Can rigorous yoga assist with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms? Some professionals concur.
According to a recent study from India, yoga can help treat auto-inflammatory forms of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with concomitant depression.
Psychological or emotional aspects of RA are frequent companions. According to this recent study, which was written about in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, an intense 8-week yoga programme significantly reduced the physical and mental-emotional symptoms of RA.
Benefits of Yoga for Rheumatoid Arthritis Management
Lead author of the study and professor of anatomy at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, Dr. Rima Dada, said she and her team wondered if a “yoga-based mind-body intervention” could lessen depression symptoms in RA along with assisting in achieving remission of the physical symptoms of this excruciating, long-term autoimmune disease.
Numerous studies have examined what occurs when RA patients practise yoga for a few weeks. Here is what some of them discovered.
Yoga has several advantages for persons with RA, according to a 2012 analysis of eight earlier studies. Yoga may be able to reduce pain, even if the majority of trials were small and brief. Yoga practitioners with RA also had better mobility and felt better.
In a 2013 study, 26 RA-afflicted women who practised yoga twice a week for six weeks saw less pain-related impairment. Women in the research claimed they still experienced pain, but they were better able to accept and cope with it. They were also more energetic.
Investigating the Impact of Yoga-Based Mind-Body Intervention on RA Symptoms
2015 research of 75 sedentary persons found that 8 weeks of yoga reduced the symptoms of RA. Each week, there were two 1-hour yoga lessons and one at-home session. Among other benefits, users reported less pain after practising yoga. The study also discovered no drawbacks to practising yoga.
Tai chi may not provide any clear advantages for persons with RA or other rheumatic conditions, according to a 2018 analysis of 15 studies on the subject. However, yoga appeared to reduce pain and inflammation. Additionally, living quality was enhanced.
Yoga has advantages, according to 2020 research of more than 160 persons who had recently been diagnosed with RA. Those who practiced yoga for 12 weeks exhibited reduced disease activity and inflammation than those who just received normal medical care. According to the research, yoga may not only improve RA sufferers’ quality of life but also aid in the management of the condition.
