Osteoarthritis
As Baby Boomers age, more and more of them will likely suffer from the debilitating effects of osteoarthritis (OA). Since OA is a common problem in the United States, many people would benefit from an exercise program that could mitigate the symptoms of this condition. Would yoga be a good option for clients with OA?
The Research. In one pilot study, 11 deconditioned subjects who had been clinically diagnosed with OA in the knee experienced some relief from symptoms once they started a yoga program. After 8 weeks in a modified Iyengar yoga class that met just once per week, all of the subjects showed a reduction in knee pain stiffness (Kolasinski et al. 2005).
The Take-Home Message. Although this was a small study, the results suggest that yoga may help relieve some common symptoms of OA. Some clients with OA may need to modify certain yoga poses and may benefit from the assistance of props, such as blocks, blankets or a yoga strap.
What to Tell Your Clients. More studies are needed to compare the effectiveness of yoga with that of conventional therapies in mitigating the symptoms of OA. However, a regular modified yoga practice may be helpful for this condition. Any client who experiences arthritis pain accompanied by joint swelling needs prompt medical evaluation.
Strength and Flexibility
The principle of specificity in exercise science holds that a healthy body will adapt to the specific physical stressors placed upon it. With yoga’s heavy emphasis on correct biomechanics and muscle stretching and strengthening, it is not surprising that some of the strongest evidence of the benefits of yoga has come from studies that measured strength and flexibility indices.
The Research. Researchers who examined the fitness-related benefits of hatha yoga studied 10 previously untrained subjects who had no knowledge of yoga (Tran et al. 2001). The subjects participated in twice-weekly sessions of yoga breathing exercises and hatha yoga. After 8 weeks, the subjects showed significant improvements in upper- and lower-body muscular strength, endurance and flexibility; there was no statistically significant change in body composition or pulmonary function (Tran et al. 2001). Unfortunately, this trial lacked a control group, had a relatively short training period and drew from a small, homogeneous sample (Tran et al. 2001).
Another study compared subjects who performed an average of about 21 hours of hatha yoga classes with a sedentary control group (Boehde et al. 2005). At the end of the 8-week study period, the yoga group showed significant improvements in flexibility, balance and muscular endurance compared with the controls (Boehde et al. 2005).
The Take-Home Message. A regular yoga training program appears to improve balance, along with muscular flexibility, strength and endurance.
What to Tell Your Clients. Yoga can improve balance, along with muscular flexibility, strength and endurance, which can have a positive carryover effect on the activities of daily living and sports participation.
Promising Scientific Evidence
The following sections describe the findings of yoga research studies that, while promising, did not adhere to the strict elements of scientific research. As a result, any findings need to be replicated through more stringent studies in the future.
Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity
More and more children in the United States are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD). The hallmarks of these disorders include an inability to stay attentive and increased impulsivity, often accompanied by hyperactivity, which can have a profound effect on a child’s education and family interactions. Would yoga be useful for children who suffer from these conditions?
The Research. Researchers studied 19 boys who had been clinically diagnosed with ADHD and randomly assigned them to either a yoga treatment group or a cooperative activities group (Jensen & Kenny 2004). Although both groups of boys showed improvement in certain measured behaviors, the yoga group had more favorable changes in factors such as emotional liability, restlessness and impulsive behavior. Subjects who participated in additional home practice of yoga showed an even greater response (Jensen & Kenny 2004).
The Take-Home Message. This was a pilot study with a very small sample size. However, the findings do suggest that yoga may be a good adjunct treatment for children with ADD/ADHD who are already stable on medication.
What to Tell Your Clients. Yoga may be a useful tool to help manage the behaviors associated with ADD/ADHD, particularly during those periods when medication effects are wearing off or patients are taking a scheduled medication-free period.