tai chi and pain

Tai Chi Beneficial For Chronic Neck Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

Tai Chi Minnesota PainLast week we shared a story on how yoga may be helpful for individuals with low back pain. Today, we’re learning of new research out of Harvard that suggests another form of low-intensity exercise may be beneficial for people with chronic neck pain.

To better understand the benefits of the ancient martial arts technique, researchers gathered a group of 114 individuals who were at least 18 years old and who suffered from nonspecific chronic neck pain for at least three months. Half of the group was asked to participate in regular Tai Chi classes for a period of 12 weeks, while the other half acted as the control group.

It may not sound shocking that individuals in the Tai Chi group had better outcomes than individuals who did nothing to improve their condition, but that’s what researchers discovered.

“The study showed that 12 weeks of Tai Chi was more effective than no treatment to improve pain, disability, quality of life and postural control in persons with chronic neck pain,” said Peter M Wayne, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in the US.

Something Better Than Nothing

The news about Tai Chi having benefits for neck pain isn’t revolutionary, but it speaks to the larger point we try to express to our patients – that you need to put in the work if you want to take control of your pain. Your pain isn’t going to resolve simply by sitting down and popping a pill, you’re going to need to take an active role in pain management.

The researchers went on to say that Tai Chi was no better or worse for chronic neck pain than targeted neck exercises, but it again stresses the importance of strengthening your body to fight back against pain. As we’ve said before, there is no magic pill for chronic pain, and that holds true here. Even low intensity workouts can have amazing physical and psychological benefits. Don’t just hope your neck pain resolves, attack it head on.

Yoga And Acupuncture May Ease Chronic Pain Symptoms

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

Yoga Chronic Pain MinnesotaNew research published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that activities like yoga, Tai Chi and other complementary health approaches may help alleviate discomfort associated with some types of chronic pain.

Lead author Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D., of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggested that activity options like Tai Chi and yoga may help prevent symptoms from chronic pain, especially when paired with other treatment options like regular exercise, a healthy diet and certain pain medications.

“For many Americans who suffer from chronic pain, medications may not completely relieve pain and can produce unwanted side effects,” said Nahin. “As a result, many people may turn to non-drug approaches to help manage their pain.”

Chronic Pain, Yoga and Tai Chi

For their study, researchers identified 150 randomized, controlled U.S. clinical trials conducted over the past 50 years that examined non-drug approaches to chronic pain. Specifically, the research targeted five common sources of pain, which were:

The treatment techniques analyzed were considered effective if patients reported that it led to improvements in pain severity and pain-related disability/function. After looking at the data, researchers found that both yoga and acupuncture were safe and effective for chronic back pain, while Tai Chi and acupuncture may be most beneficial for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Massage therapy was also somewhat beneficial for patients suffering from neck pain when it was managed with one-hour sessions 2-3 times per week.

“These data can equip providers and patients with the information they need to have informed conversations regarding nondrug approaches for treatment of specific pain conditions,” said David Shurtleff, Ph.D., deputy director of NCCIH. “It’s important that continued research explores how these approaches actually work and whether these findings apply broadly in diverse clinical settings and patient populations.”

At the end of the day, the study paints an interesting picture at some non-drug techniques that can be used in conjunction with other lifestyle interventions to provide relief. Simply getting massages or doing some yoga isn’t going to fully rid you of your pain, but it can play an important role in a total pain management plan. There is no magic pill to cure many of the above conditions, but with a multifaceted approach that involves treatment with a physical medicine pain specialist, relief can be found.