An Integrated Methodology to Assess Compliance with Delphi Survey Key Components of Yoga Interventions for Musculoskeletal Conditions as Applied in a Systematic Review of Fibromyalgia Studies

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article was to present a methodology incorporating existing guidelines and tools for systematic reviews and to evaluate the Delphi survey 33 key component recommendations of yoga interventions for musculoskeletal conditions as a tool for a systematic review in fibromyalgia studies.

Data sources: Databases searched included PubMed, Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ALT HealthWatch, PEDro, and Web of Science.

Article selection: Selected were articles published between November 14, 2004 and November 13, 2014, written in English, reporting original research of yoga interventions for adults with fibromyalgia.

Data extraction and synthesis: Six articles met the inclusion criteria, revealing that three yoga styles ("Relaxing" yoga, Yoga of Awareness, and Hatha yoga) have been assessed in persons with fibromyalgia. Overall, reporting compliance with the 33 key components ranged from 39.4% to 84.8%, with a mean adherence rate of 62.63% ± 17.74. None of the authors used an accepted reporting guideline; specific components of asana, pranayama, relaxation, and mindfulness practices that would have been incorporated into the interventions tested were identified in only 33.33% of the articles reviewed; and none of the articles included detailed, replicable descriptions of the interventions.

Conclusions: This systematic review supports the need for comprehensive yoga research guidelines. Findings reveal a lack of reporting of intervention details, the need to report a disease-specific rationale for selection of the particular yoga style used for the intervention, and that a limited number of yoga styles have been investigated in persons with fibromyalgia.

Keywords: Yoga; complementary therapy; fibromyalgia; musculoskeletal condition; systematic review.