1 2518 215 YOGA COMPARED TO NON-EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A COMMON AND OFTEN DISABLING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CONTROVERSIES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AT DIFFERENT FOLLOW-UP PERIODS AND COMPARED WITH OTHER PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES. OBJECTIVE: TO CRITICALLY COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION), PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN PROSPERO, AND THE REGISTRATION NUMBER WAS CRD42020159865. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF ONLINE DATABASES INCLUDED PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, EMBASE WHICH EVALUATED EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TIME TO NOVEMBER 1, 2019. STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE IF THEY ASSESSED AT LEAST ONE IMPORTANT OUTCOME, NAMELY PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THE CONTINUOUS OUTCOMES WERE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) OR STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) ACCORDING TO WHETHER COMBINING OUTCOMES MEASURED ON DIFFERENT SCALES OR NOT. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 18 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS. YOGA COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PAIN AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.19 TO -0.48, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (MD = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.64 TO -0.23, P<0.0001, I2 = 0%), 6 TO 7 MONTHS (MD = -0.56, 95% CI = -1.02 TO -0.11, P = 0.02, I2 = 50%), AND WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN 12 MONTHS (MD = -0.52, 95% CI = -1.64 TO 0.59, P = 0.36, I2 = 87%) COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE. YOGA WAS BETTER THAN NON-EXERCISE ON DISABILITY AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = -0.51 TO -0.10, P = 0.003, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.45 TO -0.18, P<0.00001, I2 = 30%), 6 MONTHS (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.53 TO -0.23, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 12 MONTHS (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.54 TO -0.12, P = 0.002, I2 = 9%). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PAIN, DISABILITY COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS A NON-SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BETWEEN YOGA AND ANY OTHER INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS PROVIDED EVIDENCE FROM VERY LOW TO MODERATE INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS. YOGA MIGHT DECREASE PAIN FROM SHORT TERM TO INTERMEDIATE TERM AND IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY STATUS FROM SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION). YOGA HAD THE SAME EFFECT ON PAIN AND DISABILITY AS ANY OTHER EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY. YOGA MIGHT NOT IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON THE RESULT OF A MERGING. 2020 2 2415 56 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 3 521 59 COMPARING YOGA, EXERCISE, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS ONLY MODESTLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: A NONPROFIT, INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. PATIENTS: 101 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: 12-WEEK SESSIONS OF YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE CLASSES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED 24-POINT ROLAND DISABILITY SCALE) AND "BOTHERSOMENESS" OF PAIN (11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE). THE PRIMARY TIME POINT WAS 12 WEEKS. CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE 2.5 POINTS ON THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS SCALE AND 1.5 POINTS ON THE BOTHERSOMENESS SCALE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE DAYS OF RESTRICTED ACTIVITY, GENERAL HEALTH STATUS, AND MEDICATION USE. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK AND EXERCISE GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS (YOGA VS. BOOK: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.4 [95% CI, -5.1 TO - 1.6] [P < 0.001]; YOGA VS. EXERCISE: MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [CI, -3.5 TO - 0.1] [P = 0.034]). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SYMPTOM BOTHERSOMENESS WERE FOUND BETWEEN ANY 2 GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS; AT 26 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP WITH RESPECT TO THIS MEASURE (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -2.2 [CI, -3.2 TO - 1.2]; P < 0.001). AT 26 WEEKS, BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BOOK GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -3.6 [CI, -5.4 TO - 1.8]; P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THIS STUDY WERE FOLLOWED FOR ONLY 26 WEEKS AFTER RANDOMIZATION. ONLY 1 INSTRUCTOR DELIVERED EACH INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, AND THE BENEFITS PERSISTED FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. 