EVALUATION OF A YOGA BASED REGIMEN FOR TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS OFTHE HANDS

Objective. Yoga and relaxation techniques have traditionally been used by nonmedical practitioners to help alleviate musculoskeletal symptom s. The objective of this study was to collect controlled observations of the effect of yoga on the hands of patients with osteoarthritis (OA ). Methods. Patients with OA of the hands were randomly assigned to re ceive either the yoga program or no therapy. Yoga techniques were supe rvised by one instructor once/week for 8 weeks. Variables assessed wer e pain, strength, motion, joint circumference, tenderness, and hand fu nction using the Stanford Hand Assessment questionnaire. Results. The yoga treated group improved significantly more than the control group in pain during activity, tenderness and finger range of motion. Other trends also favored the yoga program. Conclusion. This yoga derived pr ogram was effective in providing relief in hand OA. Further studies ar e needed to compare this with other treatments and to examine longterm effects.