1 2777 124 YOGA SPINAL FLEXION POSITIONS AND VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE IN OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS OF SPINE: CASE SERIES. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS REPORT IS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE EFFECT OF STRENUOUS YOGA FLEXION EXERCISES ON OSTEOPENIC OR OSTEOPOROTIC SPINES. WE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN OSTEOPOROSIS IN WHOM VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES (VCFS) DEVELOPED AFTER SPINAL FLEXION EXERCISE (SFE) AND RECOMMENDED THAT SFES NOT BE PRESCRIBED IN PATIENTS WITH SPINAL OSTEOPOROSIS. METHODS: THIS REPORT DESCRIBES 3 HEALTHY PERSONS WITH LOW BONE MASS AND YOGA-INDUCED PAIN OR FRACTURE. RESULTS: ALL 3 PATIENTS HAD OSTEOPENIA, WERE IN GOOD HEALTH AND PAIN-FREE, AND HAD STARTED YOGA EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THEIR MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH. NEW PAIN AND FRACTURE AREAS OCCURRED AFTER PARTICIPATION IN YOGA FLEXION EXERCISES. CONCLUSIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAIN AND COMPLICATIONS WITH SOME FLEXION YOGA POSITIONS IN THE PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPENIA LEADS TO CONCERN THAT FRACTURE RISK WOULD INCREASE EVEN FURTHER IN OSTEOPOROSIS. ALTHOUGH EXERCISE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND DECREASING FRACTURE RISK, OUR SUBJECTS HAD DEVELOPMENT OF VCFS AND NECK AND BACK PAIN WITH YOGA EXERCISES. THIS FINDING SUGGESTS THAT FACTORS OTHER THAN BONE MASS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR EXERCISE COUNSELING IN PATIENTS WITH BONE LOSS. THE INCREASED TORQUE PRESSURE APPLIED TO VERTEBRAL BODIES DURING SFES MAY BE A RISK. EXERCISE IS EFFECTIVE AND IMPORTANT FOR TREATMENT OF OSTEOPENIA AND OSTEOPOROSIS AND SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED FOR PATIENTS WITH VERTEBRAL BONE LOSS. SOME YOGA POSITIONS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME STRAIN ON SPINES WITH BONE LOSS. ASSESSMENT OF FRACTURE RISK IN OLDER PERSONS PERFORMING SFES AND OTHER HIGH-IMPACT EXERCISES IS AN IMPORTANT CLINICAL CONSIDERATION.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
2 2853  48 YOGA, VERTEBRAL FRACTURES, AND OSTEOPOROSIS: RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BACKGROUND: OSTEOPOROSIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY DECREASED BONE DENSITY THAT LEAVES BONES FRAGILE AND HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FRACTURE. GLOBALLY, 1 IN 3 WOMEN AND 1 IN 5 MEN OLDER THAN 50 WILL SUFFER FROM AN OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURE, AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL EXPERIENCE A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER RISK OF POSTFRACTURE MORTALITY THAN WILL THE GENERAL POPULATION. GENTLE, WEIGHT-BEARING EXERCISES SUCH AS YOGA CAN HELP PREVENT OR CEASE THE PROGRESSION OF OSTEOPOROSIS; HOWEVER, THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA REGARDING WHICH YOGA POSES PRESENT THE LEAST RISK AND ARE MOST BENEFICIAL TO INDIVIDUALS WITH REDUCED BONE DENSITY. OBJECTIVES: REVIEW THE EXTANT LITERATURE ABOUT THE RISKS AND BENEFITS TO THE SPINE OF PARTICULAR FORMS OF MOVEMENT AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS RELATIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA. METHODS: A REVIEW OF THE PUBMED, MEDLINE, AND COCHRANE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED THAT IDENTIFIED MANUSCRIPTS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1966 AND 2011 ABOUT TOPICS RELATED TO OSTEOPOROSIS AND SPINAL MOVEMENT. CONCLUSIONS: MOVEMENTS INVOLVING SPINAL FLEXION CAN INCREASE RISK FOR VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES; HOWEVER, A COMBINATION OF MILD SPINAL FLEXION AND EXTENSION MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL. MODERATE, WEIGHT-BEARING ACTIVITIES THAT STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES SUPPORTING THE SPINAL COLUMN, PROMOTE BALANCE, IMPROVE POSTURE, AND ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE APPEAR TO BE OF GREATEST BENEFIT. AMPLE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE IMPORTANCE OF VARIED SPINAL MOVEMENT FOR PRESERVING THE HEALTH AND STRENGTH OF THE VERTEBRAL BODIES. EXERCISE MODIFICATIONS SUITABLE FOR HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS MAY BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR THOSE AT LOW RISK FOR VERTEBRAL FRACTURES. YOGA THERAPISTS ARE CAUTIONED TO NOT APPLY A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH WHEN WORKING WITH THIS POPULATION. WELL-DESIGNED EMPIRICAL STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH YOGA POSES PRESENT THE LEAST RISK AND ARE OF GREATEST BENEFIT TO INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
