We are all aware of the health benefits of exercise. It works to help control our weight, build muscle, stabilize joints, and reduce inflammation. But what if you aren’t able to exercise?
Arthritis is a debilitating condition that doesn’t allow people to move comfortably, let alone exercise. 44% of people who suffer from arthritis say they don’t exercise, and nearly 80% of them aren’t active enough.But what if there was a way that they could exercise without having to fear the pain and discomfort that they have grown used to?
“Yogis with arthritis had better physical health, less joint pain and less depression”
A study that was published in the Journal of Rheumatology found that people with arthritis who practice yoga can reap impressive physical and mental benefits from the exercise. Participants who practiced yoga at least three times a week felt improvement in energy, pain levels, mood, and physical health.
These results were felt up to nine weeks later, which is more than can be said for the group that didn’t practice yoga.
One of the author’s of the study, Dr. Clifton O. Bingham III, associate professor of medicine at John Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the John Hopkins Arthritis Center states “There’s kind of this myth that says if you have arthritis , the good thing to do is rest your joints. I think the study is more evidence that, in fact, that’s not true.”
For this study, researchers recruited 75 adults who didn’t exercise and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which affects the smaller joints of the body like wrists, feet and ankles. They also recruited those suffering from knee osteoarthritis, which is localized to the knee.
For eight weeks, one group exercised by participating in a specialized yoga class: group classes that were modified by arthritis experts to take stress of the joints. Each class was an hour long and and took place twice a week. They were then encouraged to practice the class at home. The other group simply exercised using typical arthritis workouts.
After the eight weeks, the yoga group saw improvements across the board in comparison to the control group. Their physical health, pain levels, flexibility, walking capacity, and depression scores were better. When researchers checked back in nine months later, they found that the scores had stayed the same.
Not every yoga class is safe for people who are suffering from arthritis. Before joining a class, speak to the instructor about your condition, and see if they had experience dealing with people with arthritis.
The poses that the study used included gentle forward bends, backbends, twists, balances, sitting and lying poses. Blankets, blocks, straps, and chairs were used to modify poses. As the participants improved, intensity of the poses increased to allow for more growth and progress.
Not only is yoga beneficial on the physical, it also had a positive impact on the participant’s mental state. People who suffer from arthritis often find themselves unhappy or even depressed and yoga works to heal their mood as well as their bodies.
Low impact yoga could be the answer to preventing and healing arthritis, allowing us to live our best lives.
