EFFECTS OF ADD-ON NÄDÄNUSANDHÄNA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES AND LUNG FUNCTION IN THE REHABILITATION OF SPINAL CORD INJURED INDIVIDUALS: A PILOT STUDY

We hypothesised that Nadanusandhana, a yogic technique of meditation, has an effect on:
1. Psychological variables i.e. depression, stress and anxiety (measured by the DASS 21)
2. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) (measured by a peak flow meter)

Participants:
People with SCI undergoing rehabilitation (n=44) at Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation, Training and Research (SVNIRTAR), Odisha, India

Selection of the Subjects:
Screening using medical records
Consent obtained
Randomisation of the sample into 2 groups [experimental (n=22), control (n=22)]

70 % attendance was required for the participants to be included in post intervention data analysis. Pre data was taken for both groups including DASS 21 score, PEFR and demographic information before the study commenced. Post scores were taken after 1 month of intervention. The participants evaluation tool was done at the start of the second week for the experimental group only.

Findings:
1. A significant improvement was noted in PEFR of the experimental group
2. There was no significant change within groups but a greater mean percentage reduction in Depression, Anxiety and Stress in the yoga/experimental group compared to the control.
3. Weak positive correlation between the mean scores of the Participant Evaluation tool and the DASS 21 mean scores