Short-Term Effectiveness of Yoga Practice According To The "Yoga In Everyday Life®" System On The Static and Dynamic Balance of The Elderly: A Randomized Clinical Study

Introduction: In the aging process, many older adults face problems in static and dynamic balance, which in turn leads to a higher risk of falls. Yoga practice has been successfully integrated into the physiotherapy treatment of the elderly with poor balance. Methods: We conducted a randomized clinical study and classified 40 elderly and 65 years of age with balance problems according to the principles of stratified randomization into study (20) and control group (20). The study group received 3 times a week of regular yoga practice over a 4-month period, the control group was not physically active. Results: At the end of the study, the subjects in the study group had a statistically significantly (p <0.05) better result of the functional range test standing on one leg (open / closed eyes) compared to the subjects in the control group. who are not physically active. The study group also had a statistically significant (p <0.05) decrease in falls after the end of the study, compared to the control group, where the number of falls even increased. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, we conclude that the integration of yoga into balance-oriented exercise in old age is important for maintaining balance and consequently reducing the number of falls.