Arthritis Pain and Yoga

Definition: Identified as the most prevalent cause of disability in America, arthritis interferes with the everyday lives of millions of people (Deyle, Henderson, Matekel, Ryder, Garber and Allison 2000). This disease affects the musculoskeletal system and particularly causes problems at the joints. In these areas, where two or more bones meet, arthritis sufferers experience pain, inflammation, stiffness, and tenderness. Such pain can interfere with the simplest tasks such as walking, brushing your hair, sitting or climbing stairs. Among the various types of arthritis, osteoarthritis remains the most widespread form of the disease.

Effects of Yoga on Arthritis: Recently, new treatments for this serious disease have emerged into the medical world and have provided arthritis patients alternative methods for treating their aches and pains. One popular therapy involves the application of yoga to alleviate these symptoms by improving strength, flexibility, and overall fitness. Research has been done to determine how yoga can be used to manage the effects of arthritis.

One study observed the effects of yoga on the hands of patients with osteoarthritis. This 10-week program aimed to reduce inflammation, tenderness and pain in finger joints while increasing hand function and improving hand grip strength through yoga therapy. The yoga treated group experienced relief from their symptoms and the researchers concluded that this program proved to be a feasible approach to treating patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the hands (Garfinkel, Schumacher, Husaid, Levy and Reshetar 1994).

Another study concentrated on the benefits of treating osteoarthritis of the knees through yoga-based therapy. Patients who received instruction in Iyengar yoga for eight weeks noticed significant improvements in their levels of pain and stiffness. Due to the results obtained from this study, the researchers suggested that such a program could be a beneficial way to treat osteoarthritis sufferers (Kolansinski, Garfinkel, Tsai, Matz, Dyke and Schumacher 2005).

Yoga seems to be a promising treatment for those enduring the pain of arthritis. However, more research with larger sample groups needs to be conducted for longer periods of time to determine the lasting effects of yoga on arthritis.




Bibliography

Deyle GD, Henderson NE, Matekel RL, Ryder MG, Garber MB, Allison SC. Effectiveness of manual physical therapy and exercise in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine [Internet]. 2000 [cited 2005 Sept 12]; 132(3): 173-181. Available from: http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/132/3/173.pdf

Garfinkel MS, Schumacher HR Jr, Husain A, Levy M, Reshetar RA. Evaluation of a yoga based regimen for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands. Journal of Rheumatology. 1994 Dec; 21(12) 2341-1343.

Kolansinski SL, Garfinkel M, Tsai AG, Matz W, Dyke AV, Schumacher HR. Iyengar Yoga for treating symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knees: a pilot study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine [Internet]. 2005 Aug [cited 2005 Sept 12]; 11(4): 689-693. Available from: http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2005.11.689;jsessionid=nj34mW6HHzh-