Chair yoga for arthritis
In a trial of 131 older adults with lower-limb osteoarthritis, chair yoga twice a week for 8 weeks brought less pain interference than health education, through 3 months, with no change in balance. The CDC says joint-friendly activity can improve pain, function, mood and quality of life for people with arthritis. Our cards say how to adapt each move for knees, hips and wrists.
What the sources say
Joint-friendly physical activity can improve pain, function, mood and quality of life for people with arthritis.
The CDC's examples of low-impact activity that is easy on the joints are walking, bicycling and swimming.
Chair yoga in 131 older adults with lower-limb osteoarthritis, 45 minutes twice a week for 8 weeks, against health education: pain interference was lower through 3 months; pain, walking speed and fatigue improved during the program but not after it; balance did not change.
Park et al., Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2017, A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Chair Yoga
Among adults with arthritis who were physically active in the past month, walking was the most common activity, at 70.8%.
CDC, MMWR, 2021, Walking and Other Common Physical Activities Among Adults with Arthritis
The numbers, worked out
| Move | What the move's card says | Days of 28 |
|---|---|---|
| Seated march | Hips: keep the lift small if a hip feels pinchy. | 10 |
| Heel dig stretch | Sensitive knees: keep your knee bent. | 10 |
| Seated figure four | Sensitive knees: do not press on the bent knee. | 10 |
| Seated figure four | Sensitive hips: keep the lean tiny or skip it. | 10 |
| Seated leg extension | Knees: stop short of fully straight and stay soft. A small range is fine. | 2 |
| Sit to stand | Sensitive knees or hips: use your hands to help and keep your feet a little wider. | 7 |
| Seated warrior arms | Hips: a narrower foot stance is fine. | 6 |
| Chair side leg lift | Hips: keep the lift small. | 6 |
| Supported calf raise | Sensitive knees: keep your knees soft. | 8 |
| Seated goddess | Hips: open your knees only as far as is comfortable. A narrow stance is fine. | 5 |
| Seated goddess | Knees: keep the knees over the ankles and avoid twisting them. | 5 |
| Hip hinge | Sensitive hips and knees: use a smaller range. | 4 |
| Chair tree | Knees and hips: keep your foot at the ankle, never on the knee. | 3 |
From the chair plan's own cards, with how many of its 28 days have the move.
What to do with it
- Find your joint in the table and read the move's line before you try it.
- Start with a small range. Each move's page has an easier version.
- Stop a move that hurts and go on to the next one.
Go at your own pace with a 28-day chair plan
Short daily sessions at home, a step harder as you get stronger.
Stop if anything hurts, or if you feel dizzy, short of breath or chest pressure.
General information, not medical advice.