1 2490 87 YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION TO MANAGE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SYMPTOMS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN AUTOIMMUNE, DEMYELINATING, INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY SPASTICITY, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BOWEL AND BLADDER DYSFUNCTION, IMPAIRED MOBILITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT ETC. AND AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. DISEASE MODIFYING THERAPIES FOR MS WHICH HELP IN PREVENTING ACCUMULATION OF LESIONS IN WHITE MATTER OF CNS ARE COSTLY AND HAVE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS. THEREFORE, PATIENTS WITH MS ARE USING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF CAM WHICH IS BEING USED IMMENSELY TO REDUCE OR OVERCOME THE SYMPTOMS OF MS. IN THE CURRENT REVIEW ATTEMPTED TO PRESENT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON REDUCING MS RELATED SYMPTOMS. 2020 2 2300 43 THERAPEUTIC YOGA: SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS THE MOST COMMON AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY DEMYELINATING DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, AFFECTING OVER 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE, THE AGE OF DISEASE ONSET IS TYPICALLY BETWEEN 20 AND 40 YEARS, WITH A HIGHER INCIDENCE IN WOMEN. INDIVIDUALS WITH MS EXPERIENCE A WIDE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING DECLINING PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (E.G., FATIGUE, IMBALANCE, SPASTICITY, CHRONIC PAIN, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, BLADDER AND BOWEL DYSFUNCTION, VISUAL AND SPEECH IMPAIRMENTS, DEPRESSION, SENSORY DISTURBANCE, AND MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT). TO DATE, BOTH THE CAUSE OF AND CURE FOR MS REMAIN UNKNOWN. IN RECENT YEARS, MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH MS HAVE BEEN PURSUING ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF TREATMENT TO MANAGE SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE, INCLUDING MIND-BODY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA, MEDITATION, BREATHING, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY BE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WAY OF MANAGING SYMPTOMS OF MS. THEREFORE, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO SUMMARIZE THE MOST RELEVANT LITERATURE ON EXERCISE AND MIND-BODY MODALITIES TO TREAT MS SYMPTOMS AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE BENEFITS AND POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OF SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. THE ARTICLE ALSO DISCUSSES FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH. 2015 3 1454 28 INFLUENCE OF SPORTS CLIMBING AND YOGA ON SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DEPRESSION AND FATIGUE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) PATIENTS. TO FIND OUT WHETHER NONPHARMALOGICAL TREATMENT APPROACHES CAN REDUCE THESE SYMPTOMS WE INVESTIGATED EFFECTS OF SPORTS CLIMBING (SC) AND YOGA ON SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, MOOD CHANGE AND FATIGUE IN MS PATIENTS. SPORTS CLIMBING (SC) AND YOGA ARE AEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES COMPRISED A SERIES OF STRETCHING TECHNIQUES, IMPLEMENTATION OF WHICH DEMANDS BODY CONTROL AND PLANNING OF COMPLEX MOVEMENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 SUBJECTS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING OR PROGRESSIVE MS, 26-50 YEARS OF AGE, WITH EDSS2 WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMIZED PROSPECTIVE STUDY. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO SC AND YOGA GROUP. WE EVALUATED SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD AND FATIGUE BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH PROGRAMS, THAT LASTED 10 WEEKS, WITH STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT METHODS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SPASTICITY AFTER SC AND YOGA. IN THE SC GROUP WE FOUND A 25% REDUCTION (P=0.046) IN EDSSPYR. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AFTER THE COMPLETION OF BOTH PROGRAMS. THERE WAS A 17% INCREASE IN SELECTIVE ATTENTION PERFORMANCE AFTER YOGA (P=0.005). SC REDUCED FATIGUE FOR 32.5% (P=0.015), WHILE YOGA HAD NO EFFECT. WE FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF SC AND YOGA ON MOOD. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND SC MIGHT IMPROVE SOME OF THE MS SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE FUTURE AS POSSIBLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS. 2010 4 2780 32 YOGA THERAPY AND AMBULATORY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSESSMENT OF GAIT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS, FATIGUE AND BALANCE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: GAIT IMPAIRMENT, FALLS DUE TO BALANCE PROBLEMS AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPLAINTS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) TO HELP SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IS GROWING AMONG MS PATIENTS. YOGA IS WIDELY USED AS ONE OF THESE CAM INTERVENTIONS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN MS IS INADEQUATE. