1 666 118 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 2 2134 44 THE EFFECTS OF A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL CONTROL, MOBILITY, AND GAIT SPEED IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM ON GAIT SPEED, POSTURAL CONTROL, AND MOBILITY IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH A PRETEST/POST-TEST DESIGN. RESEARCHERS EVALUATED CHANGES OVER TIME (PRETEST TO POST-TEST) IN ALL OUTCOME MEASURES. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO ANALYZE NORMAL AND FAST GAIT SPEED, TIMED UP AND GO TEST, AND TIMED UP AND GO DUAL TASK. WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST WAS USED TO EVALUATE SCORES FOR THE MINI-BESTEST (MBT). SETTING: YOGA CLASSES WERE PERFORMED AT A LOCAL SENIOR CENTER. BLIND EXAMINERS WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY TRAINED IN THE OUTCOME MEASURES PERFORMED ALL PRETESTS AND POST-TESTS AT THE SITE. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTEEN ADULTS (12 WOMEN AND 1 MAN, WITH A MEAN AGE+/-STANDARD DEVIATION OF 72+/-6.9 YEARS) COMPLETED THE STUDY. RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS HAD MINIMAL TO NO YOGA EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTIONS: A 12-WEEK, 60-MINUTE, BIWEEKLY KRIPALU YOGA CLASS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. OUTCOME MEASURES: POSTURAL CONTROL (MBT), MOBILITY (TIMED UP AND GO TEST), AND GAIT SPEED (NORMAL AND FAST) WERE ASSESSED. RESULTS: ALL 13 PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED AT LEAST 19 OF THE 24 CLASSES (80% ATTENDANCE). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN THE MBT (P=0.039), NORMAL GAIT SPEED (P=0.015), FAST GAIT SPEED (P=0.001), TIMED UP AND GO TEST (P=0.045), AND TIMED UP AND GO DUAL-TASK (P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTURAL CONTROL AND MOBILITY AS MEASURED BY THE MBT AND TIMED UP AND GO GAIT AS MEASURED BY FAST GAIT SPEED INDICATE THAT RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS BENEFITTED FROM THE THERAPEUTIC YOGA INTERVENTION. THE YOGA PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR THIS STUDY INCLUDED ACTIVITIES IN STANDING, SITTING, AND LYING ON THE FLOOR AND MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING MOBILITY, POSTURAL CONTROL, AND GAIT SPEED IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. 2014 3 675 32 EFFECT OF A SIX-MONTH YOGA EXERCISE INTERVENTION ON FITNESS OUTCOMES FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA-BASED EXERCISE HAS PROVEN TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR PRACTITIONERS, INCLUDING CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS STUDY REPORTS ON THE IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL FITNESS FOR 20 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-MONTH YOGA-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM (YE). RESULTS ARE COMPARED TO A COMPREHENSIVE EXERCISE (CE) PROGRAM GROUP AND A COMPARISON (C) EXERCISE GROUP WHO CHOSE THEIR OWN EXERCISES. "PRE" AND "POST" FITNESS ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED MEASURES OF ANTHROPOMETRICS, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY, STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, EFFECT SIZE (D), DEPENDENT SAMPLE 'T' TESTS FOR ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CALCULATED FOR THE YE GROUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED: DECREASED % BODY FAT (-3.00%, D = -0.44, P < 0.001); INCREASED SIT TO STAND LEG STRENGTH REPETITIONS (2.05, D = 0.48, P = 0.003); FORWARD REACH (3.59 CM, D = 0.61, P = 0.01); AND RIGHT ARM SAGITTAL RANGE OF MOTION (6.50 DEGREES , D = 0.92, P = 0.05). TO COMPARE YE OUTCOMES WITH THE OTHER TWO GROUPS, A ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED. YE PARTICIPANTS SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPERFORMED C PARTICIPANTS ON "FORWARD REACH" (3.59 CM GAINED VERSUS -2.44 CM LOST), (P = 0.009) AND OUTPERFORMED CE PARTICIPANTS (3.59 CM GAINED VERSUS 1.35 CM GAINED), BUT NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. OUR RESULTS SUPPORT YOGA-BASED EXERCISE MODIFIED FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. 