November 6, 2009 – The practice of tai chi would be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. This is confirmed by the results of a clinical trial1 preliminary conducted by American researchers.
Forty patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, with an average age of 65, participated in the clinical trial. For 48 weeks, 20 of them did tai chi while the rest (control group) practiced stretching exercises and received nutritional and theoretical instructions on osteoarthritis.2.
According to the results, the pain of subjects who did tai chi was reduced by 75%, compared to 13% for those in the control group. The study authors also report that participants in the tai chi group had fewer functional disabilities than those in the control group (4.6 times less).
On 4 occasions during the trial (at the start, then after 3 months, 6 months and 1 year), the researchers subjected the participants to tests designed to assess the intensity of the pain and the functional limitations associated with the osteoarthritis of the knee.
It is not known what are the biological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of tai chi in relieving pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Researchers believe that the movements of tai chi can help improve muscle tone and maintain joint health. They also point out that its more meditative aspects (slowness of movement, concentration, relaxation) probably account for a lot in the beneficial effects, especially in terms of the ability to control chronic pain.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Wang C, Schmid CH, et al. Tai Chi is effective in treating knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct 29; 61 (11): 1545-1553.
2. During the first 12 weeks, the 2 groups participated in 2 weekly sessions of 60 minutes: learning and practice of tai chi for some (10 forms of the classic Yang style), theory classes and learning stretching exercises for others. Subsequently, everyone had to practice at home the techniques learned until the end of the 48e week.