Based on a new research, yoga is capable of helping to relieve both the pain as well as the psychological distress suffered by patients with arthritis. The study also reviewed that patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis both regularly see benefits from the practice. This research involved a review of nine previous studies carried out between 2010 and June 2013 in USA.
This study involved over hundreds of patients who took up yoga and showed signs of pain reductions, lesser morning stiffness, improved physical function and reduced levels of depression. The participants practiced yoga for varying periods ranging from twice a day for a week to once a week for up to 16 weeks. “By stretching the muscles, yoga can provide physical relief of symptoms around the affected joints. Yoga reduces stress which is known to exacerbate arthritis. Yoga can improve coping and by altering perspective toward life provide spiritual solace,” stated the authors from the University of Cincinnati’s Health Promotion and Education Program.
The studies involved yoga being practiced in universities, hospitals and community settings. The purpose of these studies was to take a look and have a better understanding at the impact on factors such as pain, sleep and depression. Overall, six out of the nine studies found “positive psychological or physiological outcomes related to arthritis” stemming from practicing yoga. As for the remaining three studies, they provided mixed evidence. Out of all the nine studies, five of them were conducted in the United States while the remaining four took place in India.
“Self-management and increasing physical activity is of paramount importance in management of arthritis,” explained the authors. In fact, they also mentioned that the study concluded yoga to be quite a ‘promising’ form of treatment. They recommended that in future, large-scale studies should be carried out to explore the benefits of yoga for patients with arthritis. They also added that it would be of great help if a checklist of key exercises and breathing techniques used in yoga that benefits arthritis was derived and made available. For the full story, you can read it over here.
OMG Yoga believes that yoga has something to offer to each and every individual out there. If you find a particular style not favourable, do not give up on yoga. Instead, you can try out the other styles to see which suits you best. For us, we offer a variety of yoga classes in Singapore. You can check our main website for more details.