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT TERM YOGA PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, BALANCE AND GAIT IN PATIENTS WITH MS. METHOD: EIGHT VOLUNTEER AMBULATORY MS PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE RELAPSING REMITTING MS WHOSE EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE (EDSS) IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0, AND EIGHT HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS OF A BI-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM UNDER SUPERVISION. AT THEIR BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) AND BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) ARE USED TO ASSESS FATIGUE AND BALANCE. THREE DIMENSIONAL GAIT ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE VICON 612 SYSTEM WITH SIX CAMERAS AND TWO BERTEC FORCE PLATES, BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY. RESULTS: AFTER SHORT TERM YOGA THERAPY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OBTAINED IN FATIGUE, BALANCE, STEP LENGTH AND WALKING SPEED. ALTHOUGH SAGITTAL PLANE PELVIS AND HIP ANGLES, ANKLE PLANTAR FLEXOR MOMENT, POWERS GENERATED AT THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINTS AT THE PRE-SWING WERE IMPROVED, THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A SAFE AND BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, BALANCE AND SPATIOTEMPORAL GAIT PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH MS. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY. 2015 5 530 25 COMPARISON OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY FATIGUE, MOTOR WEAKNESS, AND SPASTICITY, TO NAME A FEW. MS SYMPTOMS MAY LEAD TO PHYSICAL INACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THE PRESENT QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 90 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MS CHOSEN RANDOMLY AND DIVIDED INTO TWO TEST AND ONE CONTROL GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS SOFTWARE (VERSION 11.5) THROUGH PAIRED T-TEST, ANOVA, AND TUKEY'S POST HOC. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT AFTER INTERVENTION. THE MEAN SCORE OF YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER THAN THAT OF AEROBIC GROUP, AND AEROBIC GROUP SHOWED A HIGHER MEAN SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL. CONCLUSION: YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNOR ALONG WITH MS SOCIETIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SERVICING AND SUPPORTING PATIENTS START TO DEVELOP SPORT-REGULATED PROGRAMS TO HELP IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THESE PATIENTS. 2014 6 2081 24 THE EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE SEVERITY IN PATIENTS WITH MS. INTRODUCTION: THE CHRONIC NATURE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS), HAVE CAN LEAVE DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE. THE PRESENT RESEARCH AIMED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) AND CONSCIOUS YOGA PROGRAM ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE SEVERITY AMONG PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL WITH INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE STATISTICAL POPULATION INCLUDED ALL MEMBERS TO MS SOCIETY OF TEHRAN PROVINCE, 24 OF WHOM DIAGNOSED WITH MS WERE SELECTED AS THE SAMPLE BASED ON THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THE SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO THE TEST GROUP (12 PATIENTS) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (12 PATIENTS). MS QUALITY OF LIFE-54 (MSQOL-54) AND FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) WERE USED FOR DATA COLLECTION. SUBJECTS IN THE TEST GROUP UNDERWENT A MBSR AND CONSCIOUS YOGA PROGRAM IN 8 TWO-HOUR SESSIONS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE SPSS VER.13 SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE STUDY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS IN TERMS OF MEAN SCORE OF SOME SUBSCALES OF QUALITY OF LIFE INCLUDING PHYSICAL HEALTH, ROLE LIMITATIONS DUE TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS, ENERGY, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, HEALTH DISTRESS, HEALTH PERCEPTION, AND SATISFACTION WITH SEXUAL FUNCTION, OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE, AND FATIGUE SEVERITY. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE PROGRAM IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCTION OF FATIGUE SEVERITY AND IMPROVING SOME SUBSCALES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN MS PATIENTS. HENCE, THIS SUPPORTIVE METHOD CAN BE USED AS AN EFFECTIVE WAY FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND RELIEVING FATIGUE IN MS PATIENTS. 2016 7 2120 17 THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON ENHANCEMENT OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON CORTISOL AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS EXAMINED. TWENTY FOUR MS FEMALE PATIENTS WITH EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS) 1 TO 5.5 PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY AS THE SUBJECT. