Does tai chi help for the pain and decreased function associated with osteoarthritis?
In 2007, Fransen et al., published their clinical findings in Arthritis and Rheumatism. They reported that patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis who were given access to tai chi or hydrotherapy classes received large and sustained clinical improvements in pain and function when compared with a similar group of patients who were put on a waiting list for the same classes. Another 2007 study by Brismee et al. found that patients with knee osteoarthritis who went to 40-minute tai chi sessions three times a week for six weeks, followed by another six weeks of home tai chi training had lower pain and improved function when compared with a similar group of patients who only received health lectures as their treatment intervention. In 2008, Lee, Pittler, and Ernst published a study in Clinical Rheumatology that reviewed the available literature on the effectiveness of tai chi for osteoarthritis. They included five randomized clinical trials and seven non-randomized clinical trials in their
