Effect of a gentle Iyengar yoga program on gait in the elderly: an exploratory study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if a tailored yoga program could improve age-related changes in hip extension, stride length, and associated indices of gait function in healthy elders, changes that have been linked to increased risk for falls, dependency, and mortality in geriatric populations.


METHODS
Single group pre-post test exploratory study. A 3-dimensional quantitative gait evaluation, including kinematic and kinetic measurements, was performed pre- and postintervention. Changes over time (baseline to postintervention) in primary and secondary outcome variables were assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.


METHODS
Yoga exercises were performed in an academic medical center (group classes) and in the subjects' homes (yoga home-practice assignments). Pre- and postassessments were performed in a gait laboratory.


METHODS
Twenty-three healthy adults (age range, 62-83 y) who were naive to yoga were recruited; 19 participants completed the program.


METHODS
An 8-week Iyengar Hatha yoga program specifically tailored to elderly persons and designed to improve lower-body strength and flexibility. Participants attended two 90-minute yoga classes per week, and were asked to complete at least 20 minutes of directed home practice on alternate days.


METHODS
Peak hip extension, average anterior pelvic tilt, and stride length at comfortable walking speed.


RESULTS
Peak hip extension and stride length significantly increased (F1,18=15.44, P<.001; F1,18=5.57, P=.03, respectively). We also observed a trend toward reduced average pelvic tilt (F1,18=4.10, P=.06); adjusting for the modifying influence of frequency of home yoga practice strengthened the significance of this association (adjusted F1,17=14.30, P=.001). Both the frequency and duration of yoga home practice showed a strong, linear, dose-response relationship to changes in hip extension and average pelvic tilt.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings of this exploratory study suggest that yoga practice may improve hip extension, increase stride length, and decrease anterior pelvic tilt in healthy elders, and that yoga programs tailored to elderly adults may offer a cost-effective means of preventing or reducing age-related changes in these indices of gait function.
DiBenedetto
Margarete
M
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 22908, USA.
Innes
Kim E
KE
Taylor
Ann G
AG
Rodeheaver
Pamela F
PF
Boxer
Jennifer A
JA
Wright
H Jeffrey
HJ
Kerrigan
D Casey
DC
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011336:Probability; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga