by Anne Foy: Arthritis affects 53 million adults in the United States, making it a leading cause of disability…

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis – a degenerative joint disease causing pain, tenderness, stiffness, loss of flexibility and bone spurs, to name a few symptoms. Alongside heart disease, cancer and diabetes, osteoarthritis is one of the most common, costly and preventable chronic illnesses plaguing Americans. Osteoarthritis can make it difficult for sufferers to lead a normal life, travel, or sometimes, even leave the home. Therefore, treatment for the condition often seeks to increase mobility, flexibility and strength.

A New, Medication-Free Approach to Osteoarthritis

Doctors are constantly searching for new, non-pharmacologic ways to treat osteoarthritis and a new study, carried out by scientists at Florida Atlantic University, shows that chair yoga is an effective way to lessen pain and improve a patient’s quality of life, without medication. The findings apply to those whose lower extremities (feet, ankle, knees or hips) are affected.

What is Chair Yoga?

Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced while sitting down. Sometimes, practitioners perform asanas in a standing position, yet use the chair for support. Chair yoga is in the process of receiving recognition as a category of yoga that stands apart from other styles. It is ideal for anyone with mobility issues, as well as the elderly. Its benefits are similar to those imparted by other forms of yoga. These include greater strength and flexibility, improved proprioception (knowing where your body is located in space and coordinating your movement, so that falls can be avoided), and greater peace of mind. Yoga has been proven in various studies as a powerful stress buster, owing to its combination of asanas, pranayamic breathing and mindfulness. It is regularly recommended by doctors and therapists to those with depression and anxiety, since it has been found to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, ease respiration, and increase heart rate variability. It also enhances the mood and increases pain tolerance.

How Can Chair Yoga Help those with Osteoarthritis?

In the above-mentioned study, researchers randomly assigned 131 elderly persons to one of two programs: a chair yoga program, or a general health education program. Participants took part in two sessions a week for a total period of eight weeks. Results obtained showed that the participants who took part in the chair yoga program, had a significantly greater reduction in pain and pain interference during the classes, and that the improvements in pain interference lasted for three months after they finished their chair yoga program. Pain interference is the extent to which pain affects one’s quality of life by negatively influencing factors such as sleep quality, general physical functioning, and depression.

Those who took part in the yoga activity also reported lesser fatigue and better gait speed during the study period but not in the months after. This finding suggests that chair yoga should be kept up as a regular activity, to obtain optimal benefits.

Chair yoga is ideal for the elderly because, although the Arthritis Foundation recommends yoga as a natural yet powerful way to reduce joint pain, many older patients are fearful about starting yoga because they fear that they may not be able to hold a standing position for long, or because they fear falling down. Since chair yoga provides vital support for yoga practitioners, it enables those with osteoarthritis to reap the benefits of yoga without putting undue strain on their body or mind. The practice is fast gaining in popularity, since the only other treatment for the condition consists of medication, which can have adverse effects.

Of course, yoga also brings about unmeasurable mental benefits. As an activity which requires the utmost concentration, it is a natural way to bring about a state of mindfulness. Deep breathing exercises help keep body and mind ‘in the present moment’, and yoga is a great source of serenity and mental strength. Chair yoga is testimony to the fact that indeed, anyone, anywhere, can practice yoga, regardless of their age or fitness levels. Instructors can easily adapt classes, so that even those whose mobility is greatly impaired, can increase their movement and quality of life, in the most natural of ways.