Yoga's benefits on various aspects of health for sighted children is substantially supported by the literature. This study aimed to extend those fidings to children with visual impairment.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of the study was to measure changes in upper extremity strength and motor speed in children with visual impairment following 16-weeks of yoga training.
METHODS:
This was a two arm pre post, single blind, waitlist-controlled study. Eighty-three (yoga [n= 41], control [n= 42]) participants (aged 9-16 years) enrolled, 6 dropped out from the trial. Demographic characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. The following variables: upper extremity muscle strength; elbow flexion and elbow extension, pinch strength and motor speed were evaluated bilaterally using a handheld dynamometer, pinch dynamometer and finger tapping board respectively at baseline and after the 16-week intervention. SPSS-20 was used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS:
Significant improvements in all variables (P < 0.05) were observed in the yoga group for both limbs but no significant changes were observed in the control group.
CONCLUSION:
The study suggests that yoga may be considered an effective option to improve muscle strength and motor function in children with visual impairment.
HolbrookEA, CaputoJL, PerryTL, FullerDK, MorganDW. Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Perceived Quality of Life of Adults with Visual Impairments. J Vis Impair Blind. 2009;103(1):17-29.
2.
HouwenS, HartmanE, VisscherC. Physical activity and motor skills in children with and without visual impairments. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(1):103-9.
3.
AugestadLB, JiangL. Physical activity, physical fitness, and body composition among children and young adults with visual impairments: A systemetic review. Br J Vis Impair.2015;33(3):167-82.
4.
WagnerMO, HaibachPS, LiebermanLJ. Gross motor skill performance in children with and without visual impairments-Research to practice. Res Dev Disabil. 2013;34(10):3246-52.
5.
HouwenS, VisscherC, HartmanE, LemminkKA. Gross motor skills and sports participation of children with visual impairments. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2007;78(2):16-23.
6.
HaibachPS, WagnerMO, LiebermanLJ. Determinants of gross motor skill performance in children with visual impairments. Res Dev Disabil. 2014;35(10):2577-84.
7.
ReimerAM, CoxRF, BoonstraNF, Smits-EngelsmanBC. Effect of visual impairment on goal-directed aiming movements in children. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2008;50(10):778-83.
8.
BraichPS, LalV, HollandsS, AlmeidaDR. Burden and depression in the caregivers of blind patients in India. Ophthalmology. 2012;119(2):221-6.
9.
HutsonMA. Work Related Upper Limb Disorders. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1997.
10.
AustinD, JimisonH, HayesT, MattekN, KayeJ, PavelM. Measuring motor speed through typing: a surrogate for the finger tapping test. Behav Res Methods. 2011;43(4):903-9.
11.
HirschfeldH. Motor control of every day motor tasks: Guidance for neurological rehabilitation. Physiol Behav. 2007;92(1):161-6.
12.
LiebermanL, ByrneH, MatternCO, WattCA, Fernandez-VivoM. Health-Related Fitness of Youths with Visual Impairments. J Vis Impair Blind. 2010;104(6):349-59.
13.
LooneyMA, PlowmanSA. Passing rates of American children and youth on the FITNESSGRAM criterion-referenced physical fitness standards. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1990;61(3): 215-23.
14.
DingD, StamatakisE. Yoga practice in England 1997-2008: prevalence, temporal trends, and correlates of participation. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7(1):172.
15.
GrøntvedA, PanA, MekaryRA, StampferM, WillettWC, MansonJE, et al. Muscle-strengthening and conditioning activities and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study in two cohorts of US women. PLoS Med. 2014;11(1):e1001587.
16.
RossA, ThomasS. The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(1):3-12.
17.
BhutkarMV, BhutkarPM, TawareGB, SurdiAD. How effective is sun salutation in improving muscle strength, general body endurance and body composition? Asian J Sports Med. 2011;2(4):259-66.
18.
LauC, YuR, WooJ. Effects of a 12-Week Hatha Yoga Intervention on Cardiorespiratory Endurance, Muscular Strength and Endurance, and Flexibility in Hong Kong Chinese Adults: A Controlled Clinical Trial. Evidence-Based Complement Altern Med. 2015(Article ID 958727):12 pages.
