Study evaluates feasibility of using T'ai Chi to improve chronic low back pain in older adults

A new study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of using T'ai Chi to improve chronic low back pain in adults over 65 years of age compared to health education and usual care. The results of this randomized controlled trial are published in JACM, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, dedicated to paradigm, practice, and policy advancing integrative health. Click here to read this article free on the JACM website through March 11, 2020.

T'ai Chi has been shown effective for improving chronic back pain yet with little attention to older adults. For this study researchers Karen Sherman, PhD and colleagues from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and University of Washington, Seattle, focused only on adults older than 65. They present their study design and findings in the article entitled "T'ai Chi for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: A Feasibility Trial."

Participants were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of T'ai Chi, a 12-week health education intervention, or usual care. Measures of recruitment and retention contributed to the determination of feasibility. The findings indicate that the study was feasible and had acceptable recruitment, few dropouts, and an excellent safety profile. Among the T'ai Chi participants, 62% attended at least 70% of the classes during the 12-week intervention period. Remarkably, at 52 weeks, 70% of T'ai Chi participants reported having practiced the week before, with a median of 3 days per week and 15 minutes/session. Both participation and perception of helpfulness were lower in the health education group.

More research is needed on treatments for chronic low back pain in older adults. Our study showed that it's feasible to do a clinical trial of T'ai Chi for this condition."

Karen Sherman, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

JACM Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com, Seattle, WA, states: "Many of us have become familiar with pictures of large groups of older people in China or Hong Kong practicing T'ai Chi together. Dr. Sherman's work suggests that older adults here in the United States may similarly find such practices acceptable and useful."

Source:
Journal reference:

Sherman, K.J, et al. (2020) T'ai Chi for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: A Feasibility Trial. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. doi.org/10.1089/acm.2019.0438.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Weight loss drug semaglutide may offer relief for knee arthritis pain