A new study by Chenchen Wang and colleagues from Tufts University has found that the ancient marital art of Tai Chi may actually help in reducing knee pain.
A new study by Chenchen Wang and colleagues from Tufts University has found that the ancient marital art of Tai Chi may actually help in reducing knee pain.
The study involved 40 patients from the greater Boston area with a mean age of 65 years. All patients had knee osteoarthritis, but were otherwise healthy. The researchers assigned 20 patients to 60-minute Yang style Tai Chi sessions. The patients were randomly selected and were given these sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks.The remaining patients were given 60-minute classes on managing knee OA. At the end of 12 weeks, patients practicing Tai Chi reported massive reduction in knee pain as compared to the control group. "Our observations emphasize a need to further evaluate the biologic mechanisms and approaches of Tai Chi to extend its benefits to a broader population," concluded Wang.
The details of the study appear in Arthritis Care & Research.
Source-Medindia
RAS