Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective joint cartilage degenerates, causing the joint to be stiff and painful. The disease can really effect the quality of your life, making day-to-day movements painful.
8.7m people have sought treatment for the disease in the UK, with the most common joint affected being the knee.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University carried out a study, where 131 seniors with osteoarthritis did chair yoga or a health education program. The first controlled and randomised study of it’s kind. The participants doing yoga did two 45 minute sessions a week for 8 weeks.
Juyoung Park, Ph.D (co-author & co-principal of the study) explains the results showed,”Chair yoga reduced pain interference in everyday activities”, as well a reduction in general pain.
Yoga has already been recommended by the Arthritis Foundation to reduce joint pain and improve flexibility. However osteoarthritis and lack of muscle strength can compromise older adults ability to perform the exercise. A chair gives needed support.
Yoga, increases your range of motion, making you more flexible and mobile, while strengthening the muscles around the joints, easing stress placed on joints. There have even been studies that Yoga treats inflammation, the very problem which causes arthritis to arise.
The exercise is relaxing and an effective stress relief technique, while gentle enough to perform every day, in order to improve muscle strength. A natural method worth a try for the many adults who have developed the disease.
