YOGA
Trial question
What is the effect of yoga in patients with knee osteoarthritis?
Study design
Single center
Open label
RCT
Population
Characteristics of study participants
73.0% female
27.0% male
N = 117
117 patients (85 female, 32 male).
Inclusion criteria: adult patients, aged ≥ 40 years, with knee osteoarthritis and knee pain levels ≥ 40 on a 100-mm VAS.
Key exclusion criteria: engaged in a strengthening exercise or yoga program in the past 3 months; other forms of inflammatory arthritis; significant knee injury that required treatment in the past 6 months; arthroscopy or open surgery in the index knee in the past 6 months or planned in the next 6-8 months; injections of corticosteroids in the past 3 months or hyaluronic acid in the past 6 months; pregnancy or lactation.
Interventions
N=58 yoga (2 instructor-led and 1 home yoga session per week for 12 weeks, followed by 3 unsupervised home-based sessions per week for weeks 13-24).
N=59 strengthening exercise program (2 instructor-led and 1 home strengthening session per week for 12 weeks, followed by 3 unsupervised home-based sessions per week for weeks 13-24).
Primary outcome
Mean reduction in visual analogue scale score over 12 weeks
17.7 mm
16.7 mm
17.7 mm
13.3 mm
8.8 mm
4.4 mm
0.0 mm
Yoga
Strengthening exercise
program
No significant
difference ↔
No significant difference in mean reduction in VAS score over 12 weeks (17.7 mm vs. 16.7 mm; MD 1.1, 95% CI -5.7 to 7.8).
Secondary outcomes
Significantly greater reduction in mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index knee pain at 24 weeks (92.4 mm vs. 47.9 mm; MD 44.5, 95% CI 18.3 to 70.7).
Significantly greater reduction in mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index function at 24 weeks (268.5 mm vs. 129.6 mm; MD 139, 95% CI 49.7 to 228.3).
Significant increase in Patient Global Assessment at 24 weeks (12.1 mm vs. 4.3 mm; MD 7.6, 95% CI 0.2 to 15.1).
Safety outcomes
No significant difference in adverse events.
Conclusion
In adult patients, aged ≥ 40 years, with knee osteoarthritis and knee pain levels ≥ 40 on a 100-mm VAS, yoga was not superior to strengthening exercise program with respect to mean reduction in VAS score over 12 weeks.
Reference
Bedru J Abafita, Ambrish Singh, Dawn Aitken et al. Yoga or Strengthening Exercise for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Apr 1;8(4):e253698.
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