BACK PAIN and Tai Chi & qigong
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BACK PAIN and TAI CHI!

Prevention Magazine reported a study where, after one year of Tai Chi classes, a group of men and women ages 58 to 70 found increased strength and increased flexibility in their back, helping to reduce the odds of back pain.


NIH (National Institutes of Health)
Tai chi exercise for treatment of pain and disability in people with persistent low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
CONCLUSION: 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.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22034119


Tai Chi Shown to Ease Back Pain
Research shows that tai chi can be effective for managing the persistent low-back pain that many people experience.
-- Arthritis Today, January, 2012



Results found that the majority of these articles showed movement-based mind-body interventions to be effective for treatment of low back pain, reporting positive outcomes such as reduction in pain or psychological distress such as depression and anxiety, reduction in pain-related disability, and improved functional ability. Among the key findings, researchers discovered that longer duration and high-dose yoga intervention showed reductions in back pain while tai chi reduced acute lower back pain in males in their 20s. Tai chi also was more effective than stretching for lower back pain in young males. In the general community, tai chi showed greater reductions in pain intensity, bothersomeness of pain symptoms, and pain-related disability than the control intervention. Because there are only three qigong studies to date, it was unclear to the researchers whether this intervention is useful in treating chronic lower back pain. Existing research suggests positive benefits of yoga, however, tai chi and qigong for lower back pain are still under-investigated.
-- SCIENCE DAILY, Feb. 6, 2020



Most alternative treatments have either not been scientifically tested or subjected to limited investigations, says Arthritis Research UK.
Of 25 therapies, only a handful were judged to have enough medical evidence to support their use.
These included acupuncture, massage, tai chi and yoga ...

For sore backs, yoga and acupuncture appeared the most effective, and there was some evidence to also support the use of osteopathy and relaxation therapy as well as the Alexander technique which focuses on posture and movement.

Lower back pain was the most investigated condition, with 75 trials of 14 different therapies across over 11,600 participants.
According to the lead author of the report, Dr Gareth Jones from the University of Aberdeen, there is very little evidence for most complementary therapies ...

"But there are some exceptions, like acupuncture and the whole body therapies like massage and tai chi, which do appear to work."
-- BBC News Online, Health Editor, Jan. 8, 2013



ScienceDaily (June 17, 2009) — A new study by The George Institute for International Health has found Tai Chi to have positive health benefits for musculoskeletal pain. The results of the first comprehensive analysis of Tai Chi suggest that it produces positive effects for improving pain and disability among arthritis sufferers.

The researchers are now embarking on a new trial to establish if similar benefits can be seen among people with chronic low back pain.




BACK PAIN & T'AI CHI HEALTH ARTICLES:
1. Atchison, J.W., Taub, N.S., Cotter, A.C., & Tellis, A. (1999). Complementary and alternative medicine treatments for low back pain. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: State of the Art Reviews, 13(3):561-86, 1999 Oct, 13(120 ref), 561-586.

2. Bankhead, C. (1998). T'ai chi helps lower BP in elderly, showing benefit of light physical activity. Medical Tribune, 39(8):10, 1998 Apr 16, 39(8), 10

3. Koh, T.C. (1982). Tai Chi and ankylosing spondylitis--a personal experience. Am J Chin Med JID - 7901431, 10(1-4), 59-61.

4. Abenhaim, L., Rossignol, M., Valat, J., Nordin, M., Avouac, B., Blotman, F., Charlot, J., Dreiser, R.L., Legrand, E., Rozenberg, S., & Vautravers, P. (2000). The role of activity in the therapeutic management of back pain: report of the International Paris Task Force on Back Pain. Spine, 25(4S Suppl):1S-33S, 2000 Feb 15, 25(119 ref), 1S-33S.

 


FIND MUCH MORE RESEARCH AT THE "QIGONG INSTITUTE DATABASE"
Since 1984, collecting breaking medical/science research on Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Mind-Body Education
Click here  for Qigong Institute Database...


YOGA RESEARCH ON BACK PAIN ...
.Yoga helps relieve chronic back pain
Yoga can help people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine, low back pain, and many other types of chronic pain conditions. A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that among 313 people with chronic low back pain, a weekly yoga class increased mobility more than standard medical care for the condition. Another study published at nearly the same time found that yoga was comparable to standard exercise therapy in relieving chronic low back pain.

A meta-analysis of 17 studies that included more than 1,600 participants concluded that yoga can improve daily function among people with fibromyalgia osteoporosis-related curvature of the spine. Practicing yoga also improved mood and psychosocial well-being.
-- HARVARD HEALTH PUBLISHING


* NOTE: World Tai Chi & Qigong Day advises consulting your physician before beginning any new exercise, herbal, diet, or health program. The research listed here is meant to stimulate a discussion between you and your physician, health insurance carrier, etc., not as medical advise. Research and comments provided here are hoped to stimulate a more robust discussion of powerful natural mind/body health tools. Popular media, health media, and government must increase attention to stunning emerging research, including the UCLA study indicating Tai Chi participants enjoyed a 50% increase in immune system resistance to viral infection.

To learn more about tai chi & qigong medical research, see the below book,
"the complete idiot's guide to tai chi & qigong,", and also
"Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi," and
"The way of qigong: the art and science of chinese energy healing."