2015 4 973 46 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND STRENGTH IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: AGING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A RESULT OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND HORMONAL IMBALANCE THAT CAN CAUSE DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE AND AGING-RELATED INFLAMMATION. AS AGE ADVANCES, A DECREASE IN MUSCLE MASS, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY CAN IMPAIR PHYSICAL FUNCTION. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE IN IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: THIS RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A PROSPECTIVE, TWO-ARM, OPEN-LABEL, AND PARALLEL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AT DIVINE PARK, YOGA & NATUROPATHY HOSPITAL, UDUPI, KARNATAKA, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 96 OLDER ADULTS, AGED 60-75 YEARS (64.1 +/- 3.95 YEARS) TAKING PART IN A YOGA PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT. INTERVENTION: THE PROGRAM WAS A THREE-MONTH, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 48) OR TO A WAITLISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 48). THE INTERVENTION GROUP UNDERWENT THREE ONE-HOUR SESSIONS OF YOGA WEEKLY, WITH EACH SESSION INCLUDING LOOSENING EXERCISES, ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION SPANNING. OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND POST INTERVENTION, ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE: (1) FOR SPINAL FLEXIBILITY USING A SIT AND REACH TEST, (2) FOR BACK AND LEG STRENGTH USING A BACK LEG DYNAMOMETER, (3) FOR HANDGRIP STRENGTH (HGS) AND ENDURANCE (HGE) USING A HAND-GRIP DYNAMOMETER, AND (4) THE OLDER PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE (OPQOL) QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED EMPLOYING WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TESTS AND MANN WHITNEY TESTS, USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN SPINAL FLEXIBILITY (P < .001), BACK LEG STRENGTH (P < .001), HGE (P < .01), AND QOL (P < .001) AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE USED SAFELY FOR OLDER ADULTS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND FUNCTIONAL QOL. LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ARE WARRANTED. 2022 5 1389 43 IMPACT OF SOMATIC YOGA AND MEDITATION ON FALL RISK, FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY SYNDROME IN CANCER SURVIVORS. OBJECTIVE: CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY (CIPN) SYNDROME CAUSES SIGNIFICANT PAIN AS AN ADVERSE EFFECT OF TREATMENT, WITH FEW NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS TESTED. A SOMATIC YOGA AND MEDITATION (SYM) INTERVENTION ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) WAS INVESTIGATED. DESIGN AND METHODS: INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH CIPN WERE ENROLLED IN AN OPEN-LABEL, SINGLE-ARM, MIXED-METHODS FEASIBILITY TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: IN AN OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION CENTER, TEN PARTICIPANTS WITH MEDIAN AGE 64.4 YEARS (47-81) ATTENDED 61% OF THE SESSIONS WITH NO ADVERSE EVENTS. INTERVENTION: SYM TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS FOR 1.5 HOURS, WITH HOME PROGRAM AND JOURNALING. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED SIT AND REACH (SR), FUNCTIONAL REACH (FR), AND TIMED UP AND GO (TUG). SELF-REPORTED PATIENT NEUROTOXICITY QUESTIONNAIRE (PNQ) AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-NEUROTOXICITY (FACT-GOG-NTX) WERE SECONDARY CIPN OUTCOMES. BIOMARKERS INCLUDED SALIVARY CORTISOL (STRESS) AND BIOESTHESIOMETER (VIBRATION). RESULTS: QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN FLEXIBILITY (SR; P = .006); BALANCE (FR; P = .001) AND FALL RISK (TUG; P = .004). PNQ IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY ( P = .003) WITH OTHER MEASURES IMPROVING NON-SIGNIFICANTLY. QUALITATIVE FINDINGS. FIVE THEMES EMERGED: (1) VACILLATION OF CIPN PAIN PERCEPTION OVER TIME; (2) TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS TO DAILY ACTIVITIES; (3) IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION; (4) PERCEIVED RELAXATION AS AN EFFECT OF SYM; AND (5) GROUP ENGAGEMENT PROVIDED A SOCIAL CONTEXT FOR NOT FEELING ISOLATED WITH CIPN. