Yoga dramatically helps severe arthritis

My sister 32-year old Shivani, once a brilliant student of political science and a skilled exponent of Indian classical dance, started suffering from rheumatoid arthritis 12 years ago.

The first signs of the disease appeared while she was taking her final undergraduate examinations. She knew her dreams of pursuing higher studies would remain unrealized. She was selected in one of the top institutions to do her masters but she could not even get out of the car and walk up to see her name among the selected candidates on the notice board of the institution of her choice.

With all kinds treatments and physiotherapy notwithstanding her active arthritis just would not abate and it pained as if a “fully loaded truck was passing over me in slow motion”, she recalls.

She was left a cripple with severe deformities of the limbs at the joints, no cartilage left to cushion the movement, but contractures and thinning, ever wasting bones. All surgeons were of the same opinion - go for TKR, total knee replacement. But there was a lurking fear that artificial joints might not work on a frail frame she had, my internet research warned me.

That was till about a year back before Yoga happened to us. While I put my sister on the pranayama, the breathing exercises regime, I joined the classes to learn the system. I became a practitioner and a teacher of Yoga.

Shivania’s deteriorating condition was checked in about two months and she could feel the signs of recovery. Her limbs started loosening up at the joints. Painkillers were forgotten and steady progress became a reality.

Shivani still finds it little difficult to do physical exercises, hence she has slow progress. But a definite one at that.

Yoga has been transforming Shivana when nothing else would work.

Add comment June 6th, 2006 Written By: lalitgambhir