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO CONTROL (N = 10) OR TRAINING GROUP (N = 14) RANDOMLY. TRAINING GROUP PERFORMED 90 MIN YOGA TRAINING PER SESSION, 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE BODY COMPOSITION MEASUREMENT AND BLOOD SAMPLING 48 H BEFORE FIRST SESSION AND 48 H AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT ACTH INCREASED AND CORTISOL DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05); IN CONCLUSION, IT SEEMS THAT YOGA TRAINING MODULATES ACTH LEVEL IN CONCOMITANT WITH REDUCTION IN CORTISOL LEVEL IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MS. 2017 8 2460 36 YOGA AS A METHOD OF SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED PROCESS IN WHICH THE BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM DAMAGES MYELIN IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). THE ONSET OF THIS DISORDER TYPICALLY OCCURS IN YOUNG ADULTS, AND IT IS MORE COMMON AMONG WOMEN. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO CURE AND THE LONG-TERM DISEASE PROGRESSION MAKES SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT CRITICAL FOR MAINTAINING QUALITY OF LIFE. SEVERAL PHARMACOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS ARE APPROVED FOR TREATMENT, BUT MANY PATIENTS SEEK COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTIONS. REVIEWS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED REGARDING BROAD TOPICS SUCH AS MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH MS AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON A RANGE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS AND ADDRESS ITS USE IN MANAGING SYMPTOMS INCLUDING PAIN, MENTAL HEALTH, FATIGUE, SPASTICITY, BALANCE, BLADDER CONTROL, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2015 9 1456 26 INFLUENCE OF YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE ON FATIGUE, PAIN AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE INVOLVING BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD. WEAKNESS, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, PAIN, DEPRESSION AND FATIGUE, AS COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MS, MAY SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT ON GENERAL HEALTH OF MS PATIENTS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE ON FATIGUE, PAIN, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS AMONG THESE PATIENTS. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY ON 90 PATIENTS WHOM WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THREE EQUAL GROUPS OF YOGA EXERCISES, AEROBICS EXERCISES, AND CONTROL GROUP. THE EXERCISE PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED AS THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE EXERCISE PROGRAM INCLUDED 40 MINUTES, INCLUDING 5-10 MINUTES FOR WARM-UP, 25-30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE (WALKING), AND 5 MINUTES FOR COOLING DOWN. YOGA EXERCISES WERE SCHEDULED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AS WELL. RESULTS: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE, PAIN SEVERITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS AMONG THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO THE STUDY, BUT AFTER THE STUDY, IN YOGA AND EXERCISE GROUPS, FATIGUE PHYSICAL FUNCTION, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ROLE WHICH PATIENTS PLAY THROUGHOUT DAILY LIFE, SOCIAL FUNCTION, ENERGY, MENTAL STATUS AND OVERALL HYGIENE INCREASED, AND THE PAIN AND FATIGUE WERE RELIEVED IN THE PATIENTS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE COULD DECREASE SOME OF THE MS SYMPTOMS, THERAPEUTIC COSTS, HOSPITAL STAY, AND DAYS LOST FROM WORK AS WELL AS INCREASING THE PATIENTS' EFFICIENCY. 2016 10 531 29 COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS AEROBIC AND YOGA TRAINING ON AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN MS PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT RESULTS IN MANY SYMPTOMS INCLUDING MOBILITY LIMITATION AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THIRTY-ONE MS PATIENTS, ALL FEMALE WITH MEAN OF AGE OF 36.75 YEARS AND EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE SCORES (EDSS) OF 1.0 TO 4.0 WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS: TREADMILL TRAINING, YOGA OR CONTROL GROUPS. TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF 8 WEEKS (24 SESSIONS, THRICE WEEKLY). THE CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR OWN ROUTINE TREATMENT PROGRAM. BALANCE, SPEED AND ENDURANCE OF WALKING, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY WERE MEASURED BY BERG BALANCE SCORES, TIME FOR 10M WALK AND DISTANCE FOR A TWO MINUTE WALK, FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FFS), BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) AND BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: COMPARISON OF RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTIONS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BALANCE SCORE, WALKING ENDURANCE, FFS SCORE, BDI SCORE AND BAI SCORE IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, 10M WALK TIME DECREASED IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP BUT DID NOT SHOW ANY CLEAR CHANGE IN THE YOGA GROUP. MOREOVER, THE ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP FOR BAI SCORE. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN THE INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 11 2079 30 THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE, YOGA AND PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AFFECTING THE MYELINATED AXONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING NEUROLOGICAL DETERIORATION. PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS HAVE A POOR QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) BECAUSE OF THE SYMPTOMS CAUSED BY THE DISEASE AND THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF TREATMENTS TO MANAGE THE SYMPTOMS ASIDE FROM MEDICATION. OBJECTIVE: THIS META-ANALYSIS EXAMINES THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE, YOGA AND PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL QOL AMONG INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH MS. SETTING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED USING PUBMED, MEDLINE, AND SCOPUS FROM 1990 TO 2017. THE STANDARD MEAN DIFFERENCE SCORES WERE COMPUTED IN EACH STUDY FOR THE DOMAINS OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THIS META-ANALYSIS. AEROBIC EXERCISE WAS EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SATISFACTION WITH PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING,D = 0.35 (95% CI = 0.08 TO 0.62), MENTAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.42 (95% CI = 0.11 TO 0.72), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.42 (95% CI = 0.15 TO 0.69). PHYSIOTHERAPY WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.50 (95% CI 0.19 TO 0.80), MENTAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.44 (95% CI 0.14 TO 0.75) AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.60 (95% CI 0.21 TO 0.90). HOWEVER YOGA AND COMBINATION OF EXERCISES DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON ANY OF THE QOL DOMAINS. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT AEROBIC EXERCISE AND PHYSIOTHERAPY IMPROVES THE SATISFACTION OF MS PATIENTS WITH THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND MAY BE INCLUDED AS NORMAL PRACTICE IN THE TREATMENT OF MS. 2019 12 266 25 ACUTE EFFECTS OF WALKING, CYCLING, AND YOGA EXERCISE ON COGNITION IN PERSONS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WITHOUT IMPAIRED COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED. INTRODUCTION: COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT, DISABLING, AND POORLY MANAGED CONSEQUENCE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). EXERCISE TRAINING REPRESENTS A PROMISING APPROACH FOR MANAGING COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN THIS POPULATION. HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED EVIDENCE SUPPORTING AN OPTIMAL EXERCISE STIMULUS FOR IMPROVING COGNITION IN MS. THE CURRENT STUDY COMPARED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF MODERATE-INTENSITY TREADMILL WALKING, MODERATE-INTENSITY CYCLE ERGOMETRY, AND GUIDED YOGA WITH THOSE OF QUIET REST ON EXECUTIVE CONTROL IN 24 PERSONS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING MS WITHOUT IMPAIRED COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED USING A WITHIN-SUBJECTS, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOUR EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT CONSISTED OF 20 MINUTES OF MODERATE-INTENSITY TREADMILL WALKING EXERCISE, MODERATE-INTENSITY CYCLE ERGOMETER EXERCISE, GUIDED YOGA, AND QUIET REST IN A RANDOMIZED, COUNTERBALANCED ORDER. PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT A MODIFIED-FLANKER TASK AS A MEASURE OF EXECUTIVE CONTROL IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING EACH CONDITION. RESULTS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES OF VARIANCE (ANOVAS) INDICATED GENERAL PRE-TO-POST IMPROVEMENTS IN REACTION TIME, BUT NOT ACCURACY, ON THE MODIFIED-FLANKER TASK FOR ALL THREE EXERCISE MODALITIES COMPARED WITH QUIET REST. HOWEVER, THERE WERE ADDITIONAL, SELECTIVE PRE-TO-POST REDUCTIONS IN THE COST OF INTERFERING STIMULI ON REACTION TIME ON THE MODIFIED-FLANKER TASK FOR TREADMILL WALKING, F(1, 23) = 4.67, P = .04, ETA(P)2 = .17, BUT NOT CYCLE ERGOMETRY, F(1, 23) = 0.12, P = .73, ETA(P)2 < .01, OR GUIDED YOGA, F(1, 23) = 0.73, P = .40, ETA(P)2 = .03, COMPARED WITH QUIET REST. CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT RESULTS SUPPORT TREADMILL WALKING AS THE MODALITY OF EXERCISE THAT MIGHT EXERT THE LARGEST BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON EXECUTIVE CONTROL IN PERSONS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING MS WITHOUT IMPAIRED COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED. THIS REPRESENTS AN EXCITING STARTING POINT FOR DELINEATING THE APPROPRIATE EXERCISE STIMULUS (I.E., MODALITY AND INTENSITY) FOR INCLUSION IN A SUBSEQUENT LONGITUDINAL EXERCISE TRAINING INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN THIS POPULATION. 2015 13 2815 23 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 14 947 23 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 15 1236 21 FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. CONTEXT: TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAS BEEN NO STUDY ON YOGA THAT INCLUDES BOTH PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. BECAUSE YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN BOTH PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY PERSONS, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT IT WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS BUT ALSO THE TIME PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS SPEND TOGETHER. