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Tai chi soothes arthritis aches
By Chunxiao Li
Carol Buening enjoys tai chi for more than its soothing meditative effects. After five years, she says it is the answer to her arthritis troubles.
Before Buening started tai chi, she had many problems with dexterity and movement.
"I would drop something and I would not understand why," Buening said. Her knees, meanwhile, were the source of constant pain. Buening began practicing tai chi after enrolling in a research program at the University of Missouri-Columbia, but she stuck with it even after the study ended.
By practicing tai chi, Buening's knees no longer hurt. She has improved flexibility in her joints and she no longer drop things. "I think tai chi is good for everyone because it's relatively slow-motioned and uses all parts of your body," Buening said.
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese discipline of meditative movements practiced to exercise both body and mind. Chinese philosophy holds that diseases are caused by the imbalances of "qi," the vital energy of the body. Tai chi movements are designed to achieve the balance of qi in mind as well as in body.
Research on Tai Chi
Buening is not the only one who found that tai chi relieves pain. Research results published last year in Geriatric Nursing, a peer reviewed journal, reported that people 68 to 87 years old with chronic arthritis who practiced tai chi experienced significantly less pain than subjects who did not.
Yet, "more research on the effects of tai chi is needed before recommending it for pain relief and health," the authors wrote, adding that the research was limited by the number of subjects.
Buening says tai chi also offers great spiritual value in addition to physical exercise.
"It's mind-and-body help," says Buening, "We have a meditation time at the very beginning that's really quiet, and you will be working at peace with soothing thoughts."
Research backs up Buening's belief. An article in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society reported that people with osteoarthritis who practiced tai chi for 12 weeks had reduced levels of tension and improved satisfaction and functional mobility. A total of 33 participants with an average age of 68 took part in the randomized and controlled clinical trial. The study concluded that tai chi training is a safe and effective complementary therapy in the medical management of lower extremity osteoarthritis.
It is recommended that arthritis patients talk to their doctors before starting a tai chi program to determine which movements they ought to avoid.
Research Citations
Adler, P., Good, M., Roberts, B., Snyder, S., (2001). Tai chi for elders with chronic arthritis pain. Geriatric Nursing, 22(3).
Hartman, C.A., Manos, T.M., Winter, C., Hartman, D.M., Li, B., Smith, J.C., (2000). Effects of tai chi training on function and quality of life indicators in older adults with osteoarthritis. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48(12): 1553-9.
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