3  753  30 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON PAIN, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE (CONTROL) ON PAIN AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP). DESIGN: THIS WAS A WAIT-LIST, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A RESIDENTIAL INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CENTER IN BANGALORE, SOUTH INDIA. SUBJECTS: EIGHTY (80) SUBJECTS (FEMALES, N = 37) WITH CLBP, WHO CONSENTED WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE IF THEY SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA. INTERVENTION: THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF A 1-WEEK INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPRISED OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES) DESIGNED FOR BACK PAIN, PRANAYAMAS (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION, AND DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS OF YOGA. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER A TRAINED PHYSIATRIST AND ALSO HAD DIDACTIC AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON LIFESTYLE CHANGE. BOTH OF THE GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR TIME ON INTERVENTION AND ATTENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED BY THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BY SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, WHICH WAS ASSESSED USING GONIOMETER AT PRE AND POST INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (RMANOVA). RESULTS: DATA CONFORMED TO A GAUSSIAN DISTRIBUTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ODI SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.01; EFFECT SIZE 1.264). SPINAL FLEXIBILITY MEASURES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS BUT THE YOGA GROUP HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENT AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ON SPINAL FLEXION (P = 0.008; EFFECT SIZE 0.146), SPINAL EXTENSION (P = 0.002; EFFECT SIZE 0.251), RIGHT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.059; EFFECT SIZE 0.006); AND LEFT LATERAL FLEXION (P = 0.006; EFFECT SIZE 0.171). CONCLUSIONS: SEVEN (7) DAYS OF A RESIDENTIAL INTENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM REDUCED PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AND IMPROVED SPINAL FLEXIBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP BETTER THAN A PHYSICAL EXERCISE REGIMEN.	2008	
                                                            
4  825  38 EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE AT RISK OF FRACTURES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. WE SUMMARIZED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES AND ADVERSE EVENTS IN MEN AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN >/=50 YEARS-OLD AT INCREASED RISK OF FRACTURE, TO INFORM THE UPDATED OSTEOPOROSIS CANADA CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES. SIX DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AND CASE SERIES. CERTAINTY OF EVIDENCE WAS ASSESSED USING THE GRADING OF RECOMMENDATIONS, ASSESSMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION HANDBOOK. NINE STUDIES WERE INCLUDED AND REPORTED USING NARRATIVE SYNTHESES DUE TO THE LIMITED AVAILABLE EVIDENCE. OVERALL, THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE WAS OF VERY LOW CERTAINTY. THERE WAS NO EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. EFFECTS ON OTHER HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES WERE MIXED OR NOT AVAILABLE IN THE LITERATURE. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED NO ADVERSE EVENTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STUDY INTERVENTION, AND 2 STUDIES DID NOT REPORT WHETHER ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. HOWEVER, 2 CASE SERIES REPORTED VERTEBRAL FRACTURES RELATED TO YOGA PARTICIPATION, POSSIBLY DUE TO EXCESSIVE SPINAL FLEXION. DUE TO THE LIMITED AND VERY LOW CERTAINTY EVIDENCE, GUIDELINE DEVELOPERS WILL NEED TO DRAW INDIRECT EVIDENCE FROM YOGA STUDIES AMONG MIDDLE AGED OR OLDER ADULTS THAT ARE NOT AT FRACTURE RISK. PROSPERO: CRD42019124898. NOVELTY: EVIDENCE IN GENERAL WAS OF VERY LOW CERTAINTY. YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. EVIDENCE WAS MIXED OR UNAVAILABLE FOR OTHER OUTCOMES. CASE STUDIES REPORTED YOGA POSES INVOLVING SPINAL FLEXION COINCIDED WITH INCIDENTS OF VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH INCREASED FRACTURE RISK.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
