August 24, 2010 – The practice of tai chi would soothe chronic pain in people with fibromyalgia, according to a small American study1.
Half of the 66 study participants – all with fibromyalgia – took part in tai chi sessions for 12 weeks. The other half took a course in coping skills and pain management techniques.
After 12 weeks, 79% of participants who indulged in tai chi experienced improvements in sleep, mood, quality of life and physical abilities.
Conversely, only a proportion of 39% of participants in the control group reported a similar improvement in their health.
Even more, 3 months after the end of the study, the benefits of tai chi were still felt in 82% of tai chi followers, against 53% for the others.
To come to this conclusion, the researchers asked people to complete a questionnaire that rated their symptoms on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the number, the more serious symptoms it corresponded to.
The study found that the average fibromyalgia symptom score among people who practiced tai chi dropped from 63 to 35, while it fell only from 68 to 59 among others.
The authors cannot specify which tai chi-specific exercises are the most beneficial for alleviating musculoskeletal pain in people with fibromyalgia.
They nevertheless believe that this ancient practice of this martial art – which combines slow movements, meditation, deep breathing and relaxation – seems favorable to psychological well-being, to greater self-confidence, in addition to ” help patients overcome their fear of suffering.
Carole Boulé – PasseportSanté.net
1. Chenchen Wang, MD, MPH, et al. A randomized trial of tai chi for fibromyalgia, The New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 363: 743-54.
