A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Chair Yoga on Pain and Physical Function Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Lower Extremity Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objectives: To determine effects of Sit 'N' Fit Chair Yoga, compared to a Health Education program (HEP), on pain and physical function in older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) who could not participate in standing exercise.

Design: Two-arm randomized controlled trial.

Setting: One HUD senior housing facility and one day senior center in south Florida.

Participants: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 131) were randomly assigned to chair yoga (n = 66) or HEP (n = 65). Thirteen dropped after assignment but prior to the intervention; six dropped during the intervention; 106 of 112 completed at least 12 of 16 sessions (95% retention rate).

Interventions: Participants attended either chair yoga or HEP. Both interventions consisted of twice-weekly 45-minute sessions for 8 weeks.

Measurements: Primary: pain, pain interference; secondary: balance, gait speed, fatigue, functional ability measured at baseline, after 4 weeks of intervention, at the end of the 8-week intervention, and post-intervention (1 and 3 months).

Results: The chair yoga group showed greater reduction in pain interference during the intervention (P = .01), sustained through 3 months (P = .022). WOMAC pain (P = .048), gait speed (P = .024), and fatigue (P = .037) were improved in the yoga group during the intervention (P = .048) but improvements were not sustained post intervention. Chair yoga had no effect on balance.

Conclusion: An 8-week chair yoga program was associated with reduction in pain, pain interference, and fatigue, and improvement in gait speed, but only the effects on pain interference were sustained 3 months post intervention. Chair yoga should be further explored as a nonpharmacologic intervention for older people with OA in the lower extremities.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02113410.

Keywords: chair yoga; osteoarthritis; pain management; randomized controlled trial.

Figure 1. Changes in Outcomes Over Time by Treatment Group

Solid lines depict intent-to-treat periods and dashed lines depict sustainability periods Gait speed is measured as the time (seconds) required to walk 20 feet BL=baseline, T1 = after 4 weeks of the intervention T2 = after 8 weeks of the intervention T3 = 1 month after the conclusion of the intervention T4= 3 months after the conclusion of the intervention *Gait Speed refers to the amount of time it takes to walk 20 feet in second.