Can Yoga Help Prevent Osteoarthritis?

Practicing yoga offers a number of benefits. But can yoga help with osteoarthritis?

Yoga can prevent osteoarthritis. Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India and is considered a lifestyle rather than a sport or physical activity. The proven benefits of yoga range from correcting posture to relieving daily stress and preventing various diseases.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the symptoms of osteoarthritis and some simple yoga routines you can do at home to prevent osteoarthritis.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic disease in people over the age of 60, but it can affect people of any age, mainly adults.

This disease affects the mobility system and especially threatens joint health. The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• pain when moving
• sensitivity in the area
• swelling and stiffness
• loss of flexibility
• synovitis
• transform
• Inflammation
• osteophyte

There are also several risk factors that experts associate with osteoarthritis. These include age, gender (especially women), obesity, injury, stress, overwork (in sports or work activities), genetic factors, and some metabolic disorders. An example of metabolic disease is hemochromatosis.

Osteoarthritis is a slow and gradual disease that affects people’s quality of life. Also, there is no known cure to date.

There are a number of treatments that can help with this disease, mainly depending on the symptoms, and consist of:

• Surgical operation (artificial joint surgery)
• Drugs (analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone injections)
• Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

Not only that, but some habits can help prevent osteoarthritis, help control the course of treatment and symptoms, and ultimately stop the disease from progressing.

Can yoga help prevent osteoarthritis?

Yoga practice is one of the activities that can help control osteoarthritis symptoms. First, the benefits of yoga are related to a number of factors, including:

• Power and Dominance
• Flexibility
• Balance
• Stress Management
• Well-being
• Quality of Life

That’s why many people recommend yoga as a supplement to the existing osteoarthritis treatment. But are there any scientifically proven facts about these effects of yoga? Let’s take a look at the research results below.

Yoga for Osteoarthritis: A Related Study

A 2019 review of the effectiveness of yoga in treating osteoarthritis analyzed research related to this topic. These studies included 640 patients (mainly women) between the ages of 50 and 80 with osteoarthritis of the lower extremities.

The results showed that there is little evidence that yoga has a positive effect on the treatment of osteoarthritis pain when compared to other exercises. There was no convincing evidence that it affects the quality of life. But even so, the researchers think it’s appropriate to do yoga for knee osteoarthritis.

Another review performed a meta-analysis of the consolidation effect of yoga practice in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. This review focused on aspects of pain reduction, functional recovery, and the overall well-being of the patient.

A total of 13 clinical trials were reviewed in 1,557 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and rheumatoid arthritis, and the results showed that group yoga practice was useful for alleviating arthritis symptoms, improving body function, and improving overall well-being. showed

From a specific clinical trial perspective, a study of 66 patients aged 30-75 years with osteoarthritis of the knee investigated the effectiveness of integrated approach yoga therapy (IAYT).

Results revealed in the experimental group following the IAYT showed significant improvements in left-hand grip strength (LHGS) and knee extension compared to the control group.

Finally, a study examining the effects of hatha yoga on knee osteoarthritis showed that after performing this yoga for 8 weeks, pain and other symptoms were reduced and aspects of daily activities and quality of life improved.

Yoga to Prevent Osteoarthritis

There are many different forms of yoga. However, the Arthritis Foundation recommends several types of yoga, considering the type of yoga more suitable for arthritis patients. These include Ayyenga, Anusara, Kripalu, and Viniyoga.

And there are certain yoga routines and postures that we can perform ourselves to relieve osteoarthritis symptoms. These include:

Mountain Posture

The mountain pose is a very simple movement. Bring your big toes together and your heels slightly apart. Breathe deeply, open your chest and place your palms together at heart level. Then lift it over your head and point your head toward the sky.

Hero Posture

Hero poses are movements that stimulate the abdominal muscles, legs, and buttocks. This action consists of: Stand upright with your legs apart so that the heel of your front foot and the big toe of your back foot are about 4 feet apart.

Then turn your leg (to the right for your right leg, to the left for your left leg) and bend your knee to make a 90º angle. Then bring your hands together and raise your hands as high as possible. Take a deep breath and switch legs.

Emaker’s Posture

Sit on the floor and perform this pose with your legs straight forward. Bend your knees, bring the soles of your feet together, and bring your heels toward your pelvis.

At this time, do not force your knees to go down, let them fall to the sides. Hold this position for 1 minute, then straighten your legs and bring your feet back to their original position.

Sugar Cane Pose

Start in the same position as before. Sit on the floor with your legs together and your knees straight. If you need to feel more comfortable, you can sit on a yoga mat.

Your back should be straight. Place your hands on your side with your palms facing forward. The soles of the feet should also be facing forward and the feet should be straight. Hold this position for 1 minute.

Conclusion

If you are suffering from osteoarthritis, you may want to consider yoga. However, yoga is not a substitute for treatment prescribed by a doctor.

And it’s a good idea to find a professional instructor who has experienced coaching people with similar symptoms to you. Also, be sure to ask your doctor what exercises you can do.

On the other hand, there are three aspects to consider in order to reap the maximum benefits from yoga.

• Consciousness and breathing techniques
• Strength, Flexibility, and Balanced Movement
• relaxation and meditation

Also, like any other exercise, yoga practice should be started slowly and performed gently until the body is warm. Therefore, it is important to warm up before starting.

Finally, pay attention to your body and the signals it is sending you. If pain or discomfort is felt, the practice should be stopped. The purpose of yoga is to reduce pain and improve the quality of life. Therefore, it is important to discontinue if the opposite effect occurs.