In 2017, Curtis, K, et. al., conducted randomized controlled trial which has provided evidence that yoga could offer significant psychological benefits for individuals living with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Conducted by a team of researchers led by Kathryn Curtis, this study explored how a specialized yoga program could impact pain, mental health, and mindfulness in SCI patients.

The trial involved 23 participants with SCI who were either outpatients or community members connected to a rehabilitation hospital. They were randomly divided into two groups: one group (n=11) participated in a specialized Iyengar yoga (IY) program, while the other group (n=12) was placed on a six-week waitlist control (WLC). The yoga program was adapted for seated postures and took place twice weekly over a six-week period.

After the IY group completed the yoga sessions, the WLC group was given the same yoga intervention. Data on pain, psychological health, and mindfulness were collected from both groups at several points: before and after the first yoga program, and after the WLC group completed their yoga sessions.

The analysis revealed promising results. Participants in the IY group reported significantly reduced depression scores and higher self-compassion levels compared to the WLC group immediately after the program. When the data from both groups were combined to assess overall changes before and after the yoga intervention, improvements were noted in multiple areas:

• Depression: Participants experienced a reduction in depressive symptoms (F1,14.83=6.62, P<0.05).
• Self-Compassion: Individuals showed increased levels of self-compassion (F1,16.6=4.49, P<0.05).
• Mindfulness: Significant enhancements were observed in mindfulness overall (F1,16.79=5.42, P<0.05), particularly in “mindful observing” (F1,19.82=5.06, P<0.05) and “mindful nonreactivity” (F1,16.53=4.92, P<0.05).

These findings suggest that Iyengar yoga, adapted for people with SCI, not only helps in improving self-compassion and reducing depressive symptoms but may also promote greater mindfulness, which could contribute to better emotional regulation and mental well-being.

While this was a pilot study with a small sample size, the positive results offer hope for yoga as a therapeutic intervention for individuals with SCI. Given the challenges that SCI patients often face—including chronic pain, mental health issues, and limited mobility—this specialized yoga program may provide a valuable tool for improving psychological and emotional outcomes.

The researchers emphasize that more extensive studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to confirm these findings and to explore the long-term benefits of yoga for individuals with SCI. However, the initial results suggest that incorporating yoga into rehabilitation programs could be an effective strategy to enhance mental health and well-being for this population.

This trial opens up new avenues for integrating holistic practices like yoga into traditional medical rehabilitation frameworks, providing SCI patients with additional resources to improve their quality of life.

Reference: Curtis, K., Hitzig, S. L., Bechsgaard, G., Stoliker, C., Alton, C., Saunders, N., & Katz, J. (2017). Evaluation of a specialized yoga program for persons with a spinal cord injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of pain research, 999-1017.