Yoga helps with knee pain

Nearly 600 million people worldwide are affected by osteoarthritis, a condition that limits mobility and causes constant discomfort. Knee joints are the most commonly affected, which means it is especially important to find ways to relieve pain without putting unnecessary strain on the body.

Doctors usually recommend strength training: it strengthens the muscles around the knee, reduces pressure on the joint and returns freedom of movement. However, many people are looking for gentle and gentler alternatives.

It turns out that yoga may be just such a solution. A clinical study published in JAMA Network Open involved 117 people with knee osteoarthritis. They were divided into two groups – some practiced yoga, while others performed classical strength exercises.

For 12 weeks, participants in both groups attended two supervised classes and performed one at home. This was followed by a further 12 weeks of independent training. All the classes followed a strict program and were accompanied by pain measurements on a special scale.

As a result, both yoga and strength exercises gave a noticeable improvement: the pain decreased, it became easier to move, and the quality of life increased. The main thing is that there was no significant difference between the two approaches. Neither showed a clear advantage.

According to the authors, this discovery gives patients more freedom of choice. Not everyone is suited to the same type of exercises in the gym – someone is closer to breathing practices, smooth movements and meditative mood. Yoga combines physical exercise and psycho-emotional release, which is especially important for chronic pain.

Many recommendations include yoga in the list of approaches for treating osteoarthritis, but until now there was a lack of solid data on its effectiveness. Now that gap has been filled – and we’re talking about a really high-quality comparison with an already recognized method.

Thus, those who suffer from knee pain now do not have to go to the gym or perform complicated exercises. It is enough to lay down a mat, turn on the right program and devote some time to yoga – the results will be just as good.