142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Chair Yoga: A supplementary treatment approach to promoting a positive sense of well-being within a general medical rehabilitation population

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Susan Walsh, Psy.D. , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Loyola University Health System, Maywood, IL
Keeley Lewis , Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University, Gurnee, IL
Katherine Rieke, MA, MPH , Department of Epidemiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Sarmistha Chaudhuri-Walter, MD , IL
Research has shown that mental health related issues tend to be higher in individuals who experience severe life events related to physical health such as illness or disability.  Additionally, increased levels of psychological symptoms have been related to increased experiences of pain within medical populations. Yoga has been shown to ameliorate psychological illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and enhance general sense of well-being, and chair yoga may me particularly beneficial in patients with physical injuries. Chair yoga is a form of yoga which incorporates seated poses, moderate stretching, and meditation for participants with physical limitations. 

This pilot study sought to examine the impact that chair yoga had on an inpatient medical rehabilitation population. The study included 81 patients who participated in either a chair yoga session or a standard physical therapy session. All patients were administered Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory before and after their therapy session. Analyses were conducted to assess changes in moods states before and after therapy, and differences changes of mood scores between these groups.

Results of the study showed that patients in the yoga group had a 8.32 point decrease in overall POMS scores (p=0.001) compared to a 2.9 point decrease in overall POMS scores in the standard care group (p=0.114), indicating a significant reduction in emotional distress for participants who participated in chair yoga. Results of this pilot study indicate that a chair yoga program may be a valuable added treatment component to standard inpatient medical rehabilitation programs.

Learning Areas:

Other professions or practice related to public health
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify the benefits of using chair yoga over traditional yoga with a general medical population. Describe the impact that a chair yoga session may have reducing psychological distress in medical rehabilitation populations.

Keyword(s): Alternative and Complementary Health, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator in the chair yoga research project on an inpatient medical rehabilitation unit. My scientific and clinical interests involve health promotion in general but utilizing aspects of Eastern medicine, particularly meditation and yoga in promoting health. I am a health psychologist (doctorate level) and a certified yoga instructor, as well.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4380.0: Research in Alternative, Complementary and Integrative Medicine