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST SYM MAY IMPROVE QOL, FLEXIBILITY, AND BALANCE IN CANCER SURVIVORS WITH CIPN, WITH A FULLY POWERED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INDICATED. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03786055. 2019 6 2077 35 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 7 1743 32 PHYSICAL-PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND BIOMECHANICAL CORRELATES FROM THE 32-WEEK YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY. BACKGROUND. YOGA EMPOWERS SENIORS STUDY (YESS) QUANTIFIED PHYSICAL DEMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PERFORMANCE USING BIOMECHANICAL METHODS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFICACY OF THE PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION OUTCOMES. METHODS. TWENTY COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS AGED 70.7 +/- 3.8 YEARS ATTENDED BIWEEKLY 60-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 32 WEEKS. FOUR DOMAINS OF THE PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS INCLUDING (1) FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE, (2) FLEXIBILITY, (3) MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND (4) BALANCE WERE TAKEN AT THE BASELINE, 16-WEEK AND 32-WEEK TIME POINTS. REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA OMNIBUS TESTS AND TUKEY'S POST HOC TESTS WERE EMPLOYED TO EXAMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN EACH OUTCOME VARIABLE ACROSS THE 3 TIME POINTS. RESULTS. IMPROVED TIMED CHAIR STANDS (P < 0.01), 8-FOOT UP AND GO (P < 0.05), 2-MIN STEP TEST (P < 0.05), AND VERTICAL REACH (P = 0.05) PERFORMANCE WERE EVIDENT. ISOMETRIC KNEE FLEXOR STRENGTH (P < 0.05) AND REPETITIONS OF THE HEEL RISE TEST (P < 0.001) ALSO INCREASED FOLLOWING THE 32-WEEK INTERVENTION. BOTH FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE PERFORMANCE REMAINED UNCHANGED. CONCLUSIONS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND MUSCLE-SPECIFIC LOWER-EXTREMITY STRENGTH OCCUR WITH THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR SENIORS. THESE ADAPTATIONS CORRESPONDED WITH THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BIOMECHANICAL DEMANDS OF THE POSES. 2016 8 884 27 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON ONE LEG STANDING AND FUNCTIONAL REACH TESTS IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR POSTURAL CONTROL. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON STATIC AND DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR STANDING BALANCE. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] SIXTEEN OBESE VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED FOR 45 MINUTES PER DAY, 3 TIMES PER WEEK, FOR 4 WEEKS. STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE WERE ASSESSED IN VOLUNTEERS WITH ONE LEG STANDING AND FUNCTIONAL REACH TESTS. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TESTED BEFORE TRAINING AND AFTER A SINGLE WEEK OF TRAINING. TWO-WAY REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WITH TUKEY'S HONESTLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE POST HOC STATISTICS WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA. [RESULTS] OBESE INDIVIDUALS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED STATIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE YOGA TRAINING GROUP, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF STATIC OR DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER 4 WEEKS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN STATIC STANDING BALANCE WAS FOUND AFTER THE 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH WEEKS. COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, STATIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AFTER THE 2ND WEEK, AND DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AFTER THE 4TH WEEK. [CONCLUSION] YOGA TRAINING WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR IMPROVING STANDING BALANCE IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR STANDING BALANCE. 2015 9 965 47 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL CONTROL, MOBILITY, AND GAIT SPEED IN COMMUNITY-LIVING OLDER ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL CONTROL, MOBILITY, RISING FROM THE FLOOR, AND GAIT SPEED IN COMMUNITY-LIVING OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: PRETEST/POSTTEST DESIGN WITH AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND AN AGE-MATCHED CONTROL GROUP. CHANGES OVER TIME (PRETEST TO POSTTEST) WERE EVALUATED IN ALL OUTCOME MEASURES USING PAIRED T TESTS. SETTING: THE YOGA CLASS WAS PERFORMED AT A LOCAL CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. ALL TESTING WAS PERFORMED AT THE SITE. CONTROL-SUBJECT PRETESTS AND POSTTESTS WERE PERFORMED AT A SECOND CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. PARTICIPANTS: EIGHT RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS, ALL WOMEN, WITH A MEAN AGE OF 84 (4.6) YEARS, 8 CONTROL PARTICIPANTS, 5 WOMEN AND 3 MEN, AGED 81.3 (4.9) YEARS. RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS WERE NAIVE TO YOGA. INTERVENTIONS: AN 8-WEEK, 80-MINUTE, BIWEEKLY KRIPALU YOGA CLASS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: POSTURAL CONTROL (BERG BALANCE SCALE), MOBILITY (TIME TO RISE FROM THE FLOOR TO STANDING, TIMED UP AND GO), GAIT (USUAL AND FAST GAIT SPEED), AND BALANCE CONFIDENCE (ACTIVITIES-SPECIFIC BALANCE SCALE). RESULTS: ALL SUBJECTS ATTENDED AT LEAST 10 OF THE 16 CLASSES (62% ATTENDANCE). POSTTEST DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS IN BALANCE SCORES (P < .003) AND FAST WALKING SPEED (P < .031). NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENTS IN POSTURAL CONTROL AS MEASURED BY THE BERG BALANCE SCALE AND GAIT AS MEASURED BY FAST GAIT SPEED INDICATE THAT RESEARCH SUBJECTS BENEFITED FROM THE YOGA INTERVENTION. THE YOGA PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR THIS STUDY INCLUDED THE ACTIVITIES OF STANDING, SITTING, AND LYING ON THE FLOOR. THEREFORE, SUBJECTS PERFORM ACTIVITIES DURING YOGA THAT CAN IMPROVE POSTURAL CONTROL, MOBILITY, AND GAIT SPEED. 2011 10 2090 24 THE EFFECT OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE STUDY MEASURED EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING. A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP AND AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. 2014 11 107 42 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 12 510 40 COMPARATIVE IMPACTS OF TAI CHI, BALANCE TRAINING, AND A SPECIALLY-DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM ON BALANCE IN OLDER FALLERS. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A CUSTOM-DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM WITH 2 OTHER BALANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: A GROUP OF OLDER ADULTS (N=39; MEAN AGE, 74.15 +/- 6.99 Y) WITH A HISTORY OF FALLING. INTERVENTIONS: THREE DIFFERENT EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS (TAI CHI, STANDARD BALANCE TRAINING, YOGA) WERE GIVEN FOR 12 WEEKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BALANCE PERFORMANCE WAS EXAMINED DURING PRE- AND POSTTEST USING FIELD TESTS, INCLUDING THE 8-FOOT UP-AND-GO TEST, 1-LEG STANCE, FUNCTIONAL REACH, AND USUAL AND MAXIMAL WALKING SPEED. THE STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCES WERE ALSO ASSESSED BY POSTURAL SWAY AND DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: TRAINING PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL FIELD TESTS (P<.005), BUT GROUP DIFFERENCE AND TIME X GROUP INTERACTION WERE NOT DETECTED. FOR POSTURAL SWAY, SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN THE AREA OF THE CENTER OF PRESSURE WITH EYES OPEN (P=.001) AND EYES CLOSED (P=.002) WERE DETECTED AFTER TRAINING. FOR EYES OPEN, MAXIMUM MEDIAL-LATERAL VELOCITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FOR THE SAMPLE (P=.013). FOR EYES CLOSED, MEDIAL-LATERAL DISPLACEMENT DECREASED FOR TAI CHI (P<.01). FOR DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL SCORE (P=.001), TIME ON THE TEST (P=.006), AND 2 LINEAR MEASURES IN LATERAL (P=.001) AND ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR (P<.001) DIRECTIONS WERE SEEN FOR THE SAMPLE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS AS EFFECTIVE AS TAI CHI AND STANDARD BALANCE TRAINING FOR IMPROVING POSTURAL STABILITY AND MAY OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO MORE TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS. 2014 13 34 39 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 