Tai chi exercise for treatment of pain and disability in people with persistent low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of tai chi exercise on persistent low back pain.


METHODS
We performed a randomized controlled trial in a general community setting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Participants consisted of 160 volunteers between ages 18 and 70 years with persistent nonspecific low back pain. The tai chi group (n = 80) consisted of 18 40-minute sessions over a 10-week period delivered in a group format by a qualified instructor. The waitlist control group continued with their usual health care. Bothersomeness of back symptoms was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity and pain-related disability. Data were collected at pre- and postintervention and analyzed by intent-to-treat.


RESULTS
Tai chi exercise reduced bothersomeness of back symptoms by 1.7 points on a 0-10 scale, reduced pain intensity by 1.3 points on a 0-10 scale, and improved self-report disability by 2.6 points on the 0-24 Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire scale. The followup rate was >90% for all outcomes. These results were considered a worthwhile treatment effect by researchers and participants.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first pragmatic randomized controlled trial of tai chi exercise for people with low back pain. It showed that a 10-week tai chi program improved pain and disability outcomes and can be considered a safe and effective intervention for those experiencing long-term low back pain symptoms.
The George Institute for Global Health and University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. amandahall@georgeinstitute.org.au
Amanda M
AM
Hall
Chris G
CG
Maher
Paul
P
Lam
Manuela
M
Ferreira
Jane
J
Latimer
D000328:Adult; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D026302:Tai Ji; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome