The Effects of Yoga Exercise on Blood Pressure and Hand Grip Strength in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Pilot Controlled Study

Yen Ting Lai, Hsiao Ling Huang, City C. Hsieh, Chien Hung Lin, Jung Cheng Yang, Han Hsing Tsou, Chih Ching Lin, Szu Yuan Li, Hsiang Lin Chan, Wen Sheng Liu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: We investigated the beneficial effect of add-on yoga with rehabilitation on blood pressure (BP) and hand grip strength in patients with chronic stroke (more than 90 days). Methods: The study included patients 30–80 years of age who could stand independently for 1 min. Patients with psychiatric diseases or undergoing other therapies (like acupuncture) were excluded. The yoga group received training (1 h session twice weekly) with standard rehabilitation for 8 weeks. The control group received standard rehabilitation only. There were no differences in age, gender, hand grip strength, or BP between the two groups (16 subjects in each group) at baseline. Results: The systolic BP (p = 0.01) decreased significantly, and the diastolic BP also decreased but not significantly in the yoga group (p = 0.11). For hand grip strength, both the unaffected hand (p = 0.00025) and the affected hand (p = 0.027) improved significantly. The control group showed no significant change in systolic or diastolic BP, nor did the grip strength change in both hands. Gender and age also affected the results of overall rehabilitation in that women benefited more from a decrease in BP, while men and young people (lower than the mean age of 60) benefited from hand grip strength improvement. Conclusions: Combining yoga with rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients can improve hand grip strength and decrease systolic BP.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1108
JournalInternational journal of environmental research and public health
Volume20
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2023

Keywords

  • blood pressure
  • hand grip strength
  • stroke
  • yoga

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