19.
TracyBL, HartCEF. Bikram yoga training and physical fitness in healthy young adults. J strength Cond Res. 2013;27(3): 822-30.
20.
BhavananiAB, UdupaKM, RavindraPN. A comparative study of slow and fast suryanamaskar on physiological function. Int J Yoga. 2011;4(2):71-6.
21.
TellesS, DashM, NaveenKV. Effect of yoga on musculoskeletal discomfort and motor functions in professional computer users. Work. 2009;33(3):297-306.
22.
DashM, TellesS. Yoga training and motor speed based on a finger tapping task. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999;43: 458-62.
23.
TellesS, SharmaS, YadavA, SinghN, BalkrishnaA. Immediate changes in muscle strength and motor speed following yoga breathing. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014;8(1):22-9.
24.
TellesS, RajeshB, Srinivas. Autonomic and respiratory measures in children with impaired vision following yoga and physical activity programs. Int J Rehabil Heal. 1999;4(2): 117-22.
25.
JeterPE, MoonazSH, BittnerAK, DagnelieG. Ashtanga based yoga therapy increases the sensory contribution to postural stability in visually impaired persons at risk for falls as measured by the Will balance board: A pilot randomised controlled trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0129646.
26.
MohantyS, PradhanB, NagarathnaR. The effect of yoga practice on proprioception in congenitally blind students. Br J Vis Impair. 2014;32(2):124-35.
27.
OldfieldRC. The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. Neuropsychologia. 1971;9(1):97-113.
28.
World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems: 10th revision, Current version, Version for 2006 (Chapter VII, H54). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/classifiations/icd/en/ icdonlineversions/ en/ index.html.
29.
HislopHJ, MontgomeryJ. Daniels & Worthingham's Muscles Testing Techniques of Manual Examination. 8th ed. New Delhi: A Division of Reed Elsiver India Private Limited; 2007.
30.
Lafayette Manual Muscle Test System User Instructions. Indiana: Lafayette Instrument Company. 2012.
31.
MacDermidJC, EvenhuisW, LouzonM. Inter-instrument reliability of pinch strength scores. J Hand Ther. 2001;14(1):36-42.
32.
StraussE, ShermanEMS, SpreenO. A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary. 3ed ed. Oxford University Press; 2006.
33.
TuncayC, BelginB, AydinM, BergunM, AydinO. Physical fitness levels of blind and visually impaired goalball team players. Isokinet Exerc Sci. 2004;12:247-52.
34.
KarakayaIC, AkiE, ErgunN. Physical fitness of visually impaired adolescent goalball players. Percept Mot Skills. 2009; 108(1):129-36.
35.
AkiE, AtasavunS, TuranA, KayihanH. Training motor skills of children with low vision. Percept Mot Skills. 2007;104(3 Pt 2):1328-36.
36.
ChenaCC, LinSY. The impact of rope jumping exercise on physical fitness of visually impaired students. Res Dev Disabil. 2011;32(1):25-9.
37.
Ka-YoungS, Eun-HiC, Jong-YoubL, Ah-RaC, Young-HoL.\linebreak Effects of Indoor Rowing Exercise on the Body Composition and the Scoliosis of Visually Impaired People: A Preliminary Study. Ann Rehabil Med. 2015;39(4):592-8.
38.
El-KatabS, OmichiY, SrivareeratM, DavenportA. Pinch grip strength as an alternative assessment to hand grip strength for assessing muscle strength in patients with chronic kidney disease treated by haemodialysis: a prospective audit. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015: [Epub ahead of print].
39.
ReddyTP. Effect of yoga training on handgrip, respiratory pressures and pulmonary function. Br J Sports Med. 2010; 44(1).
40.
TellesS, SinghN, BhardwajAK, KumarA, BalkrishnaA. Effect of yoga or physical exercise on physical, cognitive and emotional measures in children: a randomized controlled trial. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2013;7(37).
