For Immediate Release
Can T'ai Chi Alleviate Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults?
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
Can T'ai Chi Alleviate Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults?New Rochelle, NY, February 11, 2020—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. 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. 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.” About the Journal About the Publisher |