YOGA FOR Arthritis
About YOGA FOR arthritis
Yoga can ease movement, improve posture, and align bones. A regular practice can create space and ease pain in damaged joints, and help to prevent the cartilage erosion that causes the pain of arthritis.
It can also be a good way to build muscle strength (for example hand grip) because, practised correctly, it doesn’t put too much pressure on the joints – provided you don’t overdo it when joints are flaring.
Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and pranayama (breathing techniques), can also help you mentally deal with the pain and improve your sense of wellbeing – helping to reduce the stress and tension caused by the discomfort and pain of arthritis. This, in turn, can promote better sleep and relaxation, helping to improve all-round physical health, wellbeing and vitality.
What the clinical studies say
Yoga
- Alleviates depression
- Decreased HAQ disability index
- Decreases perception of depression
- Decreases perception of pain
- Improved balance
- Improvements in Rheumatoid Arthritis disease parameters
- Improves handgrip strength
- Improves mental health
- Improves RA symptoms and functioning
- Increases vitality
- Reduces disability scores for rheumatoid factor levels
- Alleviates depression
- Enhances emotional regulation
- Improves wellbeing
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Reduction in psychological distress
- Alleviates depression
- Enhances emotional regulation
- Improves wellbeing
- Reduces psychological distress
the clinical studies
Yoga
Effect of one week of yoga on function and severity in rheumatoid arthritis
Iyengar yoga for young adults with rheumatoid arthritis: results from a mixed-methods pilot study
Functional and physiological effects of yoga in women with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study.
The benefits of yoga for rheumatoid arthritis: results of a preliminary, structured 8-week program
Mindfulness
Effect of Mindfulness-Based stress reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients
