER 8 WEEKS. OUTCOMES WERE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND HRQOL. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER RATE OF IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND HRQOL, RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP WITH MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECTS. RELIABLE CHANGE INDEX ANALYSES REVEALED THAT 78% OF WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT YOGA AS A PROMISING COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PPD, AND WARRANT LARGE-SCALE REPLICATION STUDIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: HTTP://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/NCT02213601. 2015 11 34 46 A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM IMPROVED BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE THAT CHALLENGES BALANCE CAN IMPROVE MOBILITY AND PREVENT FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS. YOGA AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR OLDER ADULTS IS NOT WELL STUDIED. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECT OF A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER PEOPLE. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A BLINDED, PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS. PARTICIPANTS WERE 54 COMMUNITY DWELLERS (MEAN AGE 68 YEARS, SD 7.1) NOT CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN YOGA OR TAI CHI. THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 27) PARTICIPATED IN A 12-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM FOCUSED ON STANDING POSTURES AND RECEIVED A FALL PREVENTION EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STANDING BALANCE COMPONENT OF THE SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY WITH ADDITION OF ONE-LEGGED STANCE TIME (STANDING BALANCE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE THE TIMED SIT-TO-STAND TEST, TIMED 4-M WALK, ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED, AND SHORT FALLS EFFICACY SCALE-INTERNATIONAL. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECORDING CLASS ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS. RESULTS: FIFTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THE INTERVENTION GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP ON STANDING BALANCE (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.52 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.10-2.96, P = .04), SIT-TO-STAND TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -3.43 SECONDS, 95% CI -5.23 TO -1.64, P < .001), 4-M WALK (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -0.50 SECONDS, 95% CI -0.72 TO -0.28, P < .001), AND ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.93 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.40-3.46, P = .02). AVERAGE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 20 OF 24 CLASSES (83%). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS TRIAL DEMONSTRATES THE BALANCE AND MOBILITY-RELATED BENEFITS AND FEASIBILITY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR OLDER PEOPLE. THE FALL PREVENTION EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. 2013 12 666 40 EFFECT OF A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON FEAR OF FALLING AND BALANCE IN OLDER ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER FEAR OF FALLING (FOF) AND BALANCE IMPROVED AFTER A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION SINGLE-ARMED PILOT STUDY. SETTING: A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY IN A MEDIUM-SIZED UNIVERSITY TOWN IN THE MIDWEST. PARTICIPANTS: A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF ADULTS (N=14) OVER THE AGE OF 65 YEARS WHO ALL ENDORSED AN FOF. INTERVENTION: EACH PARTICIPANT TOOK PART IN A BIWEEKLY 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. THE YOGA SESSIONS INCLUDED BOTH PHYSICAL POSTURES AND BREATHING EXERCISES. POSTURES WERE COMPLETED IN SITTING AND STANDING POSITIONS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: WE MEASURED FOF WITH THE ILLINOIS FOF MEASURE AND BALANCE WITH THE BERG BALANCE SCALE. UPPER- AND LOWER-BODY FLEXIBILITY WERE MEASURED WITH THE BACK SCRATCH TEST AND CHAIR SIT AND REACH TEST, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: FOF DECREASED BY 6%, STATIC BALANCE INCREASED BY 4% (P=.045), AND LOWER-BODY FLEXIBILITY INCREASED BY 34%. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE A PROMISING INTERVENTION TO MANAGE FOF AND IMPROVE BALANCE, THEREBY REDUCING FALL RISK FOR OLDER ADULTS. REHABILITATION THERAPISTS MAY WISH TO EXPLORE YOGA AS A MODALITY FOR BALANCE AND FALLS PROGRAMMING; HOWEVER, FUTURE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THE USE OF YOGA IN SUCH PROGRAMMING. 