Effect of Yoga on Risk of Fall, Gait Speed, and Quality of Life in Young Old Population: A Clinical Trial.

Background: Ageing leads to changes in the musculoskeletal, vascular, and nervous systems, diminishing strength, balance, and coordination, which increases the risk of fall (RoF), and may result in injuries, fear, and social isolation. Yoga effectively reduces RoF in older adults by improving flexibility, strength, and balance, enhancing stability, confidence, and overall well-being.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a four-week yoga intervention on the RoF, gait speed, and quality of life (QoL) in the young-old population.

Setting: The study was conducted in a single geographical area (Belagavi city, Karnataka, India) from October 2024 to February 2025.

Participants: 23 participants (11 men and 12 women) with mild to moderate balance impairment. Participants are aged 65 to 74 years old. The group had an average BMI of 25.38, was capable of walking 3 meters, and had no serious comorbid conditions. One person was lost to follow-up, and no adverse effects were reported.

Intervention: Participants underwent a week-wise structured yoga intervention: a 30-minute session, thrice a week, for four weeks. Each session included 5 minutes of pre-workout, 20 minutes of yoga asanas, and 5 minutes of cool-down. Asanas progressed weekly in complexity and balance challenge.

Primary outcome measures: RoF using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Gait speed using the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and QoL using the Older People's Quality of Life (OPQOL)-Brief questionnaire.

Results: Yoga intervention showed significant improvements (P < .05) over time in BBS, TUG, and OPQOL-Brief scores.

Conclusion: Yoga intervention led to notable improvements in reducing the RoF, improving gait speed, and QoL from baseline to week 4 among the young-old population.

Keywords: elderly, yoga, risk of fall, gait speed, berg balance scale, quality of life.