Yoga Assists in Stroke Recovery

People afflicted by stroke are at a significantly greater risk of falling, and breaking a hip after a fall. It is estimated that 80% of people who have strokes will also have some degree of impaired balance.   Arlene A. Schmid, from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center (Indiana, USA), and colleagues enrolled 19 men and one woman, average age of 66 years, in an eight-week long program during which each subject participated in a twice weekly hour-long group yoga class taught by a yoga therapist who dramatically modified the poses to meet the veterans' needs. A range of balance items measured by a standardized assessment scale improved by 17% and 34%, respectively, by the end of the program. The team also observed a measurable gain in confidence the study participants had in their balance. Submitting that: An 8-week yoga intervention for people with stroke was successful, the researchers urge that: “This could be an intervention approach that impacts balance and endurance for chronic stroke survivors.