5 2359  57 VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA: A CASE SERIES. BACKGROUND: THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE IN SKELETAL HEALTH IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED BY BOTH PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS. HOWEVER, THE SAFETY OF PRESCRIBED OR RECREATIONAL EXERCISE IN AT-RISK POPULATIONS REMAINS UNDER-REPORTED AND UNDER-PUBLICIZED. YOGA HAS GAINED WIDESPREAD POPULARITY DUE TO ITS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. WHEN PRACTICED IN A POPULATION AT INCREASED FRACTURE RISK, HOWEVER, SOME YOGA POSES MAY INCREASE FRACTURE RISK, PARTICULARLY AT THE SPINE, RATHER THAN INCREASING BMD AS NOTED IN RECENT POPULAR PRESS REPORTS. CASE REPORT: NINE SUBJECTS (8 WOMEN) WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 66 YEARS (RANGE 53-87), DEVELOPED VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE (VCF) ONE MONTH TO SIX YEARS AFTER INITIATING YOGA-ASSOCIATED SPINAL FLEXION EXERCISES (SFE). VCF PRESENTED WITH BACK PAIN AND OCCURRED IN THE THORACICSPINE (N.=6), LUMBAR-SPINE (N.=4) AND CERVICAL-SPINE (N.=1). FOUR PATIENTS HAD OSTEOPOROSIS BY BMD CRITERIA PRIOR TO VCF AND 2 HAD OSTEOPENIA (MEDIAN T-SCORE -2.35; RANGE -3.3 TO +2.0). INTERESTINGLY, ALL PATIENTS HAD THEIR LOWEST T-SCORES AT THE SPINE. THREE PATIENTS HAD A HISTORY OF FRAGILITY FRACTURE PRIOR TO THE INDEX VCF. WHILE ONE PATIENT HAD PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM AND ANOTHER WAS TREATED WITH HIGH DOSE PREDNISONE, NO OTHER RISK FACTORS FOR BONE LOSS INCLUDING MEDICATIONS OR SECONDARY OSTEOPOROSIS CAUSES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE OTHER PATIENTS. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: THIS STUDY IDENTIFIED PATIENTS IN WHOM INCREASED TORSIONAL AND COMPRESSIVE MECHANICAL LOADING PRESSURES OCCURRING DURING YOGA SFE RESULTED IN DE NOVO VCF. DESPITE THE NEED FOR SELECTIVITY IN YOGA POSES IN POPULATIONS AT INCREASED FRACTURE RISK, BOTH SCIENTIFIC AND MEDIA REPORTS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE YOGA AS A BONE PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY. ACCORDINGLY, YOGA IS MISCONCEIVED AS A 'ONESIZE-FITS-ALL' PRESCRIPTION. INSTEAD, THE APPROPRIATE SELECTION OF PATIENTS LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM YOGA MUST BE A CORNERSTONE OF FRACTURE PREVENTION.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
6 1771  29 POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY WITH UNCLEAR PATHOGENESIS. THE INFLAMMATORY PAIN IN AS LEADS TO RESTRICTED SPINAL MOBILITY AND SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY. YOGA IS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION THAT HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON VARIOUS MUSCULOSKELETAL-RELATED PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, ITS ROLE IN AS IS UNKNOWN. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFICACY OF A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA INTERVENTION ON SPINAL FLEXIBILITY AMONG AS PATIENTS. METHODS: THE RECORDS FOR 24 MALE AS PATIENTS WITHIN THE AGE RANGE 30 TO 50 YEARS (AVERAGE AGE 38.3 +/- 10.5 YEARS) WHO UNDERWENT A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA RETREAT BETWEEN 2015 AND 2020 WERE OBTAINED FROM A YOGA CENTER LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, MEDITATION, A HEALTHY DIET, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. PRE AND POST DATA OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND SYMPTOM SCORE WERE ANALYZED USING STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE BASELINE, THE POST SCORES OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05) LOWER. THE SYMPTOM SCORE AND ANALGESIC MEDICATION SCORE ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AFTER TWO-WEEKS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. CONCLUSION: THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY INDICATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ON AND ANALGESIC USE AMONG AS PATIENTS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL STUDIES USING ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGNS ARE WARRANTED.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
7  912  36 EFFECTIVENESS OF IYENGAR YOGA IN TREATING SPINAL (BACK AND NECK) PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT IN HEALTH CARE IS USED FOR TREATMENTS OF LIFESTYLE RELATED, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, WHICH COME FROM BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF THE POPULATION. BACK AND NECK PAIN ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS IN MODERN SOCIETY THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COST IN HEALTH CARE. YOGA, AS A BRANCH OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, HAS EMERGED AND IS SHOWING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AGAINST NONSPECIFIC SPINAL PAIN. RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN POSITIVE OUTCOME OF YOGA IN GENERAL ON REDUCING PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY OF THE SPINE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EXISTING RESEARCH WITHIN IYENGAR YOGA METHOD AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON RELIEVING BACK AND NECK PAIN (DEFINED AS SPINAL PAIN). DATABASE RESEARCH FORM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES (COCHRANE LIBRARY, NCBI PUBMED, THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF THE INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, EMBASE, CINAHL, AND PSYCHINFO) DEMONSTRATED INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA THAT SELECTED ONLY IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WHICH IN TURN, IDENTIFIED SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS DEDICATED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR BACK AND NECK PAIN VERSUS OTHER CARE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS ON THE POSTINTERVENTION PAIN OR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY INTENSITY ASSESSMENT WAS, IN ALL SIX STUDIES, FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP, WHICH PROJECTED A DECREASE IN BACK AND NECK PAIN. OVERALL SIX STUDIES WITH 570 PATIENTS SHOWED, THAT IYENGAR YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR BOTH BACK AND NECK PAIN IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUPS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS, BUT LITTLE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC SPINE PAIN IN THE PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
8 1870  32 RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA AND HOME-BASED EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC NECK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM WITH ONLY VERY FEW EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT OPTIONS. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR RELIEVING MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA COMPARED WITH EXERCISE ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA OR EXERCISE. THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED A 9-WEEK YOGA COURSE AND THE EXERCISE GROUP RECEIVED A SELF-CARE MANUAL ON HOME-BASED EXERCISES FOR NECK PAIN RELIEF. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE PRESENT NECK PAIN INTENSITY (100 MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (NECK DISABILITY INDEX), PAIN AT MOTION (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SHORT FORM-36 QUESTIONNAIRE), CERVICAL RANGE OF MOTION, PROPRIOCEPTIVE ACUITY, AND PRESSURE PAIN THRESHOLD. RESULTS: FIFTY-ONE PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 47.8 Y ; 82.4% FEMALE) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N=25) AND EXERCISE (N=26) INTERVENTION. AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD, PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS NECK PAIN INTENSITY COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE GROUP [MEAN DIFFERENCE: -13.9 MM (95% CI, -26.4 TO -1.4), P=0.03]. THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS DISABILITY AND BETTER MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. RANGE OF MOTION AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE ACUITY WERE IMPROVED AND THE PRESSURE PAIN THRESHOLD WAS ELEVATED IN THE YOGA GROUP. DISCUSSION: YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN THAN A HOME-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM. YOGA REDUCED NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND DISABILITY AND IMPROVED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. MOREOVER, YOGA SEEMS TO INFLUENCE THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF NECK MUSCLES, AS INDICATED BY IMPROVEMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF NECK PAIN.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
9 2722  34 YOGA MIGHT BE AN ALTERNATIVE TRAINING FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND BALANCE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS. AIM: OSTEOPOROTIC VERTEBRA AND HIP FRACTURES ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF DYSFUNCTION, DISABILITY, MORTALITY AND IMPAIRED LIFE QUALITY IN THE AGEING POPULATION. IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL PERIOD, EXERCISES PREVENT RAPID BONE LOSS AND INCREASE MUSCLE STRENGTH, MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY THEREBY DECREASING THE RISK OF FALLS AND FRACTURES. YOGA EXERCISES, WHICH HAVE BEEN AN INSEPARABLE PART OF EASTERN CULTURE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, ARE NOW BEING USED IN THE FIELD OF OSTEOPOROSIS REHABILITATION. YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BALANCE, POSTURE, FLEXIBILITY, AND LIFE QUALITY RESULTING FROM ITS EFFECTS ON BALANCE, STRETCHING, RELAXATION AND STRENGTHENING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROTIC WOMEN ON BALANCE AND LIFE QUALITY AND TO COMPARE THE RESULTS WITH A CLASSIC OSTEOPOROSIS EXERCISE PROGRAM. METHODS: TWENTY-SIX POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROTIC WOMEN OVER 55 YEARS OF AGE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. A NEUROMUSCULAR TEST BATTERY AND THE QUALEFFO AS A LIFE QUALITY INDEX WERE USED FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF BALANCE AND LIFE QUALITY, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA EDUCATION HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, GENERAL CONCLUSION: IN CONCLUSION, YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR THE REHABILITATION OF OSTEOPOROTIC SUBJECTS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
