Yoga Benefits Arthritic Patients
Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers who practiced yoga experienced positive associations with improvements in disease activity, found a recent study conducted by a team in the United Arab Emirates.
Researchers prescribed the practice of gentle Raj yoga to 26 patients and used a group of 21 non-yoga practitioners as a control. After 12 sessions, the yoga group performed better than the control in tests of disease activity and health assessment, although quality of life scores remained similar.
Dr Humeira Badsha, rheumatologist said, “Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis do not exercise regularly despite the fact that those who do report less pain and are therefore more physically active.
“While our study has been conducted in a small group of patients the results show clear benefits for patients who regularly practice Raj yoga. We believe that practicing yoga longer term could in fact result in further significant improvements and hope our study drives further research into the benefits of yoga in rheumatoid arthritis.”
Source: European League Against Rheumatism
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