14 2712 43 YOGA LEADS TO MULTIPLE PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS AFTER STROKE, A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS CHANGE IN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), STRENGTH, AND ENDURANCE) AFTER 8 WEEKS OF THERAPEUTIC-YOGA. DESIGN: PLANNED ANALYSES OF DATA FROM A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY OF YOGA AFTER STROKE. SETTING: UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH LABORATORY. PARTICIPANTS: PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STROKE (N=47) RANDOMIZED TO THERAPEUTIC-YOGA (N=37) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N=10). INTERVENTIONS: 16 SESSIONS OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA (TWICE A WEEK/8 WEEKS). YOGA WAS DELIVERED IN A STANDARDIZED AND PROGRESSIVE FORMAT WITH POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION IN SITTING, STANDING, AND SUPINE. MAIN MEASURES: PAIN WAS ASSESSED WITH THE PEG, A 3-ITEM FUNCTIONAL MEASURE OF THE INTERFERENCE OF PAIN. ROM INCLUDED NECK AND HIP ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROM MEASUREMENTS). UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH WERE ASSESSED WITH THE ARM CURL TEST AND CHAIR-TO-STAND TEST, RESPECTIVELY. ENDURANCE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE 6-MINUTE WALK AND MODIFIED 2-MIN STEP TEST. RESULTS: AFTER A BONFERRONI CORRECTION, PAIN, NECK ROM, HIP PASSIVE ROM, UPPER EXTREMITY STRENGTH, AND THE 6-MIN WALK SCORES ALL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER 8 WEEKS OF ENGAGING IN YOGA. NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A GROUP THERAPEUTIC-YOGA INTERVENTION MAY IMPROVE MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER STROKE. SUCH AN INTERVENTION MAY BE COMPLEMENTARY TO TRADITIONAL REHABILITATION. 2014 15 387 31 BENEFITS OF THAI YOGA ON PHYSICAL MOBILITY AND LOWER LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ALTHOUGH THAI YOGA (TY) IS REPORTED TO IMPROVE HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS FOR THE ELDERLY, NO STUDY HAS YET CARRIED OUT THE EFFECT OF TY PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL MOBILITY AND LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT DESIGN, TWENTY-TWO SEDENTARY WOMEN WITH A BMI >/= 23 KG/M(2), AGED 62 +/- 1 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A TY GROUP FOR 60 MIN, 3 TIMES A WEEK OR TO A "NO EXERCISE" CONTROL (CON) GROUP. SIT AND REACH (SRT), FUNCTIONAL REACH (FRT) AND 30-S CHAIR STAND (CST-30), 8-FOOT UP AND GO (8UGT), 6-MIN WALK (6MWT)) AND LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE MEASURED AT THE BEGINNING, 4, AND 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: AT WEEK 4, A SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN GROUPS WAS OBTAINED IN CST-30, 8UGT, AND 6MWT. AT WEEK 8, FRT, 8UGT, 6MWT AND KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR MUSCLE STRENGTH WERE IMPROVED IN THE TY OVER THE CON. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN ALL VARIABLES WITHIN THE TY, BUT NO CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE CON. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK TY PROGRAM APPEARS TO PROVIDE BENEFICIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL MOBILITY IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE OLDER WOMEN. 2021 16 687 44 EFFECT OF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: OUTCOMES OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC WORK-RELATED STRESS IS AN INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND ASSOCIATED MORTALITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN COMPOUNDED BY A SEDENTARY WORK ENVIRONMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF AN OFFICE WORKSITE-BASED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS, EVALUATED VIA HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES IN A COHORT OF OFFICE WORKERS. METHODS: THIRTY-SEVEN ADULTS EMPLOYED IN UNIVERSITY-BASED OFFICE POSITIONS WERE RANDOMIZED UPON THE COMPLETION OF BASELINE TESTING TO AN EXPERIMENTAL OR CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPLETED A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM PRESCRIBED THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK DURING LUNCH HOUR (50 MIN PER SESSION). AN EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTOR LED THE SESSIONS, WHICH EMPHASIZED ASANAS (POSTURES) AND VINYASA (EXERCISES). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS THE HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) POWER COMPONENT OF HRV. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED ADDITIONAL HRV PARAMETERS, MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS (I.E. PUSH-UP, SIDE-BRIDGE, AND SIT & REACH TESTS) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES (I.E. STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, QUALITY OF LIFE AND JOB SATISFACTION). RESULTS: ALL MEASURES OF HRV FAILED TO CHANGE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP, EXCEPT THAT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED LF:HF (P = 0.04) AND REDUCED PNN50 (P = 0.04) VERSUS CONTROL, CONTRARY TO OUR HYPOTHESES. FLEXIBILITY, EVALUATED VIA SIT & REACH TEST INCREASED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VERSUS THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.001). NO OTHER ADAPTATIONS WERE NOTED. POST HOC ANALYSIS COMPARING PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED >/=70% OF YOGA SESSIONS (N = 11) TO CONTROL (N = 19) YIELDED THE SAME FINDINGS, EXCEPT THAT THE HIGH ADHERERS ALSO REDUCED STATE ANXIETY (P = 0.02) AND RMSSD (P = 0.05), AND TENDED TO IMPROVE THE PUSH-UP TEST (P = 0.07) VERSUS CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION DELIVERED AT THE OFFICE WORKSITE DURING LUNCH HOUR DID NOT IMPROVE HF POWER OR OTHER HRV PARAMETERS. HOWEVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY, STATE ANXIETY AND MUSCULOSKELETAL FITNESS WERE NOTED WITH HIGH ADHERENCE. FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD INCORPORATE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE ADHERENCE, INVOLVE MORE FREQUENT AND LONGER DURATIONS OF YOGA TRAINING, AND ENROL COHORTS WHO SUFFER FROM HIGHER LEVELS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000536965. 2013 17 2718 44 YOGA MEDITATION (YOMED) AND ITS EFFECT ON PROPRIOCEPTION AND BALANCE FUNCTION IN ELDERS WHO HAVE FALLEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE MUSCLE STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, AND BALANCE. HOWEVER, THE IMPACT OF MEDITATION ON DYNAMIC FACTORS SUCH AS GAIT, REACTIVE BALANCE AND PROPRIOCEPTION HAS YET TO BE EXAMINED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO TEST IF A NOVEL YOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM (YOMED) IS AS EFFECTIVE AS A STANDARD PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING IN IMPROVING PROPRIOCEPTION, BALANCE AND POWER IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE FALLEN. DESIGN: SIXTEEN OLDER PERSONS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOMED GROUP (YM) OR PROPRIOCEPTION TRAINING GROUP (PT). EACH GROUP RECEIVED 45MIN OF TRAINING, 3DAYS PER WEEK, FOR 6 WEEKS. PRETEST AND POST-TEST OUTCOME MEASURES WERE USED TO QUANTIFY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF THE INTERVENTIONS. SETTING: RESEARCH LABORATORY. INTERVENTIONS: YOGA MEDITATION AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE BALANCE ERROR SCORING SYSTEM (BESS), THE TENETTI BALANCE AND GAIT ASSESSMENT, DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY, JOINT POSITION SENSE, JOINT KINESTHESIA AND LEG EXTENSOR POWER. RESULTS: THE PRIMARY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY WERE THAT NEITHER THE YM OR PT INTERVENTION GROUPS SHOWED STATISTICAL IMPROVEMENTS IN ANY VARIABLE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE DYNAMIC POSTUROGRAPHY OVERALL SCORE (DMA), WHICH SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT BY THE YM GROUP (D=1.238; P=0.049). ADDITIONALLY CHANGES IN A NUMBER OF VARIABLES THAT DID NOT REACH SIGNIFICANCE DEMONSTRATED EFFECT SIZES IN THE MEDIUM TO HIGH RANGE. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR THE YOMED PROGRAM TO BE USED AS A CLINICAL INTERVENTION IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS. GIVEN THESE RESULTS A LONGER STUDY USING A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND INDIVIDUALS AT HIGHER RISK OF FALLING IS WARRANTED. 