RA is a chronic painful disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. The condition includes disabling symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and stiffness.
In a new study, researchers of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) examined the benefits of yoga in helping a small group of women ages 21 to 35 who had suffered from RA for on average 10.5 years.
About half of the participants were assigned to six weeks of Iyengar yoga classes while the others were added to a class wait list.
Iyengar yoga is a form of the ancient Indian practice known for its use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets in order to help practitioners stretch and strengthen their muscles in correct ways.
According to the findings of the new study which presented at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting, participants who practiced yoga said they were happier than when they started their exercises.
The yoga group also reported better general health and more energy and could better accept their painful condition while their sedentary counterparts didn’t showed any significant improvement, said lead researcher Kirsten Lung.
Experts say yoga like other forms of physical exercises can help RA patients by strengthening their muscles and prevents joints from moving in uncomfortable ways.
However, they suggest that further investigations are needed to support findings about other benefits of yoga for people with RA because the new study involved only a small number of patients.