We have recently commenced a new study funded by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and led at Nottingham by Dr Helen Barr from the NIHR Nottingham BRC and the University of Nottingham.
Investigating The Effects of Yoga Practice on Adults with Cystic Fibrosis
The purpose of the study
As you will know, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are usually recommended to do some exercise or physical activity regularly as part of their CF management as there is some evidence that completing exercise is beneficial for your physical and mental health.
There are lots of different options of physical activity, such as running, cycling, aerobics, walking and swimming. Yoga is becoming a popular choice for lots of people, including people with CF, and in the general population there is some evidence that yoga is beneficial for physical issues such as pain and reduced flexibility, some mental health issues and general quality of life. At present, there is little evidence of the effects of yoga specifically for people with CF, and our study is designed to investigate this. We feel that having a better understanding of the effects of yoga on people with CF will help CF clinical teams advise you better on physical activity management strategies.
Our study is being run in collaboration with the online exercise platform BEAM which specialises in exercise and yoga classes for people with CF. We understand that for people with CF it can be hard to attend face-to-face classes due to infection control risks, worries about coughing when exercising and concerns about whether the exercise would be appropriate for someone with CF. Our online yoga programme created by the research team and our BEAM collaborators will be specifically designed for this research, will be run by either instructors with CF or CF-experience and will aim to address particular problems such as breathing control or muscle stiffness that people with CF have reported to us as an issue. Online exercise groups and classes have become more popular during the recent COVID-19 pandemic and have allowed people with CF to mix virtually with peers during sessions, our programme will provide an opportunity for peer support with yoga, should you wish it.
This is a multi-centre research study involving adult CF centres from around the UK. Every centre has their own study coordinator who will be your first point of contact for any queries regarding involvement. The study is being led from the Royal Brompton Hospital by lead physiotherapist, Gemma Stanford and lead physician/investigator Professor Nicholas Simmonds.