It is as effective as standard physical therapy, and is a viable alternative, say researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine.
They tested it on 204 people with knee osteoarthritis, who had 12 weeks of Tai Chi twice a week or standard physical exercise. Their pain and movement were measured on a scoring system that encompassed pain levels, function, depression, quality of life and pain medication.
Those who did Tai Chi reported a score that improved by 167 points while those who had physical therapy reported an improvement of 143 points. The Tai Chi group also suffered fewer episodes of depression, and both groups reduced their use of pain medication.
(Source: proceedings of the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, San Francisco, November 7th, 2015)