2010 13 107 46 A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE EFFECTS OF CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA, COMPARED TO A HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM (HEP), ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS WITH LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) WHO COULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN STANDING EXERCISE. DESIGN: TWO-ARM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ONE HUD SENIOR HOUSING FACILITY AND ONE DAY SENIOR CENTER IN SOUTH FLORIDA. PARTICIPANTS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 131) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO CHAIR YOGA (N = 66) OR HEP (N = 65). THIRTEEN DROPPED AFTER ASSIGNMENT BUT PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION; SIX DROPPED DURING THE INTERVENTION; 106 OF 112 COMPLETED AT LEAST 12 OF 16 SESSIONS (95% RETENTION RATE). INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED EITHER CHAIR YOGA OR HEP. BOTH INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF TWICE-WEEKLY 45-MINUTE SESSIONS FOR 8 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY: PAIN, PAIN INTERFERENCE; SECONDARY: BALANCE, GAIT SPEED, FATIGUE, FUNCTIONAL ABILITY MEASURED AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, AT THE END OF THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION, AND POST-INTERVENTION (1 AND 3 MONTHS). RESULTS: THE CHAIR YOGA GROUP SHOWED GREATER REDUCTION IN PAIN INTERFERENCE DURING THE INTERVENTION (P = .01), SUSTAINED THROUGH 3 MONTHS (P = .022). WOMAC PAIN (P = .048), GAIT SPEED (P = .024), AND FATIGUE (P = .037) WERE IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP DURING THE INTERVENTION (P = .048) BUT IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT SUSTAINED POST INTERVENTION. CHAIR YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON BALANCE. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTION IN PAIN, PAIN INTERFERENCE, AND FATIGUE, AND IMPROVEMENT IN GAIT SPEED, BUT ONLY THE EFFECTS ON PAIN INTERFERENCE WERE SUSTAINED 3 MONTHS POST INTERVENTION. CHAIR YOGA SHOULD BE FURTHER EXPLORED AS A NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTION FOR OLDER PEOPLE WITH OA IN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT02113410. 2017 14 456 35 CHANGES IN NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS FOLLOWING AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) IS A NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDER MARKED BY PROGRESSIVE DEGENERATIVE MOTOR SYMPTOMS (E.G., TREMORS, IMPAIRED BALANCE AND GAIT) AND NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS (E.G., FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, PAIN) THAT CAN NEGATIVELY INFLUENCE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD IMPROVES BALANCE, STRENGTH, AND MOBILITY. HOWEVER, LITTLE RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS OF PD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH PD FOLLOWING AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. DATA USED FOR ANALYSES WERE PART OF A LARGER STUDY THAT RESEARCHED IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTOR FUNCTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. PARTICIPANTS (N = 27) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 15) AND CONTROL (N = 12) GROUPS AND COMPLETED PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION QUANTITATIVE MEASURES. WITHIN-GROUP IMPROVEMENTS WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR FATIGUE MEASURED BY THE PARKINSON'S FATIGUE SCALE, BALANCE CONFIDENCE MEASURED BY THE ACTIVITIES BALANCE CONFIDENCE SCALE, THE BELIEF IN ONE'S ABILITY TO MANAGE FALLS MEASURED BY THE FALLS MANAGEMENT SCALE, ACTIVITY CONSTRAINTS MEASURED BY THE ACTIVITIES CONSTRAINT QUESTIONNAIRE, AND PD-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURED BY THE PARKINSON'S DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE-8. ACROSS-GROUP CHANGES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR ACTIVITY CONSTRAINTS. FINDINGS INDICATE YOGA MAY BE AN EFFICACIOUS INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS HRQOL FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. 2019 15 2077 29 THE EFFECT OF CHAIR YOGA IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. USING A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL SINGLE-GROUP DESIGN, THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF OLDER ADULTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD)-TYPE DEMENTIA TO COMPLETE THE SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM. PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THE PROGRAM WAS MEASURED. THE NINE OLDER ADULTS WITH AD (MEAN AGE = 83) PARTICIPATED IN THE 8-WEEK SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM. TO MEASURE PHYSICAL FUNCTION, THE SIX-MINUTE WALK TEST, THE GAIT SPEED TEST, AND THE BERG BALANCE SCALE WERE ADMINISTERED AT PRE-INTERVENTION, 4 WEEKS, 8 WEEKS, AND 1 MONTH AFTER PROGRAM COMPLETION. