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


Author: Yang Yang1, Sydne McCluskey2, Mohamad Bydon3, Jaspal Ricky Singh4, Robert D Sheeler5, Karim Rizwan Nathani3, Ana C Krieger6, Neel D Mehta7, Joshua Weaver8, Libin Jia9, Sharon DeCelle10, Robert C Schlagal11, Jay Ayar12, Sahar Abduljawad13, Steven D Stovitz13, Ravindra Ganesh14, Jay Verkuilen15, Kenneth A Knapp12, Lin Yang16, Roger Härtl17

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies, 151 E 81st St 7D, New York, NY 10028, United States.

<sup>2</sup> Educational Psychology Program, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Av, New York, NY 10016, United States.

<sup>3</sup> Department of Neurological Surgery, Neuro-Informatics Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.

<sup>4</sup> Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E. 68th St, New York, NY 10065, United States.

<sup>5</sup> Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, Next Level Concierge Care, 10250 N 92nd St Suite 210, Scottsdale, AZ 85258, United States.

<sup>6</sup> Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 East 61st St - 5th floor, New York, NY 10065, United States.

<sup>7</sup> Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pain Management, Och Spine at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, 240 East 59th St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, United States.

<sup>8</sup> Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1305 York Ave, Floor 2, New York, NY 10021, United States.

<sup>9</sup> Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Dr. 1W704, Rockville, MD 20850, United States.

<sup>10</sup> Private Practice, 309 E Holmes St, Urbana, IL 61801, United States.

<sup>11</sup> Department of Reading Education and Special Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, 4717 Valero Ct, Laredo, TX 78046, United States.

<sup>12</sup> Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, 40 Sunshine Cottage Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States.

<sup>13</sup> Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mill City Clinic, 901 South 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55415, United States.

<sup>14</sup> Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.

<sup>15</sup> Educational Psychology Program, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016, United States.

<sup>16</sup> Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Cancer Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Oncology and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 5th Floor, Holy Cross Centre, Box ACB, 2210 - 2 St. SW, Calgary AB T2S 3C3, Canada.

<sup>17</sup> Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Spine Surgery, Och Spine at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, 525 East 68th St, Box 99, New York, NY 10065, United States.
Conference/Journal: N Am Spine Soc J
Date published: 2024 Sep 8
Other:
 Volume ID: 20   ,  Pages: 100557   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.xnsj.2024.100557.   ,  Word Count: 301  
    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.



Keywords: Back pain; Meditation; Mind-body; Nonpharmacological intervention; Qigong; Randomized controlled trial; Tai chi; Telerehabilitation.



PMID: 39469294 PMCID: PMC11513803 DOI: 10.1016/j.xnsj.2024.100557