Effect of add-on yoga therapy to physiotherapy in the management of spinal cord injury patients.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a leading cause of disability. Varying injury level and severity generate a spectrum of neurological dysfunction and a reduction in long-term Quality of Life (QOL) with a decrease in mobility. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study was aimed to evaluate the add-on effect of a Yoga program along with physiotherapy on individuals with paraplegia. METHODS Participants: A total of 124 spinal cord injury (SCI)patients of both genders with age range 18–60 years, having incomplete SCI (AIS)-C and (AIS)-D,and admitted to the rehabilitation center, India, were randomly allocated into two groups, i.e., (i) experimental group -Integrated Yoga and Physiotherapy (IYP) (n=62; age means and SD: 33.97±10.0 years), and (ii) control group - Physiotherapy (PT) (n=62; age mean and SD:32.84 ± 9.5 years). Design: Two groups pre-post randomized controlled clinical trial. Assessments: The outcome assessments consisted of primary outcomes: (i) American Spinal Injury Association Impairment (ASIA) scale, (ii) c-Reactive Protein (CRP), (iii)Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure (SCIM), and(iv) Medically Based Emotional Distress Scale (MEDS). The secondary outcome measures were: (i) Body Mass Index (BMI), and (ii) Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III were measured in both groups at the beginning and end of one month. Intervention: The experimental group underwent one-month combined practice of physiotherapy and yoga therapy, in a schedule of 75-min/day (6-days/week), whereas the control group underwent physiotherapy treatment aRESULTS: The IYP group showed a significant reduction in scores of CRP (p˂0.001), SCIM (p˂0.001), MEDS (p˂0.001), and improvement in the quality of life (SCI-QoL Index) (p˂0.001) compared to control group. CONCLUSION: One-month comprehensive Integrated Yoga and Physiotherapy program is more effective than physiotherapy intervention alone, in the management of paraplegia patients.