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. POSITIVE CHANGES WERE SEEN ACROSS ALL PHYSICAL MEASURES. FURTHER STUDY, USING A LARGER SAMPLE AND INCLUDING A CONTROL GROUP, IS NEEDED TO FULLY DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF THE SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM ON OLDER ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE AD. 2014 16 2553 33 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 17 1379 51 IMPACT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVE: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A CHRONIC, DISABLING DISEASE THAT CAN GREATLY COMPROMISE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A 6-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON HRQOL OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH RA COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF HRQOL INCLUDING PAIN AND DISABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS. ASSESSMENTS WERE COLLECTED PRETREATMENT, POSTTREATMENT, AND AT 2 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. WEEKLY RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND SLEEP WERE ALSO RECORDED. A TOTAL OF 26 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (YOGA=11; USUAL-CARE WAITLIST=15). ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE (MEAN AGE=28 Y). RESULTS: OVERALL ATTRITION WAS LOW AT 15%. ON AVERAGE, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED 96% OF THE YOGA CLASSES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. RELATIVE TO THE USUAL-CARE WAITLIST, WOMEN ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, GENERAL HEALTH, MOOD, FATIGUE, ACCEPTANCE OF CHRONIC PAIN, AND SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING PAIN AT POSTTREATMENT. ALMOST HALF OF THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT. ANALYSIS OF THE UNCONTROLLED EFFECTS AND MAINTENANCE OF TREATMENT EFFECTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN HRQOL GENERAL HEALTH, PAIN DISABILITY, AND WEEKLY RATINGS OF PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE MAINTAINED AT FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A BRIEF IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION IS A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH RA, LEADING TO HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, FATIGUE, AND MOOD BENEFITS. MOREOVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PAIN DISABILITY, AND MOOD PERSISTED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. 2013 18 1942 45 SAFETY AND FEASIBILITY OF MODIFIED CHAIR-YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME AMONG ELDERLY AT RISK FOR FALLS. FALLS ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS AFFECTING OLDER ADULTS. AT LEAST 50% OF THOSE OVER THE AGE OF 80 FALL ANNUALLY. THE GOAL OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE SAFETY AND FEASIBILITY OF STRUCTURED YOGA IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION WITH FALL RISK. SENIORS AT RISK FOR FALLS WERE IDENTIFIED AND ENROLLED IN A SINGLE ARM PILOT TRIAL. A CHAIR BASED YOGA PROGRAM WAS PROVIDED TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED FROM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED PILOT DATA. A BATTERY OF VALIDATED INSTRUMENTS WAS ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND WEEK EIGHT AND WAS USED TO IDENTIFY WHICH INSTRUMENTS MAY BE SENSITIVE TO CHANGE AS A RESULT OF A YOGA PROGRAM. AMONG SIXTEEN SENIORS (MEDIAN AGE OF 88) WITH A PREVIOUS HISTORY OF FALLS, 87% PROVIDED DATA FOR ASSESSMENT AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. TWO PATIENTS WITHDREW, ONE DUE TO A FALL OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION AND THE OTHER DUE TO LACK OF TIME AND INTEREST. THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS DURING THE YOGA SESSIONS. PAIRED-T TESTS COMPARED PRE-POST CHANGES AND GAINS WERE NOTED IN FEAR OF FALLING (5.27 TO 2.60; P = 0.029) AND SPPB SIT TO STAND SUBSCALE (0.31 TO 1.00; P =.022). IMPROVED TRENDS WERE NOTED IN ANXIETY AND THE TIMED UP AND GO ASSESSMENTS. WE FOUND THE MODIFIED CHAIR-YOGA PROGRAM IS SAFE AND RECRUITMENT IS FEASIBLE. OUR DATA SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN IMPROVING MOBILITY AND REDUCING FEAR OF FALLING WHICH WARRANTS ADDITIONAL RESEARCH VIA RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2012 19 2472 48 YOGA AS ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A PILOT CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER UTILIZING YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY TO THE MEDICAL STANDARD OF CARE FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) IS: (1) FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, (2) EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DISEASE SEVERITY, INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION AND IMPROVING WELLNESS. DESIGN: PROSPECTIVE, NON-RANDOMIZED, 8-WEEK PILOT STUDY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF IBD. FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY AND POST-INTERVENTION VIA SURVEYS AND A FOCUS GROUP (WEEK 8). DISEASE SEVERITY, INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION, AND WELLNESS MEASURES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION (WEEK 8). INTERVENTION: OVER THE 8-WEEK STUDY PERIOD, PATIENTS WERE ASSIGNED THREE 60-MINUTE, IN-PERSON YOGA CLASSES AT WEEKS 1, 3 AND 8, AND THREE 30-MINUTE, ONLINE YOGA VIDEOS PER WEEK. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED PRELIMINARY CLINICAL EFFICACY BY EXAMINING PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION CHANGE IN DISEASE SEVERITY (PUCAI), INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION (FECAL CALPROTECTIN), AND SIX WELLNESS MEASURES (PROMIS-37). RESULTS: NINE ADOLESCENTS WITH IBD PARTICIPATED. EIGHT PARTICIPATED IN ONE OR MORE YOGA VIDEOS PER WEEK AND ALL NINE ATTENDED AT LEAST TWO IN-PERSON YOGA CLASSES. FOCUS GROUP THEMES REVEALED THAT THE INTERVENTION WAS WELL LIKED, WITH ALL PARTICIPANTS REPORTING REDUCED STRESS, IMPROVED EMOTIONAL SELF-AWARENESS, AND INCREASED ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF IBD. PARTICIPANTS HAD DIFFICULTY, HOWEVER, COMPLETING THE YOGA VIDEOS DUE TO TIME LIMITATIONS AND COMPETING PRIORITIES. WE LACKED POWER TO DETECT ANY STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PUCAI, CALPROTECTIN, OR ANY OF THE SIX PROMIS-37 DOMAINS. CONCLUSIONS: A COMBINATION OF IN-PERSON INSTRUCTOR LED YOGA WITH VIDEO-BASED YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH IBD. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED REDUCED STRESS AND IMPROVED ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. A LARGER, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE IF THE YOGA PROTOCOL RESULTS IN CLINICALLY AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AND PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOMES. 2018 20 478 51 CLINICAL CASE REPORT: YOGA FOR FATIGUE IN FIVE YOUNG ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. PURPOSE: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE (CRF) IS A DISTRESSING CONSEQUENCE OF CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT. CRF IMPACTS MANY YOUNG ADULT (YA) SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, COMPROMISING WORK, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, AND DAILY ACTIVITIES. NO SATISFACTORY TREATMENT EXISTS. THIS PILOT STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA (IY) INTERVENTION FOR TREATING PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN YA SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. METHODS: USING A SINGLE-ARM MIXED-METHODS DESIGN, ADULT CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 39 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM A SURVIVORSHIP CLINIC AT A SINGLE INSTITUTION. QUANTITATIVE: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FATIGUE AS MEASURED BY THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE, MOOD, AND SLEEP. WEEKLY SELF-REPORT MONITORING DATA WERE COLLECTED. QUALITATIVE: PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED A POST-INTERVENTION INTERVIEW, MAJOR THEMES EVALUATED. RESULTS: FIVE PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED INTO THE STUDY AND FOUR COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. ATTENDANCE WAS 92% AND THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS. BASELINE MOBILITY WAS HIGHLY VARIED, WITH ONE YA HAVING HAD A HEMIPELVECTOMY. QUANTITATIVE DATA REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FATIGUE, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, SOMATIZATION, AND GENERAL AND EMOTIONAL MANIFESTATIONS OF FATIGUE FOLLOWING YOGA. QUALITATIVE DATA CROSS VALIDATED, CLARIFIED, AND EXPANDED UPON THE QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A BRIEF IY INTERVENTION IS SAFE FOR YA SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, EVEN FOR THOSE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. PRELIMINARY EFFICACY WAS DEMONSTRATED FOR THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF FATIGUE. QUALITATIVE DATA ELUCIDATED ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, SUCH AS WORK-RELATED SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND A SENSE OF CALM AND RELAXATION. 2017