A Tai chi and qigong mind-body program for low back pain: A virtually delivered randomized control trial.

Background: Mind-body treatments have the potential to manage pain, yet their effectiveness when delivered online for the treatment of low back pain (LBP) is unknown. We sought to evaluate whether a virtually delivered mind-body program integrating tai chi, qigong, and meditation (VDTQM) is effective for treating LBP.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial compared VDTQM (n=175) to waitlist control (n=175). Eligible participants were at least 18 years old, had LBP for at least 6 weeks, were not pregnant, had not previously taken tai chi classes, and had not undergone spine surgery within 6 months. The treatment group received a 12-week VDTQM program in live online 60-minute twice-weekly group classes from September 2022 to December 2022. All participants continued their usual activities and care. Primary outcome was pain-related disability assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity, sleep quality, and quality of life (QOL). Intent-to-treat analyses were conducted.
Results: Of the 350 participants 278 (79%) were female, mean age was 58.8 years (range: 21-92), 244 (69.7%) completed the 8-week survey, 248 (70.9%) the 12-week, and 238 (68%) the 16 -week. No participants withdrew due to adverse treatment effects. Compared with control group, treatment group experienced statistically and clinically significant improvement in ODI score by -4.7 (95% CI: -6.24 to -3.16, p<.01), -6.42 (95% CI: -7.96 to -4.88, p<.01), and -8.14 (95% CI: -9.68 to -6.59, p<.01) points at weeks 8, 12, and 16, respectively. Treatment group also experienced statistically significant improvement at all time points in the other outcomes.
Conclusions: Among adults with LBP, VDTQM treatment resulted in small to moderate improvements in pain-related disability, pain intensity, sleep quality, and QOL. Improvements persisted 1 month after treatment concluded. These findings suggest VDTQM may be a viable treatment option for patients with LBP. Trial registration: clincaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT05801588.
Competing Interests: Funding came from Qi Balance LLC. The curriculum was designed and taught by Dr Y. Yang, and is based on Chen Style Tai Chi and Hunyuan Qigong. Dr Y. Yang is the director of both Qi Balance LLC which funded the study, and the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies, a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization with a focus on researching the health benefits of Chinese healing and martial arts. Dr Y. Yang teaches tai chi/qigong for a living but received no remuneration for designing and teaching the tai chi/qigong exercises reported herein; he is the author of the book Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, the Science of Power, and tai chi/qigong instructional videos, reports professional fees for teaching tai chi/qigong for a cancer research project at University of Oakland and a cancer research project at University of Calgary, honorarium from Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine for lecturing, teaching fee from Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health outside the submitted work; Dr. Schlagal reports professional fees for teaching tai chi/qigong for cancer research at University of Calgary outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest.
(© 2024 The Author(s).)