Feasibility and Efficacy of a Shared Yoga Intervention for Sleep Disturbance in Older Adults With Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is positively associated with self-reported sleep trouble in older adults

BACKGROUND

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability in older adults. Most research has focused on minimizing pain and maximizing physical function so as to maintain patient mobility preceding joint arthroplasty. However, few studies have formally studied the relationship between OA and sleep trouble, although it is clinically recognized that OA may affect sleep.

METHODS

The study was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2011-2018. Participants were defined as adults aged 60 years or older with diagnoses of OA and self-reported sleep trouble. Multivariable regression analyses were applied to assess the association between OA and sleep trouble, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, income, depression level, etc. RESULTS: This study included 4154 participants, consisting of the control group (n = 2966) and the OA group (n = 1188). OA individuals were 2.11 (95% CI 1.79-2.47, p < 0.001) times more likely to have sleep trouble compared with those without OA. On subgroup analyses, there was lower odds ratio value of sleep trouble in men compared with women, and in the highest income group compared with the other income groups.

CONCLUSIONS

OA was positively associated with sleep trouble in older adults, with different odds ratio values among different subgroups. Our results suggest that older adults with OA should be aggressively screened for sleep problems.

Analysis of Movement-Based Mind-Body Interventions to Guide the Implementation of Osteoarthritis Exercise Programs: A Descriptive Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Clear and complete reporting of the components of complex interventions is required in clinical trials to ensure that research can be reliably replicated and successfully translated into clinical practice. Movement-based mind-body exercises, such as Tai Chi, qigong, and Yoga (TQY), are considered complex interventions and recommended for individuals with osteoarthritis in the latest guidelines of the American College of Rheumatology. This review analyzes the intervention reporting of randomized controlled trials of TQY to guide the implementation in osteoarthritis exercise programs. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE for TQY exercise trials in osteoarthritis between 2000 and 2020. Pairs of researchers independently screened the records, extracted study characteristics, and assessed 19 items on the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) checklist. For each of these items, the numbers of studies that clearly reported the item were calculated. We then identified the items in the studies that are key to delivering home-based exercises for further analysis. Results: We included 27 publications reporting 22 TQY interventions in the analysis. None of the studies reported sufficient details on all the 19 CERT items. The median completeness of reporting score was 11 and ranged from 6 to 15 of 19. The most frequently incompletely reported items (number reporting and percentage of studies) were "starting level rule" (n = 1, 5%) and "progression rule" (n = 1, 5%). Other incompletely reported items included "fidelity or adherence (planned)" (n = 9, 41%), "motivations" (n = 9, 41%), and "progression description" (n = 5, 23%). Conclusions: The content analysis highlights motivational strategies for long-term adherence to home-based exercises, which may help clinicians develop interventions for their patients. Details of TQY exercises interventions for osteoarthritis are incompletely reported in the included studies. The study suggests that improvements in content reporting are especially needed on items related to exercise intensity and program progression decisions, and motivational strategies in future implementation.

Yoga for Osteoarthritis: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This study aims to systematically review and summarise the efficacy and safety of yoga for osteoarthritis. Medline (through PubMed), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched through April 2018 for randomised controlled trials of yoga for osteoarthritis. Primary outcomes were pain intensity, function, and quality of life; secondary outcomes were mental health and safety. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool and quality of evidence through GRADE.

RECENT FINDINGS

Nine trials including 640 individuals with mainly lower extremity osteoarthritis aged 50-80 years were identified, with 80.3% female participants (median). Meta-analyses revealed very low-quality evidence for the effects of yoga on pain (vs. exercise: standardised mean difference (SMD) = - 1.07; 95%CI - 1.92, - 0.21; p = 0.01; vs. non-exercise: SMD = - 0.75; 95%CI - 1.18, - 0.31; p < 0.001), physical function (vs. exercise: SMD = 0.80; 95%CI 0.36; 1.24; p < 0.001; vs. non-exercise: SMD = 0.60; 95%CI 0.30, 0.98; p < 0.001), and stiffness (vs. exercise: SMD = - 0.92; 95%CI - 1.69, - 0.14; p = 0.008; vs. non-exercise: SMD = - 0.76; 95%CI - 1.26, - 0.26; p = 0.003) in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Effects were not robust against potential methodological bias. No effects were found for quality of life, and depression, or for hand osteoarthritis. Safety was rarely reported. The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that yoga may be effective for improving pain, function, and stiffness in individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee, compared to exercise and non-exercise control groups. Due to the low methodological quality and potential risk of bias, only a weak recommendation can be made at this time for the use of yoga in adults with osteoarthritis of the knee.