2005 4 193 57 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA, STRETCHING, AND A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A COMMON PROBLEM LACKING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS. SMALL TRIALS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFITS FOR THIS CONDITION. THIS TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES OR A SELF-CARE BOOK FOR PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 228 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 WEEKLY CLASSES OF YOGA (92 PATIENTS) OR CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES (91 PATIENTS) OR A SELF-CARE BOOK (45 PATIENTS). BACK-RELATED FUNCTIONAL STATUS (MODIFIED ROLAND DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A 23-POINT SCALE) AND BOTHERSOMENESS OF PAIN (AN 11-POINT NUMERICAL SCALE) AT 12 WEEKS WERE THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6, 12, AND 26 WEEKS BY INTERVIEWERS UNAWARE OF TREATMENT GROUP. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, 12-WEEK OUTCOMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP WERE SUPERIOR TO THOSE FOR THE SELF-CARE GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR FUNCTION, -2.5 [95% CI, -3.7 TO -1.3]; P < .001; MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR SYMPTOMS, -1.1 [95% CI, -1.7 TO -0.4]; P < .001). AT 26 WEEKS, FUNCTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP REMAINED SUPERIOR (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -1.8 [95% CI, -3.1 TO -0.5]; P < .001). YOGA WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL STRETCHING EXERCISES AT ANY TIME POINT. CONCLUSION: YOGA CLASSES WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SELF-CARE BOOK, BUT NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN STRETCHING CLASSES, IN IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REDUCING SYMPTOMS DUE TO CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, WITH BENEFITS LASTING AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00447668. 2011 5 232 52 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. METHODS: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SCREENED THROUGH DECEMBER 2016. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO INACTIVE OR ACTIVE COMPARATORS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WERE ELIGIBLE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED REMISSION RATES AND SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION. ANXIETY AND ADVERSE EVENTS WERE SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS WITH 240 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. RISK OF BIAS WAS UNCLEAR FOR MOST RCTS. COMPARED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, NO SHORT- OR MEDIUM-TERM GROUP DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS FOUND. HIGHER SHORT-TERM DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS FOUND FOR YOGA COMPARED TO ELECTRO-CONVULSIVE THERAPY; REMISSION RATES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS. NO SHORT-TERM GROUP DIFFERENCES OCCURRED WHEN YOGA WAS COMPARED TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION. CONFLICTING EVIDENCE WAS FOUND WHEN YOGA WAS COMPARED TO ATTENTION-CONTROL INTERVENTIONS, OR WHEN YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION WAS COMPARED TO MEDICATION ALONE. ONLY TWO RCTS ASSESSED ADVERSE EVENTS AND REPORTED THAT NO TREATMENT-RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. LIMITATIONS: FEW RCTS WITH LOW SAMPLE SIZE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS REVIEW FOUND SOME EVIDENCE FOR POSITIVE EFFECTS BEYOND PLACEBO AND COMPARABLE EFFECTS COMPARED TO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS. HOWEVER, METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND THE UNCLEAR RISK-BENEFIT RATIO PRECLUDE DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OR AGAINST YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. LARGER AND ADEQUATELY POWERED RCTS USING NON-INFERIORITY DESIGNS ARE NEEDED. 2017 6 2560 65 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND USUAL CARE FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: PARALLEL-GROUP, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOMIZATION CONDUCTED FROM APRIL 2007 TO MARCH 2010. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE. (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL NUMBER REGISTER: ISRCTN 81079604) SETTING: 13 NON-NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE PREMISES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. PATIENTS: 313 ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTION: YOGA (N = 156) OR USUAL CARE (N = 157). ALL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A BACK PAIN EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED A 12-CLASS, GRADUALLY PROGRESSING YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED BY 12 TEACHERS OVER 3 MONTHS. MEASUREMENTS: SCORES ON THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RMDQ) AT 3 (PRIMARY OUTCOME), 6, AND 12 (SECONDARY OUTCOMES) MONTHS; PAIN, PAIN SELF-EFFICACY, AND GENERAL HEALTH MEASURES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS (SECONDARY OUTCOMES). RESULTS: 93 (60%) PATIENTS OFFERED YOGA ATTENDED AT LEAST 3 OF THE FIRST 6 SESSIONS AND AT LEAST 3 OTHER SESSIONS. THE YOGA GROUP HAD BETTER BACK FUNCTION AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS THAN THE USUAL CARE GROUP. THE ADJUSTED MEAN RMDQ SCORE WAS 2.17 POINTS (95% CI, 1.03 TO 3.31 POINTS) LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP AT 3 MONTHS, 1.48 POINTS (CI, 0.33 TO 2.62 POINTS) LOWER AT 6 MONTHS, AND 1.57 POINTS (CI, 0.42 TO 2.71 POINTS) LOWER AT 12 MONTHS. THE YOGA AND USUAL CARE GROUPS HAD SIMILAR BACK PAIN AND GENERAL HEALTH SCORES AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS, AND THE YOGA GROUP HAD HIGHER PAIN SELF-EFFICACY SCORES AT 3 AND 6 MONTHS BUT NOT AT 12 MONTHS. TWO OF THE 157 USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AND 12 OF THE 156 YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS, MOSTLY INCREASED PAIN. LIMITATION: THERE WERE MISSING DATA FOR THE PRIMARY OUTCOME (YOGA GROUP, N = 21; USUAL CARE GROUP, N = 18) AND DIFFERENTIAL MISSING DATA (MORE IN THE YOGA GROUP) FOR SECONDARY OUTCOMES. CONCLUSION: OFFERING A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM TO ADULTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN LED TO GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN BACK FUNCTION THAN DID USUAL CARE. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: ARTHRITIS RESEARCH UK. 2011 7 162 59 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (LBP) TO INFORM THE FEASIBILITY AND PRACTICALITY OF CONDUCTING A FULL-SCALE TRIAL IN THE UK; AND TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: A PRAGMATIC RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD PRESENTED TO THEIR GP WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE PREVIOUS 18 MONTHS WERE RECRUITED VIA GP RECORDS FROM ONE PRACTICE IN YORK, UK. INTERVENTIONS: TWENTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO EITHER 12 WEEKLY 75-MIN SESSIONS OF SPECIALISED YOGA PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE, OR USUAL CARE PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE. ALLOCATION WAS 50/50. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: RECRUITMENT RATE, LEVELS OF INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP WERE THE MAIN NON-CLINICAL OUTCOMES. CHANGE AS MEASURED BY THE ROLAND AND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE WAS THE PRIMARY CLINICAL OUTCOME. CHANGES IN THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE, SF-12, EQ-5D, AND PAIN SELF-EFFICACY WERE SECONDARY CLINICAL OUTCOMES. DATA WERE COLLECTED VIA POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE, 4 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 286 PATIENTS IDENTIFIED FROM THE GP DATABASE, 52 (18%) CONSENTED AND RETURNED THE ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, OUT OF THESE 20 (6.9%) WERE ELIGIBLE AND RANDOMISED. THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS RANDOMISED FROM THE GP PRACTICE POPULATION WAS 0.28%. TEN PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO YOGA, RECEIVING AN AVERAGE OF 1.7 SESSIONS (RANGE 0-5), AND 10 WERE RANDOMISED TO USUAL CARE. AT 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS RECEIVED FROM 60% OF PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 90% OF PATIENTS IN THE USUAL CARE GROUP (75% OVERALL). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE SEEN BETWEEN GROUPS IN CLINICAL OUTCOMES APART FROM ON THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE AT FOUR WEEKS FOLLOW-UP WHERE THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDED USEFUL DATA AND INFORMATION TO INFORM THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL-SCALE TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN THE UK. A KEY FINDING IS THE CALCULATION OF GP PRACTICE TOTAL LIST SIZE REQUIRED FOR PATIENT RECRUITMENT IN A FULL-SCALE TRIAL, AND THE NEED TO IMPLEMENT METHODS TO INCREASE CLASS ATTENDANCE. 2010 8 2110 78 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND INSOMNIA IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA OF WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS BY PERFORMING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, CLINICALKEY, SCIENCEDIRECT, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2019. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA GROUPS WITH CONTROL GROUPS IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS WERE INCLUDED. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED RISK OF BIAS BY USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL SUGGESTED BY THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION FOR PROGRAMMING AND CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SLEEP QUALITY OR THE SEVERITY OF INSOMNIA, WHICH WAS MEASURED USING SUBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI), OR OBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS POLYSOMNOGRAPHY, ACTIGRAPHY, AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. FOR EACH OUTCOME, A STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) AND CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) OF 95% WERE DETERMINED. RESULTS: NINETEEN STUDIES IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INCLUDED 1832 PARTICIPANTS. THE META-ANALYSIS OF THE COMBINED DATA CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSIVE META-ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP (SMD = - 0.327, 95% CI = - 0.506 TO - 0.148, P < 0.001). META-ANALYSES REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA USING PSQI SCORES IN 16 RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS), COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.54; 95% CI = - 0.89 TO - 0.19; P = 0.003). HOWEVER, THREE RCTS REVEALED NO EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AMONG WOMEN USING ISI (SMD = - 0.13; 95% CI = - 0.74 TO 0.48; P = 0.69). SEVEN RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.15; 95% CI = - 0.31 TO 0.01; P = 0.5). FOUR RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY FOR PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.31; 95% CI = - 0.95 TO 0.33; P = 0.34). YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. DISCUSSION: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA INTERVENTION IN WOMEN CAN BE BENEFICIAL WHEN COMPARED TO NON-ACTIVE CONTROL CONDITIONS IN TERM OF MANAGING SLEEP PROBLEMS. THE MODERATOR ANALYSES SUGGEST THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-BREAST CANCER SUBGROUP AND PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL SUBGROUP WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER BENEFITS, WITH A DIRECT CORRELATION OF TOTAL CLASS TIME WITH QUALITY OF SLEEP AMONG OTHER RELATED BENEFITS. 2020 9 2851 58 YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND BACK PAIN EDUCATION FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN LOW-INCOME RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: POOR SLEEP IS COMMON AMONG ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), BUT THE INFLUENCE OF CLBP TREATMENTS, SUCH AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT), ON SLEEP QUALITY IS UNDER STUDIED. OBJECTIVE: EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND PT FOR IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. DESIGN: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND 7 AFFILIATED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 320 ADULTS WITH CLBP. INTERVENTION: TWELVE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES, 1-ON-1 PT SESSIONS, OR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK. MAIN MEASURES: SLEEP QUALITY WAS MEASURED USING THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) GLOBAL SCORE (0-21) AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 52 WEEKS. ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO EVALUATED HOW THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS WHO ACHIEVED A CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP QUALITY (> 3-POINT REDUCTION IN PSQI) AT 12 WEEKS VARIED BY CHANGES IN PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS. KEY RESULTS: AMONG PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46.0, 64% FEMALE, 82% NON-WHITE), NEARLY ALL (92%) REPORTED POOR SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI > 5) AT BASELINE. AT 12 WEEKS, MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED AMONG THE YOGA (PSQI MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = - 1.19, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] - 1.82, - 0.55) AND PT (PSQI MD = - 0.91, 95% CI - 1.61, - 0.20) GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORTED A >/= 30% IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN OR PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS, COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO IMPROVED < 10%, WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE A SLEEP QUALITY RESPONDER AT 12 WEEKS (ODDS RATIO [OR] = 3.51, 95% CI 1.73, 7.11 AND OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.18, 3.95, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR AT 52 WEEKS. CONCLUSION: IN A SAMPLE OF ADULTS WITH CLBP, VIRTUALLY ALL WITH POOR SLEEP QUALITY PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, MODEST BUT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED WITH BOTH YOGA AND PT. IRRESPECTIVE OF TREATMENT, CLINICALLY IMPORTANT SLEEP IMPROVEMENTS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH MID-INTERVENTION PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01343927. 2020 10 2604 49 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AFFLICTS UP TO 33% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, YET THERE ARE NO EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS FOR THIS SYMPTOM. METHODS: THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A 2-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. PARTICIPANTS WERE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO HAD COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENTS (OTHER THAN ENDOCRINE THERAPY) AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENROLLMENT, REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, AND HAD NO OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR FATIGUE SYMPTOMS OR INTERFERE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS USED TO ASSIGN PARTICIPANTS TO A 12-WEEK, IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO 12 WEEKS OF HEALTH EDUCATION (CONTROL). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE MEASURED AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN VIGOR, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED WITH ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (N = 16) OR HEALTH EDUCATION (N = 15). FATIGUE SEVERITY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT AND OVER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .032). IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VIGOR RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .011). BOTH GROUPS HAD POSITIVE CHANGES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SLEEP OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A TARGETED YOGA INTERVENTION LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND VIGOR AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. 2012 11 2330 52 TWELVE WEEKS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN: A META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TO FEBRUARY 9, 2019, AND SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE SELECTED FOR THIS META-ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE POOLED FIXED-EFFECT SIZE OF SIX TRIALS SHOWED THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PROGRAMS COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN BY 0.41 WITHIN THE TRIALS (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: -0.58 TO -0.23; P < .0001). SUBGROUP ANALYSES ALSO SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANT PAIN REDUCTION WAS RELATED TO TYPE OF YOGA, LENGTH OF SESSION, STUDY QUALITY, AND TIMING OF PAIN ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CAN HELP ALLEVIATE PAIN, AND YOGA PROGRAMS SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SUBGROUP FACTORS TO INCREASE INDIVIDUALS' RELIEF FROM CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. 2020 12 2614 74 YOGA FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, QUALITY OF LIFE, FUNCTION, AND HOSPITALIZATION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH AUGUST 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE OR NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS WERE ANALYZED WHEN THEY ASSESSED SYMPTOMS OR QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SOCIAL FUNCTION, HOSPITALIZATION, AND SAFETY WERE DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: FIVE RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 337 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED; 2 RCTS HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. TWO RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO USUAL CARE; 1 RCT COMPARED YOGA TO EXERCISE; AND 2 3-ARM RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO USUAL CARE AND EXERCISE. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE ON POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.58; 95% CI -1.52 TO 0.37; P = 0.23), OR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI -1.87 TO 0.69; P = 0.36). MODERATE EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO USUAL CARE (SMD = 2.28; 95% CI 0.42 TO 4.14; P = 0.02). THESE EFFECTS WERE ONLY PRESENT IN STUDIES WITH HIGH RISK OF BIAS. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON SOCIAL FUNCTION (SMD = 1.20; 95% CI -0.78 TO 3.18; P = 0.23). COMPARING YOGA TO EXERCISE, NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.35; 95% CI -0.75 TO 0.05; P = 0.09), NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.28; 95% CI -1.42 TO 0.86; P = 0.63), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.17; 95% CI -0.27 TO 0.61; P = 0.45), OR SOCIAL FUNCTION (SMD = 0.20; 95% CI -0.27 TO 0.67; P = 0.41). ONLY 1 RCT REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND ONLY MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE. AS THESE EFFECTS WERE NOT CLEARLY DISTINGUISHABLE FROM BIAS AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION WAS UNCLEAR, NO RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE REGARDING YOGA AS A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. 2013 13 2568 67 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MIND-BODY MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS ARE COMMONLY USED TO COPE WITH DEPRESSION AND YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY USED MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JANUARY 2013. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION AND REMISSION RATES, SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY. RESULTS: TWELVE RCTS WITH 619 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. THREE RCTS HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. REGARDING SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION, THERE WAS MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -0.69; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) -0.99, -0.39; P < .001), AND LIMITED EVIDENCE COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.62; 95%CI -1.03, -0.22; P = .003), AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI -0.99, -0.18; P = .004). LIMITED EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.79; 95% CI -1.3, -0.26; P = .004). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. DUE TO THE PAUCITY AND HETEROGENEITY OF THE RCTS, NO META-ANALYSES ON LONG-TERM EFFECTS WERE POSSIBLE. NO RCT REPORTED SAFETY DATA. CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES, YOGA COULD BE CONSIDERED AN ANCILLARY TREATMENT OPTION FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. 