Physical Improvements after Yoga for People with Chronic Stroke

• Published in: Medicine and science in sports and exercise 2012-05, Vol.44 (5S), p.392-392
• Main Authors: Schmid, Arlene A, Miller, Kristine K, Van Puymbroeck, Marieke, Dierks, Tracy A, Altenburger, Peter, Schalk, Nancy, Williams, Linda S, DeBaun, Erin, Damush, Teresa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0195-9131

PURPOSE: Assess the impact of therapeutic-yoga on physical performance measures in people with chronic stroke. METHODS: Forty-seven individuals with stroke were recruited and randomized 3:1 to yoga or waitlist control. The yoga group completed one hour yoga sessions twice a week for 8 weeks. Yoga was taught by a certified yoga therapist and included modified physical postures, yoga breathing, bilateral movements, and concluded with relaxation while seated, standing, and supine. Assessments before and after the 8 weeks included: flexibility via passive range of motion (PROM) for the hamstrings (HS) and active range of motion (AROM) for hip flexion, cervical rotation, and cervical lateral flexion; strength with the chair to stand and arm curl and hip flexion manual muscle test; and endurance with a 6 minute walk. We compared groups with a t-test/Mann Whitney. We used paired t-tests/Wilcoxon non-parametric tests to compare baseline and 8-week data. RESULTS: The average age of participants completing the study was 64, 76% were male, and 63% were white. There were no differences in demographics or outcomes between the yoga and control groups. There were no improvements in the waitlist control group. In the yoga group (n=29), improvements were found in flexibility with PROM and AROM, arm curl, and endurance, see Table. The chair to stand test and hip flexion AROM did not change (p>.05). (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted) CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest therapeutic-yoga improved flexibility, arm strength, and endurance for individuals post-stroke. Therapeutic-yoga requires repetitive, slow and sustained muscle activation which may contribute to these findings. Further testing, however, is warranted as these findings are preliminary.