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH (LONG-TERM) YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. DESIGN: UNCONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. SETTING: THE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGY, FACULTY OF MEDICINE, AND SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION, DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY, IZMIR, TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: WALKING, BALANCE, FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND KINESIOPHOBIA. INTERVENTIONS: YOGA TRAINING WAS GIVEN ONCE A WEEK (AT LEAST 1H) FOR 6 MONTHS. THE SAME ASSESSORS WHO ASSESSED AT BASELINE ALSO PERFORMED THE SAME ASSESSMENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE TRAINING (I.E., AFTER 6 MONTHS). RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 44 PARTICIPANTS (27 PERSONS WITH MS AND 17 HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. TWELVE PERSONS WITH MS AND THREE HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS COMPLETED THE 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION. THE COMPLETION RATE FOR PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY SUBJECTS WAS 44.4% AND 17.6%, RESPECTIVELY. IN PERSONS WITH MS, THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < .05). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE SELF-REPORTED WALKING IMPACT, BALANCE, PAIN, PHYSICAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND KINESIOPHOBIA LEVELS IN THE PERSONS WITH MS (P > .05). THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION IN THE PERSONS WITH MS. HOWEVER, THE 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A FEASIBLE METHOD TO INCREASE THE TIME THAT PERSONS WITH MS SPEND TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 2018 16 1584 25 MEDICAL THERAPEUTIC YOGA FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: EXAMINING SELF-EFFICACY FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MOTIVATION FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES. PURPOSE: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN INCURABLE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE THAT RESULTS IN DEFICITS IN PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND OFTEN FOSTERS LOW LEVELS OF SELF-EFFICACY FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MOTIVATION FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE [1]. DRUG THERAPIES, PHYSICAL THERAPY REHABILITATION, AND LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT, YET PERSONS WITH MS TEND TO BE PHYSICALLY INACTIVE [2,3]. ADDITIONALLY, SINGLE-MODALITY INTERVENTIONS DO NOT INHERENTLY ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES FACED CONCURRENTLY BY INDIVIDUALS WITH MS [4,5]. METHODS: THIS PROJECT EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A 5-WEEK HOLISTIC BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MEDICAL THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH MS. A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH WAS USED TO EXAMINE SELF-EFFICACY FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MOTIVATION FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN 15 PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: QUANTITATIVE MEASURES DEMONSTRATED INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY (T(14) = -2.23, P = 0.042), AND EMOTIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE (T(14) = -2.66, P = 0.019). RESPONSES TO AN OPEN-ENDED WRITTEN QUESTIONNAIRE AND FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS INDICATED OVERALL POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE PROGRAM INCLUDING INCREASES IN SELF-EFFICACY FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MOTIVATION FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE RESULTS MAY HELP FUTURE HOLISTIC PROGRAMMING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS INCORPORATE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS WITH THERAPEUTIC REHABILITATION TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ADHERENCE.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONMULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IS A NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE IMPACTING PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING THAT MAY BE MANAGED WITH A COMBINATION OF DRUG THERAPIES, REHABILITATION, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TEND TO BE PHYSICALLY INACTIVE AND PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IS A CHALLENGE FOR OPTIMAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT.MEDICAL THERAPEUTIC YOGA OFFERS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FRAMEWORK TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS THE BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS FACING INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SHOULD CONSIDER DEVELOPING PROGRAMS THAT USE A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FRAMEWORK TO AID IN DEVELOPING LONG-TERM ADHERENCE IN HEALTH BEHAVIORS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION. 2022 17 708 23 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIME, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION IN AUDITORY AND VISUAL REACTION TIMES ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO ENHANCE RECOVERY FROM THESE PROBLEMS IN VARIOUS NEUROPSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES, BUT SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE IS LACKING IN CHRONIC MS POPULATION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC MS. METHODS: FROM A NEURO-REHABILITATION CENTER IN GERMANY, 11 PATIENTS (SIX FEMALES) SUFFERING FROM MS FOR 19+/-7.4 YEARS WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE IN THE AGE RANGE OF 55.45+/-10.02 YEARS AND HAD EXTENDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORES (EDSS) BELOW 7. ALL THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED MIND-BODY INTERVENTION OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) FOR 3 WEEKS. THE INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN IN A RESIDENTIAL SETUP. PATIENTS FOLLOWED A ROUTINE INVOLVING YOGIC PHYSICAL POSTURES, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATIONS ALONG WITH VARIOUS PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) TECHNIQUES FOR 21 DAYS, 5 DAYS A WEEK, 5 H/DAY. THEY WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION FOR CHANGES IN AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES (USING BRAIN FIT MODEL NO. OT 400), ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION [USING HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)]. DATA WAS ANALYZED USING PAIRED SAMPLES TEST. RESULTS: THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VISUAL REACTION TIME (P=0.01), DEPRESSION (P=0.04), AND ANXIETY (P=0.02) SCORES AT THE END OF 3 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. AUDITORY REACTION TIME SHOWED REDUCTION WITH BORDERLINE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P=0.058). CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT PROJECT SUGGESTS UTILITY OF IYP INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN CHRONIC MS PATIENTS. IN FUTURE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2016 18 1017 22 EFFECTS OF SINGLE BOUTS OF WALKING EXERCISE AND YOGA ON ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ACUTE OR IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF WALKING EXERCISE AND YOGA ON MOOD IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). SUCH AN EXAMINATION IS IMPORTANT FOR IDENTIFYING AN EXERCISE MODALITY FOR INCLUSION IN EXERCISE-TRAINING INTERVENTIONS THAT YIELDS MOOD BENEFITS IN MS. WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE BOUTS OF TREADMILL WALKING AND YOGA COMPARED WITH A QUIET, SEATED-REST CONTROL CONDITION ON ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS IN MS. METHODS: TWENTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WITH MS COMPLETED 20 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING, YOGA, OR QUIET REST IN A RANDOMIZED, COUNTERBALANCED ORDER WITH 1 WEEK BETWEEN SESSIONS. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH CONDITION. TOTAL MOOD DISTURBANCE (TMD) AND THE SIX SUBSCALES OF THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND PAIRED-SAMPLES T TESTS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONDITION X TIME INTERACTION ON TMD SCORES (ETAP (2) = 0.13). WALKING AND YOGA CONDITIONS YIELDED COMPARABLE REDUCTIONS IN TMD SCORES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONDITION X TIME INTERACTION ON VIGOR (ETAP (2) = 0.23) WHEREBY WALKING BUT NOT YOGA YIELDED AN IMPROVEMENT IN VIGOR. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OF TIME ON ANGER, CONFUSION, DEPRESSION, AND TENSION (P < .05) BUT NOT ON FATIGUE. CONCLUSIONS: WALKING AND YOGA YIELDED SIMILAR IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS, AND WALKING IMPROVED FEELINGS OF VIGOR. THESE EFFECTS SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED IN LONG-TERM EXERCISE-TRAINING STUDIES. 2016 19 2533 19 YOGA EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION AMONG THE IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AND DISABLING DISEASE RESULTING IN DISABILITIES IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED PERSONS. IN THIS STUDY, RESEARCHERS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF YOGA TECHNIQUES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL FUNCTION AMONG SOME IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 60 IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) WERE PLACED IN TWO EQUALLY DIVIDED CONTROL AND CASE GROUPS THROUGH RANDOM SELECTION TO ASSESS PRE-AND POST-EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES ON THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS. WOMEN IN CASE GROUP WERE OFFERED A SERIES OF YOGA TRAINING AND EXERCISES FOR 3 MONTHS, WHICH CONSISTED OF 8 SESSIONS PER MONTH FOR 60 TO 90 MINUTES AT EACH SESSION. YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDED THE 3 PRINCIPLES OF SLOW MOTIONS (HATAYOGA), RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND CENTRALIZATION TO CONTROL MIND VIA MEDITATION, EXPANSION AND STASIS (RAJAYOGA). AFTER 3 MONTHS BOTH GROUPS WERE SURVEYED USING THE INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE FINDINGS WITH THE BASE-LINE DATA. RESULTS: RESEARCHERS FOUND SIGNIFICANT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG THE WOMEN IN CASE GROUP (P=0.001). WOMEN IN CASE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL ABILITY WHILE WOMEN IN CONTROL GROUP MANIFESTED EXACERBATED SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION FUNCTION OF WOMEN WITH MS. 2014 20 1076 22 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