Yoga May Improve Symptoms Of Arthritis, Mood

New findings published in the Journal of Rheumatology reveal that yoga may help improve symptoms of arthritis.

During the study, a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that people with arthritis who practiced yoga had a 20 percent improvement in their physical health, along with other improvements in energy, mood, pain and overall carrying out of day-to-day tasks.

"There's a real surge of interest in yoga as a complementary therapy, with 1 in 10 people in the U.S. now practicing yoga to improve their health and fitness," researcher Susan J. Bartlett, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and associate professor at McGill University , said in a statement. "Yoga may be especially well suited 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."

Researchers collected data from about 75 participants with either knee osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Then, participants were randomly assigned to either a waitlist or eight weeks of twice-weekly yoga classes, along with a weekly practice session at home. The mental and physical well-being of participants' before and after the yoga sessions was also assessed by researchers who did not know which group the participants had been in.

Findings revealed that compared with the control group, those who did yoga had a 20 percent improvement in mood, energy levels, overall pain and function, along with ability to complete physical tasks.

If this hasn't convinced you to take up yoga, we don't know what will.

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