Can Yoga help if you have fibromyalgia?

We all struggle to get our heads around things from time to time.  For me I find it hard to imagine living with Fibromyalgia, the constant pain, which moves around the body and the tiredness.  In addition to the physical symptoms there is the additional mental strain of living with a chronic condition that is has no visible signs and can change from day to day.

A pilot study recruited 22 women who had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia to participate in a 75 minute yoga class twice weekly for eight weeks.  Questionnaires were used to track pain, anxiety and depression they were completed pre, mid and post intervention.  In addition salivary cortisol samples were taken three times a day pre and post intervention.

The results indicate that a “yoga intervention” may

  • Reduce pain
  • Reduce catastrophising
  • Increase acceptance
  • Increase mindfulness
  • Alter total cortisol levels

Reference

Curtis K, Osadchuk A and Katz J (2011) An eight week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness and changes in cortisol levels in women with Fibromyalgia.  Journal of Pain Research 4: 189-201

 

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