Does Chair Yoga Reduce Pain in Osteoarthritis Patients?

A recent study found that chair yoga decreased pain, pain interference, fatigue, and improved gait speed in older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis.

Researchers with Florida Atlantic University performed a 2-armed randomized trial at 1 HUD senior housing facility, and at 1 day senior center in South Florida to determine if chair yoga would be beneficial for older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis. Participants attended either a 45-minute Sit ‘N’ Fit Chair Yoga class, or a 45-minute Health and Education Program twice a week for 8 weeks. Measurements for pain, pain interference, balance, gait speed, fatigue, functional ability were recorded before the intervention, at 4 weeks, at 8 weeks, and 1 and 3 months after the intervention.
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The study included 131 older adults, 66 were randomly assigned to Sit ‘N’ Fit Chair Yoga, and 65 were assigned to a Health and Education Program. Before the intervention started, 13 participants dropped out of the study, and 6 participants dropped out of the study during the intervention. Overall, 106 out of 112 participants completed at least 12 to 16 sessions.

Their findings showed that chair yoga reduced pain interference in participants, and was sustained for 3 months after the intervention. In addition, participants experienced reductions in pain, fatigue, and improvement in gait speed during the intervention, but these were not sustained after the intervention. Researchers did not find any effects on balance in participants during or after the chair yoga intervention.

According to this study, chair yoga may be a beneficial, nonpharmocologic intervention for older people with osteoarthritis in the lower extremities. The 8-week chair yoga program improved gait speed, reduced pain, pain interference, and fatigue, however the effects were not sustained for longer than 3 months after the intervention.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Park J, McCaffrey R, Newman D, Liehr P, Ouslander JG. A pilot randomized controlled trial of the effects of chair yoga on pain and physical function among community-dwelling older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis [published online December 23, 2016]. Journal of American Geriatrics Society. doi:10.1111/jgs.14717.