Abstract
Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor-positive, early-stage, and metastatic breast cancer. Although effective, the risk of falls due to AI-associated knee joint pain significantly increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of yoga and massage on AI-associated knee joint pain. Breast cancer survivors were randomly assigned to a 6-week yoga intervention-2-week rest-6-week massage exposure (Yoga first, n = 30) or a 6-week massage intervention-2-week rest-6-week yoga exposure (Massage first, n = 30). Evaluations of the treatment efficacy were made at baseline, post-intervention, and post-exposure using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale, plasma cytokine levels, and changes in meridian energy. The results showed that yoga, superior to massage intervention, significantly reduced AI-associated knee joint pain, as demonstrated by the WOMAC pain score. The yoga intervention improvements were also associated with changes in plasma cytokine levels and meridian energy changes. In conclusion, this study provides scientific evidence that yoga was more effective than massage for reducing AI-associated knee joint pain. Meridian energy changes may provide another scientific, objective, non-invasive way to monitor the therapeutic effects of yoga and investigate another alternative, complementary medicine.
Highlights
Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor-positive, early-stage, and metastatic breast cancer
The average WOMAC pain score for the AI-associated knee joint pain decreased from 9.3 ± 2.8 at baseline to 4.2 ± 2.2 after yoga intervention in the Yoga first group (p = 1.211 × 10−10) during the intervention period
The WOMAC pain scores decreased to 3.6 ± 2.1 after the 1-week rest and 6-week yoga exposure in the Massage first group, proving no group arrangement bias
Summary
Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor-positive, early-stage, and metastatic breast cancer. The risk of falls due to AI-associated knee joint pain significantly increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of yoga and massage on AI-associated knee joint pain. This study provides scientific evidence that yoga was more effective than massage for reducing AI-associated knee joint pain. The scale used for joint pain evaluation might not have reflected the joint function[21] Another single-arm study revealed that yoga significantly improved the worst AI-associated joint pain. More scientific evidence for evaluating the effects of yoga intervention is required This randomized, controlled study aims to evaluate the efficacy of yoga compared to massage for relief of AIassociated knee joint pain. This is the first assessment of meridian energy to measure the efficacy of yoga
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