BACKGROUND: Benefits of yoga practice in patients with knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis remains controversial. This study performs a meta-analysis to quantify the efficiency of yoga exercise for patients pain reduction, functional recovery, and general wellbeing. METHODS: A computerized search of PubMed and Embase was performed to identify relevant studies. The outcome measures were pain, stiffness, and physical function. Two investigators identified eligible studies and extracted data independently. The quality of citations was measured using Jadad score. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for pain, musculoskeletal impairment, quality of life, general wellbeing, and mental wellbeing. RESULTS: A total of 13 clinical trials involving 1,557 patients with knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis were included in final meta-analysis with the average Jadad score 2.8. The SMD was -0.98 (95% CI -1.18 to -0.78, p < 0.05) for pain, -1.83 (95% CI -2.09 to -1.57, p < 0.05) for functional disability, was 0.80 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.01, p < 0.05) for Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) general health, 0.49 (95% CI 0.14 to 0.82, p < 0.05) for SF-36 mental health, and HAQ was -0.55 (95% CI -0.83 to -0.26, p < 0.05) for health associated questionnaire (HAQ). All the results favor yoga training group. CONCLUSIONS: Regular yoga training is helpful in reducing knee arthritic symptoms, promoting physical function, and general wellbeing in arthritic patients.

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