10 2185  33 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND SPINAL ACTIONS FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA OF THE ARM: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE SHOULDER AND SPINAL ACTIONS OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER-RELATED ARM LYMPHOEDEMA. METHOD: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 12) COMPLETED EIGHT WEEKS OF DAILY YOGA SESSIONS WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 11) CONTINUED WITH BEST CURRENT CARE INCLUDING INFORMATION ON COMPRESSION SLEEVES, SKIN CARE, RISKS OF TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS AND RECOMMENDED SAFE USE OF AFFECTED ARM. LUMBO-PELVIC POSTURE, RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) IN THE SHOULDER AND SPINE, AND STRENGTH IN SHOULDER AND PECTORAL MAJOR AND MINOR, AND SERRATUS ANTERIOR WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE, WEEK 8 AND AFTER A 4-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. OUTCOME ASSESSORS WERE BLINDED TO ALLOCATION. RESULTS: AT WEEK EIGHT THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD AN IMPROVEMENT IN LUMBO-PELVIC POSTURE, AS INDICATED BY A REDUCTION IN PELVIC OBLIQUITY COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -8.39 DEGREES , 95 % CI: -15.64 TO -1.13 DEGREES , P = 0.023). A SECONDARY FINDING WAS THAT STRENGTH IN SHOULDER ABDUCTION SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE AFFECTED (9.5 KG; CI: 0.34 TO 18.66, P = 0.042) AND NON-AFFECTED ARM (11.58 KG; CI: 0.25 TO 22.91; P = 0.045). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN GROUP CHANGES IN ANY ROM MEASURES AS A RESULT OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT PARTICIPATION IN YOGA MAY PROVIDE BENEFITS FOR POSTURE AND STRENGTH IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA. THE IMPROVEMENTS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FOCUS OF YOGA ON OVERALL POSTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS. FURTHER TRIALS WITH LONGER INTERVENTION THAT FOLLOW THIS METHODOLOGY ARE WARRANTED. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12611000202965 .	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
11  973  34 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND STRENGTH IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: AGING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A RESULT OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND HORMONAL IMBALANCE THAT CAN CAUSE DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE AND AGING-RELATED INFLAMMATION. AS AGE ADVANCES, A DECREASE IN MUSCLE MASS, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY CAN IMPAIR PHYSICAL FUNCTION. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE IN IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: THIS RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A PROSPECTIVE, TWO-ARM, OPEN-LABEL, AND PARALLEL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AT DIVINE PARK, YOGA & NATUROPATHY HOSPITAL, UDUPI, KARNATAKA, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 96 OLDER ADULTS, AGED 60-75 YEARS (64.1 +/- 3.95 YEARS) TAKING PART IN A YOGA PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT. INTERVENTION: THE PROGRAM WAS A THREE-MONTH, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 48) OR TO A WAITLISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 48). THE INTERVENTION GROUP UNDERWENT THREE ONE-HOUR SESSIONS OF YOGA WEEKLY, WITH EACH SESSION INCLUDING LOOSENING EXERCISES, ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION SPANNING. OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND POST INTERVENTION, ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE: (1) FOR SPINAL FLEXIBILITY USING A SIT AND REACH TEST, (2) FOR BACK AND LEG STRENGTH USING A BACK LEG DYNAMOMETER, (3) FOR HANDGRIP STRENGTH (HGS) AND ENDURANCE (HGE) USING A HAND-GRIP DYNAMOMETER, AND (4) THE OLDER PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE (OPQOL) QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED EMPLOYING WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TESTS AND MANN WHITNEY TESTS, USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN SPINAL FLEXIBILITY (P < .001), BACK LEG STRENGTH (P < .001), HGE (P < .01), AND QOL (P < .001) AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE USED SAFELY FOR OLDER ADULTS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND FUNCTIONAL QOL. LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ARE WARRANTED.	2022	

12 2801  23 YOGA THERAPY IN AN INDIVIDUAL WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY: A CASE REPORT. NO KNOWN RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN THOSE WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI), YET YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE MANY IMPAIRMENTS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH SCI. THIS CASE REPORT DOCUMENTS THE OUTCOMES OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN AN INDIVIDUAL WITH AN SCI. THE PARTICIPANT WAS A 59-YEAR-OLD MALE WHO SUSTAINED AN INCOMPLETE C3-C6 SCI. HE PRACTICED HATHA YOGA FOR 60-MIN SESSIONS, TWICE PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AND DESPITE NEUROLOGICAL INJURY, WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE A YOGA PROGRAM WITH MODIFICATIONS. IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOTED IN BALANCE; ENDURANCE; FLEXIBILITY; POSTURE; MUSCLE STRENGTH OF THE HIP EXTENSORS, HIP ABDUCTORS AND KNEE EXTENSORS; AND IN PERFORMANCE OF FUNCTIONAL GOALS. NO CHANGES WERE NOTED IN GAIT VELOCITY, SATISFACTION IN PERFORMANCE OF GOALS OR IN OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. THE PARTICIPANT WAS ABLE TO PRACTICE YOGA EVEN THOUGH HE USED AN ASSISTIVE DEVICE TO WALK.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
