Effect of integrated yoga therapy on pain, morning stiffness and anxiety in osteoarthritis of the knee joint: A randomized control study

Abstract

Aim:To study the effect of integrated yoga on pain, morning stiffness and anxiety in osteoarthritis of knees.Materials and Methods:Two hundred and fifty participants with OA knees (35–80 years) were randomly assigned to yoga or control group. Both groups had transcutaneous electrical stimulation and ultrasound treatment followed by intervention (40 min) for two weeks with follow up for three months. The integrated yoga consisted of yogic loosening and strengthening practices, asanas, relaxation, pranayama and meditation. The control group had physiotherapy exercises. Assessments were done on 15th (post 1) and 90th day (post 2).Results:Resting pain (numerical rating scale) reduced better (P<0.001, Mann–Whitney U test) in yoga group (post 1=33.6% and post 2=71.8%) than control group (post 1=13.4% and post 2=37.5%). Morning stiffness decreased more (P<0.001) in yoga (post 1=68.6% and post 2=98.1%) than control group (post 1=38.6% and post 2=71.6%). State anxiety (STAI-1) reduced (P<0.001) by 35.5% (post 1) and 58.4% (post 2) in the yoga group and 15.6% (post 1) and 38.8% (post 2) in the control group; trait anxiety (STAI 2) reduced (P<0.001) better (post 1=34.6% and post 2=57.10%) in yoga than control group (post 1=14.12% and post 2=34.73%). Systolic blood pressure reduced (P<0.001) better in yoga group (post 1=−7.93% and post 2=−15.7%) than the control group (post 1=−1.8% and post 2=−3.8%). Diastolic blood pressure reduced (P<0.001) better in yoga group (post 1=−7.6% and post 2=−16.4%) than the control group (post 1=−2.1% and post 2=−5.0%). Pulse rate reduced (P<0.001) better in yoga group (post 1=−8.41% and post 2=−12.4%) than the control group (post 1=−5.1% and post 2=−7.1%).Conclusion:Integrated approach of yoga therapy is better than physiotherapy exercises as an adjunct to transcutaneous electrical stimulation and ultrasound treatment in reducing pain, morning stiffness, state and trait anxiety, blood pressure and pulse rate in patients with OA knees.

The Effects of Yoga on Pain, Mobility, and Quality of Life in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

“…Finally, 9 articles (6 studies) were selected in this review ( Figure 1 ). Six articles (three RCTs) [ 16 – 19 , 22 , 23 ], one quasi-RCT [ 24 ], and two single group pre-post studies [ 20 , 21 ] were included.…”

Yoga-based pulmonary rehabilitation for the management of dyspnea in coal miners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomized controlled trial

“…The IAYT is a program which was first applied to asthma some 30 years ago [18] . Other than respiratory problems, benefits have been demonstrated for various disorders such as cancer [19] , [20] , coronary artery bypass graft [21] , hypertension [22] , asthma [23] , diabetes mellitus [24] , osteoarthritis of knee [25] , low back pain [26] , anxiety and depression [27] , autism spectrum disorder [28] , and schizophrenia [29] . It includes asanas ; pranayama ; relaxation techniques; meditation; yogic counseling for stress management; chanting; and lectures on yogic lifestyle and philosophy [30] .…”

Wholistic orthopedics: Is this the right way to treat geriatric orthopedic patients?

“…[24] The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeon's (AAOS) in their recent 2013 guidelines[25] for nonarthroplasty management of OA knees has incorporated all three studies by this author[567] on the role of yoga therapy in the treatment of OA knees and have given a strong recommendation for this form of wholistic treatment of OA knees.…”

“…The research then extended to neck pain, osteoporosis, low backache, and even fractures. [567] Research on role of yoga in fracture treatment was published by the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. [8]…”