2018 18 896 42 EFFECT OF YOGASANA INTERVENTION ON STANDING BALANCE PERFORMANCE AMONG PEOPLE WITH DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY (DPN) IS KNOWN TO CAUSE IMPAIRED BALANCE AND EVENTUALLY INCREASED RISK OF FALL. YOGASANAS CHARACTERIZED BY SLOW, GENTLE TRANSITIONS INTO POSTURES WITH A VARYING BASE OF SUPPORT AND FOCUS ON BODY AWARENESS DURING MOVEMENT HOLD POTENTIAL FOR TRAINING BALANCE CONTROL. THEREFORE, THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE EFFECT OF STRUCTURED YOGASANA INTERVENTION COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISE ON STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE PERFORMANCE AMONG PEOPLE WITH DIABETIC NEUROPATHY. METHODS: : THIRTY-FIVE PEOPLE WITH DPN AGED 42-70 YEARS WERE RECRUITED TO YOGASANA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 11), CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISES GROUP (N = 10), AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 14) FOLLOWING ETHICAL APPROVAL. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND POST 12-WEEK INTERVENTION ON STAR EXCURSION BALANCE TEST, SINGLE-LIMB STANCE TEST, AND CENTER OF PRESSURE (COP) EXCURSION FOR BALANCE PERFORMANCE, MODIFIED FALL EFFICACY SCALE FOR FEAR OF FALLS AND LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH USING CHAIR STAND TEST AND STEP-UP TEST. RESULTS: BALANCE PERFORMANCE (STATIC AND DYNAMIC MEASURED BY STAR EXCURSION BALANCE TEST, SINGLE-LIMB STANCE TEST, AND COP EXCURSION, LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH (USING CHAIR STAND TEST AND STEP-UP TEST) DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT AND FEAR OF FALL REDUCED AMONG YOGASANA INTERVENTION GROUP (P = 0.05) AND CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISES GROUP (P = 0.05) POST 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. COP EXCURSION INCREASED IN THE CONTROL GROUP INDICATING DETERIORATION IN BALANCE PERFORMANCE AFTER 12 WEEKS (P = 0.05). POST HOC COMPARISON REVEALED THAT YOGASANA INTERVENTION WAS MARGINALLY MORE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISES IN ALL VARIABLES OF STANDING BALANCE PERFORMANCE (P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: YOGASANA AND CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISES WERE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE PERFORMANCE, LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND REDUCING FEAR OF FALL AMONG PEOPLE WITH DPN. YOGASANA INTERVENTION DEMONSTRATED MARGINALLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE PERFORMANCE AND LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLE STRENGTH COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE. 2021 19 550 36 CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF POWER YOGA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SPECIALLY DESIGNED POWER YOGA PROGRAM (YOGA) ON BRADYKINESIA, RIGIDITY, MUSCULAR PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PD. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: UNIVERSITY LABORATORY, US. INTERVENTION: TWENTY-SIX PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP (CON). THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS THREE MONTHS, INCORPORATING TWO SESSIONS/WK OF YOGA CLASSES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: UPPER AND LOWER LIMB BRADYKINESIA AND RIGIDITY SCORES FROM THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE, ONE REPETITION MAXIMUMS (1RM) AND PEAK POWERS ON BICEPS CURL, CHEST PRESS, LEG PRESS, HIP ABDUCTION AND SEATED CALF, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQ-39). RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH UPPER AND LOWER LIMBS BRADYKINESIA SCORES, RIGIDITY SCORE, 1RM FOR ALL 5 MACHINES AND LEG PRESS POWER (P<.05). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN THE PDQ-39 OVERALL SCORE, MOBILITY AND ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING DOMAIN FOR THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE 3-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BRADYKINESIA AND RIGIDITY, AND INCREASED MUSCLE STRENGTH AND POWER IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH PD. POWER TRAINING IS AN EFFECTIVE TRAINING MODALITY TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PD. 2016 20 2222 42 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004