13  184  35 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS PAIN AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING-BASED (MRI-BASED) STRUCTURAL SPINE CHANGES IN LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AFTER YOGA PRACTICE. BACKGROUND THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING WHETHER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LBP AND MRI-BASED DEGENERATIVE CHANGES WOULD RESULT IN DIFFERENCES IN: (I) SELF-REPORTED PAIN, ANXIETY, AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY; AND (II) THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISCS OR VERTEBRAE. MATERIAL AND METHODS SIXTY-TWO PERSONS WITH MRI-PROVEN DEGENERATIVE INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., 36.2+/-6.4 YEARS; 30 FEMALES) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. HOWEVER, TESTING WAS CONDUCTED ON ONLY 40 SUBJECTS, SO ONLY THEIR DATA ARE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. THE ASSESSMENTS WERE: SELF-REPORTED PAIN, STATE ANXIETY, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND MRI OF THE LUMBOSACRAL SPINE, PERFORMED USING A 1.5 TESLA SYSTEM WITH A SPINAL SURFACE COLUMN. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TAUGHT LIGHT EXERCISES, PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, AND YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 1 HOUR DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. NO INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE CONTROL GROUP EXCEPT FOR ROUTINE MEDICAL CARE. A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WITH POST HOC ANALYSES (WHICH WAS BONFERRONI-ADJUSTED) WAS USED. THE ETHICS COMMITTEE OF PATANJALI RESEARCH FOUNDATION HAD APPROVED THE STUDY WHICH HAD BEEN REGISTERED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI/2012/11/003094). RESULTS THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED PAIN AND STATE ANXIETY IN A BEFORE/AFTER COMPARISON AT 12 WEEKS. A FEW PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED CHANGES IN THE DISCS AND VERTEBRAE AT POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS WITHIN 12 WEEKS, YOGA PRACTICE REDUCED PAIN AND STATE ANXIETY BUT DID NOT ALTER MRI-PROVEN CHANGES IN THE INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS AND IN THE VERTEBRAE.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
14 1739  35 PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN USEFUL IN REDUCING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) THROUGH LARGELY UNKNOWN MECHANISMS. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING YOGA INTERVENTION TO A PREDOMINANTLY UNDERSERVED POPULATION AND EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING YOGA INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING CLBP PAIN. METHODS: THE QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL WITHIN-SUBJECT WAIT-LISTED CROSSOVER DESIGN TARGETED THE RECRUITMENT OF LOW-INCOME PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP YOGA FOR 12 WEEKS, FOLLOWING 6-12 WEEKS OF NO INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE, PREINTERVENTION (6-12 WEEKS FOLLOWING BASELINE), AND THEN POSTINTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED PAIN, DISABILITY, CORE STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, AND PLASMA TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA PROTEIN LEVELS. OUTCOMES MEASURES WERE ANALYZED BY ONE-WAY ANOVA AND PAIRED ONE-TAILED T-TESTS. RESULTS: EIGHT PATIENTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN SCORES MEASURED OVER TIME WERE SUPPORTED BY THE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PRE- AND POST-YOGA SESSION PAIN SCORES. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO SEEN IN THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES, SPINAL AND HIP FLEXOR FLEXIBILITY, AND STRENGTH OF CORE MUSCLES FOLLOWING YOGA. SIX PARTICIPANTS SAW A 28.6%-100% REDUCTION OF TNF-ALPHA PLASMA PROTEIN LEVELS AFTER YOGA, WHILE ONE SHOWED AN 82.4% INCREASE. TWO PARTICIPANTS HAD NO DETECTABLE LEVELS TO BEGIN WITH. BRAIN IMAGING ANALYSIS SHOWS INTERESTING INCREASES IN N-ACETYLASPARTATE IN THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THALAMUS. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND DISABILITY IN A LOW-INCOME CLBP POPULATION AND IN PART WORKS BY INCREASING FLEXIBILITY AND CORE STRENGTH. CHANGES IN TNF-ALPHA PROTEIN LEVELS SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED FOR ITS INFLUENCE ON PAIN PATHWAYS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
