Date Presented 04/22/21
This study analyzed the effects of yoga participation with active and passive ergonomic instruction on improving range of motion at the neck and shoulder, decreasing pain, and reducing perceived stress in a group of graduate students. Results show range of motion improvements when yoga and active ergonomic interventions are implemented for graduate students who spend prolonged periods of time sitting. No significant effects of these interventions were seen for pain or perceived stress.
Primary Author and Speaker: David Plutschack
Additional Authors and Speakers: James Wersal
Contributing Authors: Sandra Winter, Sherrilene Classen
PURPOSE: Graduate programs often require students to sit or be sedentary for prolonged periods of time during completion of coursework. Prolonged static postures are associated with poor health outcomes, including musculoskeletal dysfunction, pain, fatigue and psychological stress (Yoo & Ann, 2009). The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of yoga interventions with active and passive ergonomic instruction on cervical and shoulder AROM, pain, and perceived stress in graduate occupational therapy students.
DESIGN: This study used a three groups randomized control trial analyzing AROM, pain, and perceived stress pre and post intervention. Inclusion criteria included: (1) occupational therapy graduate student at private Midwestern university (2) age 18 years and older (3) no preexisting head, neck, shoulder, or back injuries (4) no previous ergonomic education (5) participants do not regularly attend yoga courses/instruction. Twenty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: yoga with ergonomics, active ergonomics, or passive ergonomics.
METHODS: Baseline data encompassed shoulder and cervical ROM, numerical pain scale, and perceived stress. The Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure perceived stress of general life situations (Cohen, 1994). All three groups received an educational handout for safe ergonomic positioning. The yoga group (n = 9) received a 10-minute chair-based yoga instructional video via USB drive to be completed three times a week for four weeks. The video included poses targeting neck and shoulder ROM that could be completed while seated at a desk or in any environment with a chair. In addition, participants of the yoga group attended a one-hour session using a PowerPoint to actively educate on basic ergonomic principles and proper positioning. The active group (n = 9) attended the same one-hour education session, but did not receive the yoga instruction. The passive group (n = 9) only received the handout. Post-test data was collected 4 weeks after the intervention. Mean scores were calculated for raw data of baseline and final ROM measurements for each participant to compare differences across groups. ROM data was grouped into shoulder and cervical measurements and reported as the number of participants who improved or maintained range of motion measures for the ten shoulder and cervical motions. Raw data for pre-post numerical pain scale ratings and the Perceived Stress Scale scores were analyzed with the Wilcoxon Analysis.
RESULTS: The yoga group demonstrated the highest improvement in mean range of motion following the 4-week intervention. In the yoga group, 97.2% of the shoulder ROM measurements (n = 36) remained the same or improved, compared to 91.6% in the active group and 88.8% in the passive group. For the cervical measurements (n = 54), 92.6% of ROM measures remained the same or improved within the yoga group, compared to 83.3% in the active group and 79.6% in the passive group. Pain improved in the yoga and passive group, however results were not statistically significant (yoga group p = 0.492, active group p = 1.00, passive group p = 0.157). Mean perceived stress improved in both the yoga and active group, however, results were not statistically significant (yoga p = 0.574, active p = 0.206, passive p = 0.623).
CONCLUSION: Results of this study show yoga interventions may be beneficial for maintaining or improving shoulder and cervical AROM compared to ergonomic interventions. No significant improvements in pain or perceived stress were found in the three. Occupational therapists should consider using yoga as a method to improve AROM of the shoulder and cervical spine to prevent musculoskeletal injury and improve occupational performance including classroom participation.
References
Cohen, S. (1994). Perceived Stress Scale. Mind Garden. Retrieved from http://www.mindgarde n.com/documents/PerceivedStressScale.pdf
Shetty, S., Pailoor, S., & Venkatachalapathy, M. (2018). Effect of yoga on flexibility and psychomotor performance in college-going healthy individuals. International Journal of Yoga - Philosophy, Psychology, and Parapsychology, 6(1), 51-54. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijny.ijoyp pp_36_17
Yoo, W.-G., & An, D.-H. (2009). The Relationship between the Active Cervical Range of Motion and Changes in Head and Neck Posture after Continuous VDT Work. Industrial Health, 47(2), 183–188. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.47.183
