Alice Park discusses in her article titled, “Why Tai Chi Works So Well For Pain Relief”, about the benefits that can be gained from practicing tai chi for fibromyalgia or chronic pain. Tai chi is used to promote physical and psychological health. There is new research published in the British Medical Journal that suggests tai chi can be effective for managing fibromyalgia symptoms. Up until this point, there hasn’t been rigorous trials to suggest the benefits of tai chi for fibromyalgia. In this study, researchers observed 226 participants that had fibromyalgia. Participants were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise routine or one of the four given tai chi sessions for the first 12 to 24 weeks. Measurements of pain and psychological effects were taken at the beginning of the study and at 12, 24, and 52 weeks.
After participating in the exercise regimes of aerobic activity or tai chi, all participants reported a decrease in their fibromyalgia symptoms, but those practicing tai chi stated higher levels of improvement in their control of symptoms after 24 weeks. The measurements they observed were related to pain intensity, ability to function, fatigue, morning fatigue, depression, functioning at work, and sleep. Participants in the tai chi group that practiced the exercise for a longer period of time showed more improvement than those who did it only for a shorter period of time. Dr. Chenchen Wang, the director of the Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, stated that the participants who were assigned to tai chi found it to be more enjoyable than the aerobic exercise and found benefits in the social aspect of the practice and ability to do it at home with friends and family. Dr. Wang suggests that these findings demonstrate that providers should find an exercise routine that fits the needs of their patients with fibromyalgia.
Participants in both groups continued to take their prescribed medications but in that year, some were able to decrease their pain killers, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and other drugs. There were not enough participants to determine what exercise regime caused the largest reduction in medications. Dr. Wang believes tai chi is particularly helpful because it is both physical and psychological in nature. Some participants in the aerobic exercise group had to stop because of the strain from those suffering from chronic pain. Wang believes that since the results of this study shows improvement in symptoms when practicing tai chi for those with fibromyalgia, it may be able to help more people increase their quality of life if they partake in it.
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