Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease affecting the joints. It is a form of arthritis that specifically affects the cartilage in the joints causing the sufferer to feel pain, swelling, and stiffness. As of now, there is no known cure for osteoarthritis. Research have proven that exercise, such as walking, serve as one of the best therapeutic options in managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
The concern, however, is that seniors may find difficulty in complying with the physical requirements involved in managing osteoarthritis. Many of the sufferers may have lost the ability to exercise while standing. The main reason is that muscle strength and balance tend to decline in old age. Further, pain from osteoarthritis, even adds to the difficulty in participating in any exercising involving the whole body.
Benefits Of Yoga To Seniors Suffering From Osteoarthritis
Florida Atlantic University has found out ways to examine the benefits of a certain type of yoga to seniors, specifically, the ones suffering from osteoarthritis. Juyoung Park, Ph.D., and Dr. Ruth McCaffrey lead a team of researchers set to investigate the effects of chair yoga on adults suffering from osteoarthritis in their lower extremities.
The team conducted the first randomized trial which was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study involved 131 elderly adults who live in a community. These adults are all suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, ankle, hip or foot. They were randomly selected to follow either a Sit'N'Fit Chair Yoga or a Health Education program (HEP) program.
The study asked the adults to participate in 45-minute sessions every week. The participants had the option to chose to wither the chair yoga or HEP for 8 weeks. Chair yoga involves sitting on a chair or standing while holding the chair for support. In the activities, the researchers measured the joint pain and the "pain interference" or level of pain that affects their everyday lives. Measurements of fatigue, gait, balance, speed and functional ability have also been taken.
The mentioned parameters have been taken at baseline, weeks, and eight weeks into the interventions, as well as 1 month and 3 months after the interventions had ended. Results of the study showed the relationship between yoga and pain reduction, pain interference, fatigue, and gait speed improvement.
Pain Reduction Experienced With Chair Yoga
Participants who chose to do chair yoga were reported to have greater levels of reduction in pain interference both during the sessions and 3 months after completing the chair yoga program. The reductions in fatigue and pain, however, did not last beyond the intervention. Chair yoga has no further effect on balance.
"The effect of pain on everyday living is most directly captured by pain interference, and our findings demonstrate that chair yoga reduced pain interference in everyday activities," according to Park.
"Currently, the only treatment for osteoarthritis, which has no cure, includes lifestyle changes and pharmacologic treatments that are not without adverse events. The long-term goal of this research is to address the non-pharmacologic management of lower extremity osteoarthritis pain and physical function in older adults, and our study provides evidence that chair yoga may be an effective approach for achieving this goal," added Dr. McCaffrey, while highlighting the importance of chair yoga as an alternative therapy for seniors with osteoarthritis.