15 2813  27 YOGA TO TREAT NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS COMMON AND POSES A CHALLENGE FOR CLINICIANS TO FIND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT TO PREVENT IT FROM BECOMING CHRONIC. CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON AN EMPLOYEE'S ABILITY TO REMAIN AN ACTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF THE WORK FORCE DUE TO INCREASED ABSENTEEISM, DUTY RESTRICTIONS, OR PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS FROM PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF WORK-RELATED DISABILITY AMONG EMPLOYEES YOUNGER THAN 46 YEARS. ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY AND LESS INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES HAVE NOT IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR EMPLOYEES WHO SUFFER FROM LOW BACK PAIN. MOST CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE SOME PAIN AND DYSFUNCTION AFTER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS SUCH AS INJECTIONS AND SURGERY. AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT THAT COULD REDUCE NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WOULD BENEFIT BOTH EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS. EXERCISING AND REMAINING ACTIVE ARE PART OF MOST GUIDELINES' ROUTINE CARE RECOMMENDATIONS BUT ARE NOT WELL DEFINED.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
16  721  32 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED REASONS FOR THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN SUBJECTS WITH NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARING IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY TO AN EDUCATIONAL CONTROL GROUP. BOTH PROGRAMS WERE 16 WEEKS LONG. SUBJECTS WERE PRIMARILY SELF-REFERRED AND SCREENED BY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS FOR STUDY OF INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FOR THE STUDY WAS FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDING PRESENT PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN MEDICATION USAGE, PAIN-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND SPINAL RANGE OF MOTION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. SUBJECTS HAD LOW BACK PAIN FOR 11.2+/-1.54 YEARS AND 48% USED PAIN MEDICATION. OVERALL, SUBJECTS PRESENTED WITH LESS PAIN AND LOWER FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY THAN SUBJECTS IN OTHER PUBLISHED INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OF THE 60 SUBJECTS ENROLLED, 42 (70%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES OF OUTCOMES IN THE CATEGORIES OF MEDICAL, FUNCTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS EXISTED IN FUNCTIONAL AND MEDICAL OUTCOMES BUT NOT FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OR BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. UNIVARIATE ANALYSES OF MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES REVEALED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTENSITY (64%), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (77%) AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE (88%) IN THE YOGA GROUP AT THE POST AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THESE PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF SELF-REFERRED PERSONS WITH MILD CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WILL COMPLY TO AND REPORT IMPROVEMENT ON MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY.	2005	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
17  847  28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF CLBP PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. CONTEXT: IN TWO OF THE EARLIER RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS ON YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN (CLBP), 12 TO 16 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION WERE FOUND EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND DISABILITY. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF A RESIDENTIAL SHORT TERM INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN CLBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ABOUT 80 PATIENTS WITH CLBP (FEMALES 37) REGISTERED FOR A WEEK LONG TREATMENT AT SVYASA HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE IN BENGALURU, INDIA. THEY WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS (40 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A SPECIFIC MODULE FOR CLBP COMPRISING OF ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES), MEDITATION AND LECTURES ON YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES FOR BACK PAIN. PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) WAS USED TO MEASURE BASELINE STRESS LEVELS. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE WHOQOL BREF FOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND STRAIGHT LEG RAISING TEST (SLR) USING A GONIOMETER. RESULTS: THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS (PEARSON'S, P<0.005, R>0.30) BETWEEN BASELINE PSS WITH ALL FOUR DOMAINS AND THE TOTAL SCORE OF WHOQOLBREF. ALL THE FOUR DOMAINS' WHOQOLBREF IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA P=0.001) WITH SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTION (P<0.05) AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS (P<0.01). SLR INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P=0.001) WITH HIGHER INCREASE IN YOGA (31.1 % RIGHT, 28.4 % LEFT) THAN CONTROL (18.7% RIGHT, 21.5 % LEFT) GROUP WITH SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTION (SLR RIGHT LEG P=0.044). CONCLUSION: IN CLBP, A NEGATIVE CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA INCREASES QUALITY OF LIFE AND SPINAL FLEXIBILITY BETTER THAN PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
18 1456  30 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
19  987  34 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISES ON SPINE FLEXIBILITY IN WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OLD. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ACCESS THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPINE IN WOMEN PRACTICING YOGA AS A PART OF THE "UNIVERSITY FOR HEALTH" PROJECT. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THE STUDY INCLUDED 56 WOMEN RANGING IN AGE BETWEEN 50-79 AND ATTENDING 90 MINUTES HATHA YOGA SESSIONS ONCE A WEEK. THE MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED TWICE-AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND AFTER ITS COMPLETION, I.E., AFTER 20 WEEKS OF CLASSES. THE RANGE OF SPINE MOBILITY IN THREE PLANES WAS MEASURED USING A RIPPSTEIN PLURIMETER. THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE SAGITTAL AND FRONTAL PLANES WAS MEASURED IN A STANDING POSITION WITH THE FEET HIP-WIDTH APART. THE TORSIONAL RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SUBJECTS WAS MEASURED WITH THE TRUNK BENT AT A RIGHT ANGLE AND THE LEGS APART. THE FLEXIBILITY RANGES OF THE SPINE AND HAMSTRINGS WERE ALSO MEASURED BY THE TOE-TOUCH TEST IN A STANDING POSITION. [RESULTS] THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT THE APPLIED YOGA EXERCISES INCREASED SPINAL MOBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES REGARDLESS OF AGE. [CONCLUSION] YOGA EXERCISES SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE ELDERLY TO MAKE THEIR MUSCLES MORE FLEXIBLE AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF MOTION IN THE JOINTS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THEIR LIFE QUALITY.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
20   63  33 A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAMS IMPROVES PAIN, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS MORE THAN EXERCISE: AN RCT. INTRODUCTION: PREVIOUSLY, OUTPATIENT YOGA PROGRAMS FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) LASTING SEVERAL MONTHS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE PAIN, ANALGESIC REQUIREMENT AND DISABILITY, AND IMPROVE SPINAL MOBILITY. THIS STUDY EVALUATED CHANGES IN PAIN, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SPINAL MOBILITY FOR CLBP PATIENTS ON SHORT-TERM, RESIDENTIAL YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE YOGA LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS. METHODS: A SEVEN DAY RANDOMIZED CONTROL SINGLE BLIND ACTIVE STUDY IN AN RESIDENTIAL HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE IN BANGALORE, INDIA, ASSIGNED 80 PATIENTS (37 FEMALE, 43 MALE) WITH CLBP TO YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUPS. THE YOGA PROGRAM CONSISTED OF SPECIFIC ASANAS AND PRANAYAMAS FOR BACK PAIN, MEDITATION, YOGIC COUNSELLING, AND LECTURES ON YOGA PHILOSOPHY. THE CONTROL GROUP PROGRAM INCLUDED PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES FOR BACK PAIN, AND MATCHING COUNSELLING AND EDUCATION SESSIONS. RESULTS: GROUPXTIME INTERACTIONS (P<0.05) AND BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES (P<0.05) WERE SIGNIFICANT IN ALL VARIABLES. BOTH GROUPS' SCORES ON THE NUMERICAL RATING SCALE FOR PAIN REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, 49% IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=1.62), 17.5% IN CONTROLS (P=0.005, ES=0.67). STATE ANXIETY (STAI) REDUCED 20.4% (P<0.001, ES=0.72) AND TRAIT ANXIETY 16% (P<0.001, ES=1.09) IN THE YOGA GROUP. DEPRESSION (BDI) DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS, 47% IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=0.96,) AND 19.9% IN CONTROLS (P<0.001, ES=0.59). SPINAL MOBILITY ('SIT AND REACH' INSTRUMENT) IMPROVED IN BOTH GROUPS, 50%, IN YOGA (P<0.001, ES=2.99) AND 34.6% IN CONTROLS (P<0.001, ES=0.81). CONCLUSION: SEVEN DAYS INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM REDUCES PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVES SPINAL MOBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH CLBP MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES.	2012