At a glance
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Pilot Study of Yoga as Self-Care for Arthritis in Minority Communities
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Yoga for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Arthritis. Completed, enrolled 18 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Background: * People with arthritis should be active. Regular exercise leads to less pain, more energy, improved sleep, and better day-to-day function. Yet arthritis is one of the most common reasons people give for limiting activities. * Yoga for arthritis has been studied before. However, few studies have included minorities. Making changes to yoga classes based on language and culture may help people use yoga to care for their arthritis symptoms. Researchers want to see if minority populations with arthritis will come to and benefit from yoga classes. Objectives: \- To see if yoga classes designed for people with arthritis will be acceptable to minorities with arthritis. Eligibility: * Adults at least 18 years of age who are enrolled in the Natural History of Rheumatic Disease in Minority Communities study. * Participants will have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. * Participants will be able to speak and read English or Spanish. Design: * The total study period covers 10 weeks. * The first study visit will include an initial questionnaire about health and arthritis. Participants will also have a physical exam. * Participants will have yoga classes twice a week for 8 weeks. The classes will be 1 hour long each. * After completing the yoga classes, participants will complete another questionnaire about their health. They will have a final physical exam. * Follow-up contact will be made 3 months after the end of the study.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
This study used Hatha yoga (influenced by Integral, Iyengar, and Kripalu yoga) which includes postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation \[9\]. Biweekly, 60-minute, bilingual yoga classes were offered for 8 weeks at a yoga studio in Washington, DC. Classes were kept small (3-10 participants) to allow for pose modifications as needed for each participant. Participants were given instructions, bilingual manuals, and yoga equipment to encourage home practice. Participants were asked to keep journals to document the frequency and duration of home practice and their experience while on the study. After the last class, a yoga DVD and a list of local yoga studios were given to encourage continued practice.