Yoga Medical News Daily

Newly announced Tai chi clinical trial for osteopenia offers flexibility

Can Tai Chi be considered a weight bearing mind-body exercise that effectively addresses bone-loss issues in post-menopausal osteopenic women? This study will address that unknown. A total of 86 post-menopausal women, aged 45-70, have been recruited from primary care clinics of a large healthcare system based in Boston. 

"They have been randomized to a group-based 9-month Tai Chi program plus standard care or to standard care only. A unique aspect of this trial is its pragmatic design, which allows participants randomized to Tai Chi to choose from a pre-screened list of community-based Tai Chi programs." 

" . . .  Primary outcomes are serum markers of bone resorption (C-terminal cross linking telopeptide of type I collagen, bone formation (osteocalcin), and BMD of the lumbar spine and proximal femur (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). Secondary outcomes include health-related quality-of-life, exercise behavior, and psychological well-being." . . .  Results of this study will provide preliminary evidence regarding the value of Tai Chi as an intervention for decreasing fracture risk in osteopenic women. They will also inform the feasibility, value and potential limitations related to the use of pragmatic designs for the study of Tai Chi and related mind-body exercise. If the results are positive, this will help focus future, more in-depth, research on the most promising potential mechanisms of action identified by this study."  Abstract: PubMed. "Tai Chi for osteopenic women: design and rationale of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial," in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders [2010 Mar 1;11(1):40]

Physical activity in the prevention of osteoporosis – what's needed are high impact exercise programs

This update review article published in Maturitas [2009 May 20;63(1):34-8] points out that in "Europe and North America about 6% of men and 21% of women aged 50-84 years are classified to have osteoporosis. Although it is well accepted that exercise is essential for the management of osteoporosis, the exact role of physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures is still controversial. . . . Two prospective cohort studies indicate the clinical relevance of this association by showing an inverse relationship between physical activity and the risk of hip fracture. There is convincing evidence that physical activity effectively slows bone loss in postmenopausal women in a dose-dependent manner. Exercise programs may increase bone mineral density. CONCLUSION: In order to maximize the goals of public health most effective, individually adapted, intense, high impact exercise programs are needed. However, they may be complicated to communicate and adherence on the population level may be hard to achieve. These programs must be weighed against popular and applicable existing programs (e.g. aerobic classes, Tai Chi, and walking) which appear to be easier to adhere to but appear to be less effective in the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in the individual postmenopausal women."  Abstract: PubMed.

Yoga for Osteoporosis: A Pilot

The author Loren M. Fishman, MD describes in this article appearing in Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation (July/September 2009, vol. 33, issue 3, pp. 244-50) a pilot study involving eighteen patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia, average age 68.  After 10-minute daily yoga over a 2-year period, the yoga practitioners gained 0.76 and 0.94 for spine and hips, respectively on the T-scale. Conclusion: "Yoga appears to be an effective way to build bone mineral density after menopause."