|
 “These results are exciting but not particularly surprising since
there is evidence from other research that similar types of exercise
programs, Tai Chi, for example, can improve balance and mobility in
older people,” said senior author Anne Tiedemann of the George
Institute for Global Health at Sydney Medical School, The University
of Sydney, in Australia.
“What is exciting about the results is that significant improvements
occurred in balance and mobility as a result of relatively short
programs of yoga - the average number of hours offered was 20
hours,” Tiedemann told Reuters Health by email.
The researchers analyzed six trials, with a total of about 300
participants, looking at the effect of physical yoga on balance
among men and women age 60 and older.
Five trials included people living in the community while the sixth
included people in residential aged-care settings.
Some did not specify the style of yoga tested, but all utilized a
certified yoga instructor and props such as blankets, chairs,
blocks, pillows, straps and mats. Programs tended to include 60 to
90 minutes of yoga once or twice weekly for a total of two to six
months.
Participants attended about 82 percent of classes, which is a high
attendance rate compared to many other programs, Tiedemann noted.
Overall, yoga was linked to a small improvement in balance and a
medium improvement in mobility – such as walking speed and how
easily a person can get out of a chair – though the review authors
were especially interested in the effects on balance.
To train balance, you need to undertake activities that challenge
your balance and to perform these activities a standing position,
Tiedemann said.
Three trials reported minor adverse events during yoga, like knee
pain, low back pain or minor muscle strains, according to the report
in Age and Ageing.
The researchers did not measure subsequent health events or falls
after the yoga trials, so could not conclude that yoga reduces the
risk of falls. Further research should investigate this question,
the authors note.
Balance and mobility decline with age and the risk of falling
increases significantly after the age of 65, Tiedemann said.
In previous research, she found that older people who are unable to
quickly stand up from a seated position without using their arms for
assistance are about twice as likely to fall in the next year as
older people who can perform this task quickly.
[to top of second column] |
“So reduced balance and mobility are linked to falls as well as loss
of independence and lower quality of life in older age,” Tiedemann
said. “It’s interesting to note that balance and mobility can be
trained and improved at any age - it’s never too late to start.”
It’s hard to say whether yoga improves standing or walking balance,
and we can’t always tell if these will have any effect on falls,
which is the real problem, said Pamela Jeter, a yoga expert at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not part of the
review.
“Balance is regulated by several systems in the body and I believe
we need to understand where the deficit is coming from before we can
target the intervention,” Jeter told Reuters Health by email. “Yoga
is great as a therapeutic approach because it can be modified to the
individual need or individual balance deficit.”
Psychological anxiety or fear of falling can also increase the risk,
beyond just physical weakness, and the mindfulness component of yoga
may be beneficial psychologically, she said.
“We would recommend that older people who are healthy enough to take
part in regular physical activity could join a yoga class run by a
yoga instructor who has experience with teaching older people,”
Tiedemann said. “The type of yoga should be that which focuses on
standing balance postures rather than relaxation/ meditation as the
focus.”
Those with medical conditions that preclude exercise should consult
a doctor before starting a yoga program, she said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1Q8AROW Age and Ageing, online December 25,
2015.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
