Consistent practice of Hatha yoga can be an effective tool in treating symptoms of hip osteoarthritis in middle aged people.

My goal is to teach various asana to my client in order to relieve pain associated with hip osteoarthritis and to teach tools to use on her own outside of scheduled sessions with a Yoga Therapist. We will meet weekly for 30 min over the course of 4 weeks and use a pre- and post- scale to assess pain and symptoms before and after intervention.

Description: 49y female Medical History: History of HTN, hypoactive thyroid and anxiety Medications: Amlodipine, Benazepril, Synthroid, Lexapro, Vit D, Vit B12, Omega-3 Symptoms: Bouts of intermittent depression and anxiety due to changes implemented post-pandemic (business shut down, working from home, child at home w/ virtual school for 1 1/2 years) Current Treatment and Plan of Care: Lexapro and inconsistent yoga, meditation and exercise; also sees MD regularly for hypertension and thyro

I envisioned working with this client weekly for 30 min each over 4 weeks to focus on asana to help improve hip pain as a result of diagnosed hip osteoarthritis. I carefully planned each session to focus on stretching from all areas the hip region and lumbar in order to reduce chronic pain in my client. Asanas included: Warrior 1/2, Trikonasana, Utthan Pristhasana, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana, etc. Each session started with a quick warm up, a few sun salutations to warm up and then moved into hip specific asana working on all ROM (flexion/extension, internal/external rotation, abduction/adduction and circumduction). Research has shown the efficacy of yoga and yoga therapy on improving the symptoms associated with arthritis (Moonaz et al., 2015).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25834206/

With this client I solely used the Hatha branch of yoga to support her. We focused just on asana itself to reduce pain as a result of hip osteoarthritis.

This client was a lot of fun to work with and I feel very passionate about working with clients suffering from arthritis. I enjoyed designing these sessions and felt that she benefited a lot from them.

I strongly encouraged this client to keep performing the same types of yoga movements/asanas that I taught her as part of her yoga practice in order to manage her symptoms. I recommended she join Steffany Moonaz' email list and take part in some of the online Zoom classes she offers for those suffering from arthritis as well. I offered to continue working with her on a weekly basis as well.

Yes, I applied my intended plan with each session. I believe the goal was achieved and my client was able to feel the immediate benefits for the practice in her body. She was a good student and was able to catch on easily with the movements.

The only thing I needed to adapt were modifications in some of the poses depending on her ROM. Her right side was less mobile than the left so instruction and modifications were needed for each side as we moved through each asana. I learned that people suffering from arthritis will generally have one side more affected than the other, therefore, modifications and prop use will always be needed.

Yes, I think moving forward if/when I have a client suffering from the same condition I will approach it the same way. The sessions were fluid, challenging and right to the point. The only thing that would possibly need to be changed is dependent on the severity of the condition in clients going forward. Every person suffering from hip arthritis will have a different level of pain, different sides affected and varying severity so it will always be imperative to start with a simple consult/intake to gauge them before moving into any sessions. It will also be important to have medical clearance from their physician as well.