Tai Chi Can Treat Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults

A feasibility study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests engaging in tai chi can protect against developing chronic low back pain in old age, reports MENAFN . The researchers assessed the martial art's effects on 65-year-olds with chronic low back pain compared to the impact of health education and usual care. Participants were randomly assigned to 12 weeks in one of those three regimes. Sixty-two percent of tai chi participants attended at least 70 percent of the classes during the intervention period. At 52 weeks, 70 percent of those participants reported having practiced the week before, with a median of three days weekly and 15 minutes per session. Participation and perception of helpfulness were reduced in the health education cohort. "Though 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 tai chi for this condition," said Washington University's Karen Sherman.