Yoga Proven to Be Beneficial for Arthritis

Lisa Franchi September 16, 2015

A US study provides evidence that yoga may be beneficial for people suffering from arthritis. According to the researchers, practising this gentle form of exercise can actually alleviate pain and boost energy levels.

More interestingly, the benefits still remain even after months after the classes ended.

For the study, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore followed 75 men and women with arthritis. Half of the participants attended two yoga classes a week, plus a practice at home, the others went about life as usual.

After two months, those who practised yoga had a 20 per cent improvement in pain, energy levels, mood and physical function.

Their walking speed has also increased and the effects were still apparent nine months later.

‘For people with other conditions, yoga has been shown to improve pain, pain-related disability and mood.’ says Clifton Bingham, one of the researchers.

‘But there were no well-controlled trial of yoga that could tell us if it was safe and effective for people with arthritis, and many health professionals have concerns about how yoga might affect vulnerable joints given the emphasis on changing positions and on being flexible.’

The yoga sessions were facilitated by experienced yoga therapists who had additional training to modify poses to accommodate individual abilities.

According to the researchers, yoga may be well-suited especially to people with arthritis because it combines physical activity with potent stress management and relaxation techniques and focuses on respecting limitations that can change from day to day.

In the UK, around 400,000 people have rheumatoid arthritis - a condition wherein the immune system attacks the joints by mistake, making them painful and swollen. There is no cure for this condition, and most sufferers depend on painkillers to alleviate the symptoms. Meanwhile, osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear of cartilage that helps the joints take the strain of bending, lifting, gripping and kneeling. This painful condition affects more than eight million Britons.

The findings were published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

Source of this article: Yoga CAN ease arthritis: Two classes a week ’relieves pain, boosts energy levels and makes walking easier’