2013 14 1054 69 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED/MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND/OR NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN PATIENTS. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: THREE STUDIES ON 188 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON-SPECIFIC NECK PAIN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE WERE INCLUDED. TWO STUDIES HAD OVERALL LOW RISK OF BIAS; AND ONE HAD HIGH OR UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS FOR SEVERAL DOMAINS. EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS WAS FOUND FOR NECK PAIN INTENSITY (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -1.28; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -1.18, -0.75; P < 0.001), NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (SMD = -0.97; 95% CI = -1.44, -0.50; P < 0.001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.197; P = 0.005), AND MOOD (SMD = -1.02; 95% CI = -1.38, -0.65; P < 0.001). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS AND DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN DIFFERENT INTERVENTION SUBGROUPS. IN THE TWO STUDIES THAT INCLUDED SAFETY DATA, NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN, ITS RELATED DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND MOOD SUGGESTING THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A GOOD TREATMENT OPTION. 2017 15 1859 51 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES. PURPOSE: TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF TIME TO RECRUIT THE STUDY SAMPLE, RETENTION, FACILITY-BASED CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE FOR A STUDY OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS EFFICACY ON FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND WEIGHT CHANGE. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE POST-TREATMENT STAGES 0-III BORDERLINE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE (BODY MASS INDEX >/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 16 167 47 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED BICENTER TRIAL OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH NON-METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (90 MIN ONCE WEEKLY) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY - COLORECTAL [FACT-C]) AT WEEK 10. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED FACT-C SUBSCALES: SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (FACT - SPIRITUALITY); FATIGUE (FACT - FATIGUE); SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INVENTORY); DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE); BODY AWARENESS (SCALE OF BODY CONNECTION); AND BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS (BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 10 AND WEEK 22 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 68.3 +/- 9.7 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 22.2%) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 18.5%). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED A MEAN OF 5.3 +/- 4.0 YOGA CLASSES. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR THE FACT-C TOTAL SCORE WERE FOUND. GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AT WEEK 22 ( = 1.59; 95% CI = 0.27,2.90; P = 0.019), SLEEP DISTURBANCES AT WEEK 22 ( = -1.08; 95% CI = -2.13, -0.03; P = 0.043), ANXIETY AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.14; 95% CI = -2.20, -0.09; P = 0.043), AND DEPRESSION AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.34; 95% CI = -2.61, -0.8; P = 0.038). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE LIVER METASTASES WERE DIAGNOSED IN ONE PATIENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS RANDOMIZED TRIAL FOUND NO EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. GIVEN THE HIGH ATTRITION RATE AND LOW INTERVENTION ADHERENCE, NO DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN FROM THIS TRIAL. 2016 17 2811 49 YOGA TO PREVENT MOBILITY LIMITATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS: FEASIBILITY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE LOSS OF MOBILITY DURING AGING IMPACTS INDEPENDENCE AND LEADS TO FURTHER DISABILITY, MORBIDITY, AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. METHODS: SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS (N = 46; AGE 60-89) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A HEALTH EDUCATION COMPARISON GROUP. YOGA SESSIONS (60-MIN) OCCURRED 2X WEEKLY, AND 90-MIN HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS OCCURRED WEEKLY, FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE RECRUITMENT RATE, INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND RETENTION AT ASSESSMENTS. ADVERSE EVENT RATES AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE ALSO MEASURED. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF GAIT, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH AND SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND 10-WEEKS. RESULTS: RECRUITMENT LASTED 6 MONTHS. RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP WAS HIGH (89% - PERFORMANCE MEASURES; 98% - SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES). ATTENDANCE WAS GOOD WITH 82% OF YOGA AND 74% OF HEALTH EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING AT LEAST 50% OF THE SESSIONS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE INTERVENTIONS WAS HIGH. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES WAS 0.35 WITH SOME OVER 0.50. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WAS 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONDUCT A LARGER RCT OF YOGA FOR SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY PROBLEMS. THE YOGA AND COMPARISON INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE, WELL ACCEPTED, AND WELL ATTENDED. EFFECT SIZES SUGGEST YOGA MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR THIS POPULATION AND SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS # NCT03544879 ; RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED 4 JUNE, 2018. 2018 18 944 48 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON METABOLIC RISK AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS). METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A CONTROLLED TRIAL WITHIN AN UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED HOSPITAL. 173 CHINESE MEN AND WOMEN AGED 18 OR ABOVE WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 87) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 86). PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED 12-WEEK CHANGE IN METABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND METS Z SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOME WAS HRQOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM SURVEY AT 12 WEEKS). RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 52.0 (SD 7.4, RANGE 31-71) YEARS. ANALYSIS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE STUDY POPULATION REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED GREATER DECLINE IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (P<0.001), FASTING GLUCOSE (P<0.01), TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05), AND METS Z SCORE (P<0.01). YOGA TRAINING ALSO IMPROVED GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS (P<0.01), PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (P<0.01), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING (P<0.01) DOMAINS SCORE OF HRQOL. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN CHANGE OF SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES OR HIGH-DENSITY LIPID PROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (ALL P>0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND METS Z SCORE BETWEEN THE METS SUBGROUPS (BOTH P>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HRQOL IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12613000816752. 2015 19 1180 58 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 20 461 59 CHANGES IN PERCEIVED STRESS AFTER YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: PERCEIVED STRESS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN ARE COMMON, ESPECIALLY IN LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS. STUDIES EVALUATING TREATMENTS TO REDUCE STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN ARE LACKING. WE AIMED TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECT OF TWO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT), ON PERCEIVED STRESS IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. METHODS: WE USED DATA FROM AN ASSESSOR-BLINDED, PARALLEL-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WHICH RECRUITED PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME AND RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH CLBP. PARTICIPANTS (N = 320) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 12 WEEKS OF YOGA, PT, OR BACK PAIN EDUCATION. WE COMPARED CHANGES IN THE 10-ITEM PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS-10) FROM BASELINE TO 12- AND 52-WEEK FOLLOW-UP AMONG YOGA AND PT PARTICIPANTS WITH THOSE RECEIVING EDUCATION. SUBANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH ELEVATED PRE-INTERVENTION PERCEIVED STRESS (PSS-10 SCORE >/=17). WE CONDUCTED SENSITIVITY ANALYSES USING VARIOUS IMPUTATION METHODS TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL BIASES IN OUR ESTIMATES DUE TO MISSING DATA. RESULTS: AMONG 248 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46.4 YEARS, 80% NONWHITE) COMPLETING ALL THREE SURVEYS, YOGA AND PT SHOWED GREATER REDUCTIONS IN PSS-10 SCORES COMPARED WITH EDUCATION AT 12 WEEKS (MEAN BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE = -2.6, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -4.5 TO -0.66, AND MEAN BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE = -2.4, 95% CI = -4.4 TO -0.48, RESPECTIVELY). THIS EFFECT WAS STRONGER AMONG PARTICIPANTS WITH ELEVATED PRE-INTERVENTION PERCEIVED STRESS. BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECTS HAD ATTENUATED BY 52 WEEKS. RESULTS WERE SIMILAR IN SENSITIVITY ANALYSES. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND PT WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN BACK PAIN EDUCATION FOR REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG LOW-INCOME ADULTS WITH CLBP. 2020