Assignment 21: Annotated Bibliography 3

Source:

Wims, Mary E., et al. “The Use of Yoga by Physical Therapists in the United States."

International Journal of Yoga Therapy, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 69–79.

Summary:

Yoga focuses on multiple aspects of the human body and includes breath work, meditation, and poses. The practice parallels the integral parts of movement and breathing in a physical therapist's (PT) plan of care. Though, it is unknown how PTs implement yoga in their plan of care. The purpose of this study was to determine how PTs in the US view yoga as a PT tool and how they use yoga therapeutically. Results were received from participants from 47 states, who replied to a survey via electronic communications through the sections of the American Physical Therapy Association. All participants were asked about general demographics, personal yoga practice, and use, exposure and opinion of therapeutic yoga. It was found that almost three-quarters of PTs report using therapeutic yoga. Of these PTs, about one-third use asana (poses) and pranayama (breath work) only. Within the past month of the survey, less then half of the PTs reported using therapeutic yoga in their direct patient care more than four times, and a quarter reported between two and four times. One in five reported once, and the remainder reported no use within the year. Reports were then gathered on the attitudes and concerns about yoga. "It was found that those who incorporate therapeutic yoga feel strongly about its benefits of alignment, balance, breathing and breath regulation, flexibility, and relaxation." Though there are many benefits of yoga, there are common concerns by PTs who implement yoga in their plan of care and of those who do not. Common concerns were unfamiliarity with using yoga therapeutically, patient's lack of interest, and lack of research support for efficacy. Based on the results of the research, it was found that PTs specializing in a variety of practice areas utilize yoga in their therapeutic practices. Looking on the changes in healthcare needs, the blending of yoga into PT practice is a compelling treatment approach. Although resources were sufficiently allocated to create the most effective research, there were some confounding variables that may have skewed results. Since there were only 333 participants, it was not a large enough population to represent all physical therapists. Additionally individuals who implement therapeutic yoga may have been more likely to respond to the survey than those who do not; a common challenge with survey research.

Potential Quotes:

"Yoga focuses on the mind, body, and spirit, and includes breath work (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), and poses (asana)."

"Yoga is purported to facilitate both a decrease in cortisol levels and stress and as well as an increase in dopamine, serotonin, and antioxidant levels, thereby warranting its role as a strong modality in fighting chronic pain conditions."

"Most therapists also incorporate additional elements such as concentration/focus, heightened sensory awareness, and/or meditation."

"According to the results of our survey, physical therapists specializing in a variety of practice areas have embraced tenets of yoga in their therapeutic practices."

Assessment:

This is a reliable source because the research was conducted by Mary E. Wims, Shayla M. McIntyre, Ann York, and Laura G. Covill. These researches have credible backgrounds and worked with Des Moines University and the American Physical Therapy Association, a notable college and group of physical therapist. To further validate the credibility of this source, I found this on Galileo under "Academic Journals," which narrows down my searches to reliable sources. Galileo is a site offered by my school system, which allows me to access more than what common search engines, such as Google, offers.

Reflection: This fits into my research of personalizing a plan of care, because it shows that yoga may be something that PTs should start implementing into their practice. PTs can evaluate their patients by reviewing if they are on track for recovery, and if they are not, yoga might be something that may personalize their patient's plan of care and put them on the road to recovery. I can use this source in my project when I am talking about what is used in a plan of care -- modalities, strength training, etc. I can design a plan of care and implement the difference practices and analyze how yoga may affect a patient.