How chair yoga could become the go-to treatment for arthritis sufferers

December 30, 2016

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of the debilitating condition in adults
Currently the only treatment revolves around medication and lifestyle changes
But chair yoga was found to reduce pain for many weeks after going to a session
Experts say this could provide a different option to help alleviate pain in sufferers

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
09:00 EST, 30 December 2016

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Updated:
09:03 EST, 30 December 2016

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Chair yoga may help to reduce pain in older adults suffering from arthritis, new research suggests.

Based around the ancient form of exercise, it allows people with reduced mobility to also take part.

It helps to boost the strength and flexibility of older people and could become an effective treatment for those with the debilitating condition.

Currently the only treatment for osteoarthritis, which has no cure, revolves around medication and lifestyle changes.

But experts say this could provide different options in alleviating pain for sufferers of the most common form of the condition.

Scientists have found that chair yoga may help to reduce pain in older adults suffering from osteoarthritis, the most common form of the debilitating condition

Osteoarthritis is when the surfaces within joints to become so damaged that they don’t move as smoothly as they should.

It’s believed to affect up to 10 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Hip and knee replacements are often given to patients who have been unsuccessful in finding treatment.

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Researchers from Florida Atlantic University randomly assigned 131 older adults with osteoarthritis to either chair yoga or a health education programme.

Participants went to their 45-minute session twice a week for around two months.

Currently the only treatment for osteoarthritis, which has no cure, revolves around medication and lifestyle changes

Pain measurements were taken before, during and after, in the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

While pain interference (how it affects one’s life), balance, gait, speed, fatigue and functional ability tests were also performed.

REPLACING THE NEED FOR KNEE SURGERY

A single injection of protein harvested from a patient’s own blood may replace the need for knee surgery for osteoarthritis sufferers.

The 20-minute procedure sees blood drawn from the patient’s arm, separated in a centrifuge, after which part of the fluid is then injected into the arthritic knee.

The surgeon who brought the treatment to the UK believes it can stop the need for keyhole surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee altogether.

A trial study in the Netherlands published earlier this year showed that 85 per cent of patients had little to no pain in their knee six months after new procedure

They found those in the chair yoga group showed a greater reduction in pain interference during their sessions.

This benefit lasted for around three months – four weeks after they had originally finished.

General pain, fatigue and gait also improved as a result of the chair yoga sessions.

However, these were not sustained after they had stopped turning up to their classes.

And the participants in chair yoga showed no difference in their balancing ability.

Writing in the journal, the authors said: ‘Chair yoga should be further explored as a non-pharmacologic intervention for older people with osteoarthritis.’

This comes after a major study in March found paracetamol was completely ineffective in reducing the pain of osteoarthritis.

The research, which was published in The Lancet, warned no matter how high the dose, it did little to ease agony.

Paracetamol has traditionally been the main treatment for the condition, because although stronger drugs are more effective, paracetamol has fewer side effects.