EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE PAIN, DEPRESSION, KOOS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OSTEOARTHRITIS PARTICIPANTS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder, particularly affecting weight-bearing joints like the knee. Chronic pain, stiffness, reduced joint function, and psychological consequences such as depression and anxiety severely affect the quality of life (QoL) in OA patients. (David J Hunter, 2019) Complementary interventions like yoga therapy are gaining clinical attention due to their holistic effects. Yoga’s mind-body approach integrates physical postures (āsana), controlled breathing (prāṇāyāma), meditation (dhyāna), and lifestyle principles that impact both physical and mental well-being. (Carly M Drzewiecki et.al, 2021). Conventional management strategies, such as pharmacotherapy and surgery, offer limited long-term relief and may cause adverse effects, prompting interest in complementary therapies like yoga(Geoffrey M Currie et.al, 2019). Yoga, which includes gentle movements, breathing exercises, and relaxation, has shown promise in reducing pain and improving mood and physical function in people with knee osteoarthritis there is growing interest in complementary approaches such as yoga which combines physical postures, breathing technique , meditation and lifestyle education (Deepeshwar S et.al, 2018). Yoga may work by lowering inflammation, improving muscle strength and balance, and calming stress responses in the body(Bandita Adhikari et.al, 2022) Yoga, a non pharmacological treatment approach, has been recommended for osteoarthritis by an international osteoarthritis clinical guideline in 2019 and some studies have also proposed yoga as a beneficial practice for people with arthritis AIM: This study was aimed at observing the effect of an integrated approach of yoga therapy on the pain, depression, Koos, and quality of life in osteoarthritis participants OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: To assess the effect of IAYT on; ● Pain associated with the osteo arthritis condition ● Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome Score ● Depression ● Quality of life METHODS: Participiants: Subjects (n = 46) identified with osteoarthritis, meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited from the Arogyadhama (a holistic yoga hospital, practicing integrated yoga therapy, associated with S-VYASA) section treating osteoarithritis. Design: This was a single-group pre–post study involving 46 participants diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Assessments: In this study, we assessed variables like Pain, Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome Score, Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Quality of Life. Intervention: Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) for two weeks with one month follow-up. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in pain levels (p < .001, d = 0.935), depression (p < .001, d = 0.892), anxiety (p < .001), stress (p < .001), and environmental quality of life (p = .024). KOOS subdomains like knee symptoms, sport and recreation function, and daily living activities also showed marked improvement. However, no significant changes were observed in the physical, psychological, and social domains of QoL, or pain-related QoL scores. CONCLUSION: The integrated approach of yoga therapy significantly reduced pain, depression, anxiety, and stress among participants with osteoarthritis, alongside improvements in specific domains of the KOOS and environmental quality of life. However, no significant changes were observed in the physical, psychological, or social domains of overall quality of life. These findings suggest that yoga may serve as an effective complementary therapy in managing osteoarthritis symptoms and improving certain aspects of well-being, although further research with larger samples and control groups is warranted to confirm and extend these results. KEYWORDS: Osteoarthritis, yoga, quality of life, psychological wellbeing