Tai Chi and Pain Reduction: Some Tentative Suggestions

While chronic musculoskeletal pain can discourage sufferers from physical mobility, it has nonetheless been known for some time that physical exercise can have beneficial effects on osteoarthritis and chronic lower back pain. However, it has not been clear from previous studies precisely what the term ‘exercise’ entailed. A new meta-analysis conducted by a team at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia, hints that the gentle Chinese martial-art derivative, Tai Chi, may result in noticeable, if small, pain reduction.

The team made a systematic review of studies involving patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who had also taken up Tai Chi as part of their pain management strategy. The study focused on seven randomized controlled trials – a total of 321 patients were included. One of the studies investigated patients with chronic tension headaches, the others on patients with chronic arthritis.

Although the study was small and of limited methodological rigor, some tentative if modest trends emerged from the Sydney team’s meta-analysis results. Pooling the effects of Tai Chi using a scale ranging from 0 -100, the study found a collective score of 10.1 for pain reduction and 9.6 for disability diminution.

The researchers are aware of the small scoring, but emphasize that there is no consensus on just what constitutes a clinically worthwhile outcome. Some researchers suggest that the results are slightly below the ‘worthwhile’ threshold for pain and disability reduction, but other benefits may also accrue. As the team points out, Tai Chi is convenient, enjoyable and inexpensive; and furthermore reportedly enhances mental well-being, Thus, Tai Chi becomes more significant as one of the tools used to ameliorate pain.

More significant results emerged when the effects of Tai Chi on levels of tension and general health in arthritis patients were explored, and the patients with chronic tension headaches showed significantly improved mental health.

The improvements were measured directly after the Tai Chi ‘treatment’ and so provide only a snapshot of the short-term effects – longer term data from follow-ups were not available to the researchers. Even so, the team believes that Tai Chi emerges as a method which produces small but discernible pain and disability reduction effects, although it was not possible with the data examined to draw any inferences about its possible impact on other painful musculoskeletal conditions.

Future studies with higher sample sizes and better, more consistent methodologies will, the Sydney team believes, give much more accurate estimates on the possible positive effects of Tai Chi on pain management.

As a relatively gentle exercise which involves toning and strengthening muscle groups, Tai Chi is most unlikely to cause any damage to arthritis sufferers and may well be of noticeable benefit. Every method which contributes in some small way to the reduction of pain is likely to be welcomed by sufferers. While the results of the Sydney team’s tests are in no way conclusive, they do contribute to the growing belief within the medical community that exercise may hold significant benefits for arthritis pain sufferers.

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