Tai chi exercises may help back pain
Monday, 9 January 2012
Tai chi exercises may help back pain.
Within any given three-month period, about 25 percent of American adults deal with back pain for at least one day, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. This makes it one of society's most common health problems. Now, a new study from Australia demonstrates how tai chi exercises can help alleviate back pain.
After seeing the positive results tai chi had on patients with arthritis in a previous trial, a team of scientists decided to assess the regimen's impact on back pain, according to Arthritis Today. They experimented on 160 individuals diagnosed with chronic lower back pain. About one-half of them were assigned to tai chi classes, while the rest continued their usual workout routines.
At the end of the 10-week trial, those who took tai chi experienced a 23 percent improvement in pain and a 32 percent reduction in disability.
"We would expect disability to improve because tai chi involves physical activity and exercise, and this would improve people's ability to do physical tasks around the house, sports, work, etc," said researcher Chris Maher, PhD.
Some experts say tai chi can help back pain by strengthening the core muscles, thereby lightening the load on the lumbar spine, and increasing mind-body awareness.
