Performance Chiropractic and Sports Care » knee pain http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:04:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 New Study Finds Tai Chi Can Help to Decrease Knee Osteoarthritis Pain http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org/knee-pain/new-study-finds-tai-chi-can-help-knee-osteoarthritis-pain http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org/knee-pain/new-study-finds-tai-chi-can-help-knee-osteoarthritis-pain#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:56:00 +0000 admin http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org/?p=290
Knee X-ray

Knee X-ray

People that are at least 65 years of age or older with knee osteoarthritis (OA), that practice Tai Chi, improve their physical performance and experience a decrease pain, according to a new Tufts University School of Medicine study. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that produces an erosion of joint cartilage. Chiropractors help a large number people who suffer with OA in a number of regions of the body, including the knee joints. Knee pain and disability is one of the most prevalent conditions of the musculoskeletal system, second only to spinal complaints. In fact, an extraordinary 4.3 million individuals in the U.S. over 60 years of age have been diagnosed with knee OA, according to the CDC, and it conjectures that half of the men and women in America may suffer from symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. Knee osteoarthritis results in pain, mobility limitations, dysfunction and disability, and a diminished quality of life.

You may be asking why so many people develop OA. Excessive stress over time is a major element in the majority of musculoskeletal conditions that develop as we age. That is why as people age they are more at risk for developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Abnormal mechanics of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as an offset of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all create excessive stress on the knees. Eventually arthritic changes in the knee joint develop. As an adjunct to chiropractic treatment, chiropractors wholeheartedly endorse natural, drug-free practices, such as Tai Chi (Chuan), that can mitigate knee pain. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements that create mental relaxation, as well as increased balance, an increase in strength, and more flexibility.

Though in good health otherwise, the 40 men and women with confirmed OA that were selected for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Individuals were selected at random to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.

Tai Chi practice involves the type of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is compatible with contemporary exercise recommendations for osteoarthritis. Furthermore, researchers found that the “mental aspect” of Tai Chi promoted a sense of well-being, life contentment, and impressions of health that aided the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Significantly, the group practicing Tai Chi displayed a substantial decrease in knee pain compared with those in the control group.

Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

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