The Arthritis Foundation partially funded research in 2008 on the effects of yoga on people with rheumatoid arthritis, RA. The study found positive effects of yoga on symptoms of RA, including reduced joint tenderness and inflammation, and found no harm to joints. Before beginning any new exercise program, obtain approval from your doctor. Discuss risks and contraindications of specific yoga poses for RA.
Yoga Style Recommendations
A 2009 Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center article recommends that, because specific aspects of each style can create stress on your joints, yoga students with RA should avoid Ashtanga, Bikram, and Kundalini styles of yoga, and Ananda yoga for some people. Consider Anusara, Integral, Iyengar, first stage of Kripalu, Sivananda, and private lessons of Viniyoga. Within each style of yoga, some classes will be more challenging than others, so start with a few basic classes before committing yourself to a specific style of yoga.
Iyengar Method
A 2010 study published in the "Journal of Pain and Symptom Management" reported improvements in RA symptoms, including pain, disability and depression, and noted no adverse problems resulting from participation in the Iyengar method of yoga. The Iyengar method places particular emphasis on alignment and posture. Designed as a therapeutic technique, Iyengar yoga makes heavy use of props and carefully designed sequences with an openness to pose modifications. A typical Iyegnar class might incorporate a chair to support your back during a backbend, blankets to raise your hips during seated poses, or blocks to place your hands for a gentler forward bend. Classes flow slowly and methodically, and are directed by teachers who have completed rigorous training in body alignment and posture.
Yoga Limitations
Although yoga is gentler on your joints than some other activities, especially if you are new to yoga, some of the poses can cause discomfort. For those with RA in their hips, a 2009 John Hopkins Arthritis Center article recommends approaching hip-openers with caution and avoiding extreme external hip rotation. The article also suggests sticking with mild backbends and paying special attention to neck alignment. Ease into your yoga program and increase intensity gradually as your body adjusts to the program. Do not move past your pain threshold. If a pose hurts, ease off.
Beneficial Poses
Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center recommends some poses that may be particularly beneficial to some people with RA. To perform the standing forward bend, hinge forward at your hips, take hold of opposite elbows, and relax your torso, head and arms. To perform the mild backbend called the cobra, lie prone and press your chest up gently with your hands. Hold on to a chair or wall until you've mastered the standing extended leg balance, in which you stand on one foot, lift the other knee in toward your chest, grasp hold of your bent knee, and rotate your bent knee out externally away from your body.
References
- Arthritis Foundation: Yoga Helpful for Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center: Yoga for People with Arthritis
- Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center: Yoga for People with Arthritis
- "Journal of Pain and Symptom Management"; Iyengar Yoga for Young Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From a Mixed-Methods Pilot Study; Subhadra Evans, PhD, et al.; May 2010
- Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center: Yoga for People with Arthritis
- Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States: Iyengar Yoga
