A Unique Yoga Meditation Program’s (Yo-Med) Effect on Balance and Proprioception in Older Fallers

Abstract

Falls are a major factor affecting mortality and morbidity in older individuals. Proprioception is a central factor modulating fall frequency and severity. Although specific protocols have been developed to improve proprioception in older fallers, many are too challenging or not palatable to a large segment of the population. PURPOSE: Given the current popularity of yoga, and the effectiveness of mental imaging in training proprioception, this study examined the effectiveness of our newly developed yoga meditation program (Yo-Med) on balance and proprioception in a sample of older persons with moderate risk of falling. METHODS: Sixteen older persons were randomly assigned to one of two training interventions; Yo-Med Group (Yo-Med) or Proprioception Training Group (PT). Each group received 45 minutes of specified training, 3 days per week, for 6 weeks. Pre- and post-training outcome measures were used to quantify the effect of both interventions. Measurements taken included; The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), The Tenetti Balance and Gait Assessment, Dynamic Posturography (Proprio 5000), Joint Position Sense, and Joint Kinesthesia. RESULTS: The primary findings of the study were that neither the Yo-Med or PT intervention groups showed statistical improvements in proprioception tests or field tests of balance. The Proprio 5000 overall dynamic motion analysis score (DMA) showed a significant time by group interaction (ηp2 = .271; p = .039) and the time spent on the test (TOT) showed a trend toward a significant time x group interaction (ηp2 = .221; p = .066), both favoring the Yo-Med group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that our Yo-Med program has the capacity to improve dynamic balance even beyond a standard proprioception training program. The lack of significant findings in our proprioception and field tests were likely due to the healthy nature of our sample and the duration of the intervention. Given our successful results in dynamic balance we suggest that this study be repeated with a larger sample with a greater risk of falls across a longer intervention period.