healthmedicinet

Daily News and Tips

Yoga ‘can ease pain of arthritis’

  • Patients with osteoarthritis also see benefits from the activity
  • Participants performed yoga for various periods for up to 16 weeks
  • The study shows hundreds of people had reduced pain after sessions

By
Daily Mail Reporter


PUBLISHED:

20:19 EST, 9 January 2014

|
UPDATED:

05:45 EST, 10 January 2014

Yoga can help relieve both the pain and psychological distress suffered by patients with arthritis, according to new research.

Patients with osteoarthritis and those with rheumatoid arthritis both frequently see benefits from the activity, it found.

Around 1.5million people in the UK see their GP every year about osteoarthritis, which mainly affects the knees, hips, spine and hands, while rheumatoid arthritis – which is common in hands, feet and wrists – affects more than 580,000 people.

Improvement: The studies involved hundreds of patients who took up yoga and showed evidence of reductions in pain (file picture)

The US research, published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, involved a review of nine previous studies carried out between 2010 and June 2013.

The studies involved hundreds of patients who took up yoga and showed evidence of reductions in pain, less morning stiffness, improved physical function and reduced levels of depression.

Participants performed yoga for various periods ranging from twice a day for one week to once a week for up to 16 weeks.

The authors, from the University of Cincinnati’s Health Promotion and Education Program, wrote: ‘By stretching the muscles, yoga can provide physical relief of symptoms around the affected joints.

‘Yoga reduces stress which is known to exacerbate arthritis. Yoga can improve coping and by altering perspective toward life provide spiritual solace.’

Study: Participants performed yoga for various periods ranging from twice a day for one week to once a week for up to 16 weeks

The studies involved yoga performed in universities, hospitals and community settings and looked at the impact on factors such as pain, sleep and depression.

Overall six of the nine studies found “positive psychological or physiological outcomes related to arthritis” stemming from practising yoga, while the other three provided mixed evidence.

Five were carried out in the US and four in India.

The authors said ‘self-management and increasing physical activity is of paramount importance in management of arthritis’ and said the study showed yoga to be a ‘promising’ form of treatment.

They suggested that further large-scale studies should be carried out exploring the benefits of yoga for patients with arthritis.

They also said it would be helpful if a checklist of key exercise and breathing techniques used in yoga that would benefit arthritis was formulated.

 

  • Polar Vortex turns Niagara Falls into a frozen wonderland

  • Woman rushed to hospital after THREE-HOUR orgasm

  • Omaha police under fire for using video of swearing toddler

  • Disturbing video of DRUNK and ABUSIVE EIGHT-year-old

  • Caught on camera: Harrowing footage of Hawaii plane crash

  • Ice tsunami takes over houses in Minnesota

  • Toronto zoo polar bear cub takes his first steps

  • Ice ‘tsunami’ destroys houses near Manitoba in Canada

  • Flash mob of teens ransack convenience store in Texas

  • Man surprises parents with dramatic weight loss

  • Peter the painting elephant works on one of his masterpieces

  • Venezuelan beauty queen days before she was gunned down

  • Nails hammered through his hand, beaten with baseball bats…

  • Spectacular photographs show the moment Niagara Falls FROZE…

  • Student, 19, sliced off his own penis after stabbing his…

  • New footage shows the harrowing moment a small plane crashed…

  • EXCLUSIVE: Top lawmaker leading ‘Bridgegate’ probe blasts…

  • ‘She is not a political pit bull’: Mother-of-four Christie…

  • Frozen in time: Michigan lighthouses transformed into…

  • ‘We heard a pop like pottery cracking’: Parents heartbroken…

  • Married mother-of-four, 36, charged with rape of 15-year-old…

  • Heartbreaking letter written by a 12-year-old girl to her…

  • ‘People think you have a destiny’: Sole survivors of plane…

  • Married Pennsylvania high school teacher arrested again for…

Comments (40)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

Bubbles,

UK,

27 minutes ago

My partner took up yoga years before we met. To this day he’s having really bad back problems. If you’re going to do any type of physical activity make sure the instructor is properly qualified. Something his wasn’t.

Lancashire lass,

Blackpool,

1 hour ago

I have arthritis in my hands, knee and coccyx, I am 5 foot 3 inches, size 8/10, 8 1/2 stone, eat sensibly (fruit n’ veg) and work in a physical job so no need to go to a gym, I also walk my dogs a couple of miles a day. I take 1000 mg naproxen a day plus 8 paracetamol. I am in more pain when I am not working, more so in winter with cold and damp. Many friends and family say I should be on benefits not working, even my GP thought I was. My lifestyle keeps me mobile and in less pain. I am nearly 50, most people with my health and age would be on benefits, using a stick and be twice my weight, my personal pride and enjoyment of life refuses to let me be otherwise shame more people weren’t like me as it would reduce GP’s workload, hospital appointments for obesity and arthritis clinics oh and most of all reduce benefits bill by a third! Staying fit definitely reduces pain and keeps me mobile

TishTash,

Manc, Western Sahara,

1 hour ago

Yoga is excellent for so many things. More men should take it up, it is far too female focussed. It has major benefits for everyone.

Senorita,

London,

1 hour ago

Whatever yoga you do, always start by doing Suryanamaskar. It is 12 different poses which opens your breathing to different parts of the body. Do each 2-3 times then start your yoga. Any yogi in India will tell you that. Then you will reap even more benefits. Without correct breathing, yoga is useless. Ps please remember it is an ancient Hindu practise, don’t be fobbed off by people trying to charge you lots of money. All you need is a good guide (book or DVD) and some common sense. Start slow and keep at it, it’s amazing what can be achieved.

arthur,

hatfield – uk,

2 hours ago

Tell me something i didn’t know.

King Richard,

London, United Kingdom,

3 hours ago

What’s up with people obsessed with Hindus spiritual living. It requires control of your desire and being non-violent .

Smile,

Mars,

3 hours ago

This is a lie!! A gluten-free diet, plenty of water and more sunshine is what you need! I speak from experience!!

yammas,

york, Greece,

50 minutes ago

both is better.

Andrew,

London, United Kingdom,

3 hours ago

Yoga originated in India thousands of years ago and is one of the main schools in Hinduism. Yoga is very much spiritually rooted in Hinduism and hence it is misunderstood in the West. The Hindu mantras are not understood in its meaning. Yoga is not just an exercise, how Westerners think of it. It is actually part of a Hindu way of spiritual life, making a union with the body and mind. This concept will never be understood by Westerners

yammas,

york, Greece,

49 minutes ago

we try.

Andrew,

London, United Kingdom,

4 hours ago

Yoga has been distorted in the West. According to Hindus, the Yoga they teach in the West is only 5% of the real traditional Yoga. Most people think of Yoga of being an exercise, but it is much more spiritual and religious, which Westerners will not understand. It doesnt make sense that in the West, they have skipped to the 3-4th stage in Yoga, and skipped the first 2 stages. By practising Yoga, you have to be a vegetarian and not drink alcohol as it purifies the mind, body and your actions -This is the first stage of Yoga which has been skipped in the West. To learn real yoga, you need to learn it in India

Andrew,

London, United Kingdom,

4 hours ago

Yoga takes many many years to practise and is deeply rooted in Hinduism. It is really misunderstood in the West. Yoga, being part of Hinduism, should only be taught by Hindus/Indians who can explain its true meanings to us in the West. It is not an exercise as the exercise is only 5% of the full Yoga Chapter in Hinduism. The spiritual and mental part of yoga is not understood in west

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Find out now