Yoga noninferior to strengthening exercises for improvement in pain, function, and stiffness
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Yoga is noninferior to strengthening exercises for knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain in people aged 40 years and older, according to a study published online April 8 in JAMA Network Open.
Bedru J. Abafita, from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in Australia, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of yoga versus strengthening exercises for reducing knee pain over 12 weeks in patients with knee OA. The analysis included 117 adults (aged 40 years and older) with knee OA pain levels of ≥40 on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS).
The researchers found that during 12 weeks, the between-group mean difference in VAS knee pain change was −1.1 mm, which was not statistically significant but remained within the prespecified noninferiority margin. During 12 and 24 weeks, seven of 27 secondary outcomes assessed were statistically significant in favor of yoga. Compared with the strengthening exercise group, the yoga group showed modestly greater improvements over 24 weeks for Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain (−44.5 mm), WOMAC function (−139 mm), WOMAC stiffness (−17.6 mm), patient global assessment (−7.6 mm), and the 40-m fast-paced walk test (1.8). The yoga group also had a modestly greater improvement for depression at 12 weeks (between-group difference in Patient Health Questionnaire–9 score, −1.1).
“Integrating yoga as an alternative or complementary exercise option in clinical practice may help in managing knee OA,” the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.
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