Tele-yoga in the management of Ankylosing Spondylitis amidst COVID pandemic: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) often report mental and physical problems and have a poor quality of life (QoL). This study intended to investigate the efficacy of a 3-months tele-yogic intervention on the disease activity, inflammatory markers, and mental health measures in patients with AS. Hundred and twenty AS patients were assigned to either the yoga intervention or control arm. The yoga intervention arm (YG) (n = 57) received a 60-minutes structured yoga module for 3-months on online in addition to standard medical care. The control (CG) participants (n = 52) followed only standard care for the same period. BASDAI, BASFI, ASQOL, psychological and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed at baseline and three months. YG showed significant improvement in BASDAI (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.0004), and depression (p = 0.001) at 3-months compared to the baseline. The CG showed no change. After 3-months, the intervention resulted in a significant improvement in BASDI (-0.79; 95% CI (-1.3, to -0.29); p = 0.0021),BASFI (-0.86; 95% CI (-1.59, to -0.14); p = 0.0193), anxiety (-0.42; 95% CI (-0.84 to -0.01); p = 0.0468), and AS-QoL (-3.37; 95% CI (-5.21, to 1.53); p = 0.0004) compared to the CG. The present study suggests that Yoga helps to improve the pain, functional index, and mental health among patients with AS. The tele-yoga intervention is feasible and effective in the management of AS.