Does yoga reduce the risk of falls in older people?

Correspondence to: G Tew garry.tew@northumbria.ac.uk What you need to know Exercise programmes that involve balance and functional exercises are effective at preventing falls in older people living in the community Yoga provides small to moderate improvement in balance and mobility in this population, but there is lack of evidence on effect of yoga on falls Health professionals can recommend yoga to older people to promote physical function and mental wellbeing if there are no clinical contraindications, but there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend yoga specifically for preventing falls Nearly a third of people aged over 65 years and over half of people older than 80 have a fall at least once a year.123 Falls and fall related injuries can be life changing and may result in chronic disability, admission to assisted living, or death. Table 1 Summary of systematic reviews of the impact of yoga on risk factors for falling in older people Study Size Care provided Key results Uncertainty Intervention Comparison Youkhana et al 201616 Systematic review of yoga on balance and mobility in people aged ≥60 years 6 RCTs (n=307) Physical yoga, excluding yoga involving meditation and breathing exercises alone. Methodological quality of studies was moderate to high (≥6 on 11-point PEDro scale) Insufficient data to assess the impact of programme and participant characteristics on effect estimates Sivaramakrishnan et al 201910 Systematic review of yoga on physical function and HRQoL in people aged ≥60 years Physical function: 17 RCTs (n=967) Yoga interventions Active (e.g. walking) and inactive controls were included. Table 2 Relevant ongoing randomised trials of yoga for people aged 60 years and over Trial name Location Participants Care provided Outcomes Intervention Comparison Primary Secondary SAGE – Successful AGEing yoga trial9 Australia 560 community-dwelling people aged ≥60 years Group based yoga programme including postures to challenge balance and build leg strength (80 sessions (2 per week over 12 months) + home practice) Self managed yoga relaxation programme with content that emphasises breathing and relaxation Falls over 12 months (self reported using monthly falls calendars) Mental wellbeing, physical activity, HRQoL, self efficacy for activity-specific balance, physical function, pain, sleep quality, healthcare resource use The Gentle Years Yoga Trial11 UK 586 community-dwelling people aged ≥65 years with ≥2 chronic conditions Usual care + group