Yoga Helpful for Older Women's Incontinence

A randomized trial demonstrated that a yoga program for 56 older women with urinary incontinence reduced instances of unintentional leakage by 76 percent after three months, reports MedPage Today . The average number of weekly incontinence episodes fell from 27 at baseline to seven at the end of the study, and no adverse events attributable to the training happened. Participants were randomized into twice-weekly yoga classes and once-weekly home practice of specialized yoga techniques, or into time-equivalent classes and home practice of nonspecific and stretching exercises. The intervention group was instructed in a specialized yoga program developed by consultants experienced in Iyengar yoga. Training included 15 common yoga poses and stressed exact anatomical alignment during practice of poses. Participants also received an instruction manual developed for the study. In the intervention group, the average number of weekly incontinence episodes declined from 27 at baseline to 7.1 at three months. Among controls, the average number of episodes decreased from 23 to 11, a 56 percent decline. The between-group difference in improvement did not realize statistical significance. Seventeen women in the yoga group and 14 in the control group noted a new health symptom or problem during the study, and nine in the yoga group and eight in the control cohort cited a musculoskeletal symptom or problem. None of these were attributed to the yoga or control program.