A supplemental report to a randomized cluster trial of a 20-week Sun-style Tai Chi for osteoarthritic knee pain in elders with cognitive impairment.
Author: Tsai PF1, Chang JY2, Beck C3, Kuo YF4, Keefe FJ5, Rosengren K6.
Affiliation:
1College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St. Slot 529, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA. Electronic address: tsaipaofeng@uams.edu. 2Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St. Slot 510, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA. Electronic address: jychang@uams.edu. 3Department of Geriatrics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St. Slot 808, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA. Electronic address: Corneliabeck@uams.edu. 4Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX 77555, USA. Electronic address: yokuo@utmb.edu. 5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Duke University Medical Center DUMC 3159, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Electronic address: francis.keefe@duke.edu. 6Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson St. Madison, WI 53706, USA. Electronic address: krosengren@wise.edu.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Med.
Date published: 2015 Aug
Other:
Volume ID: 23 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: 570-6 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.06.001. , Word Count: 194
OBJECTIVE:
This was a secondary data analysis of a cluster-randomized clinical trial that tested the efficacy of a 20-week Sun-style Tai Chi (TC) program in reducing pain in community-dwelling elders with cognitive impairment and knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study also examined whether elders' level of cognitive function was related to the outcomes of the TC program.
METHOD:
Elders (N=55) were recruited from 8 study sites. Each site was randomly assigned to participate in either a 20-week TC or an education program. Verbal report of pain was measured by a Verbal Descriptor Scale (VDS) at weeks 1, 5, 9, 13, 17 and 21 (designated as times 1-6). Pain behaviors and analgesic intake were also recorded at times 1-6.
RESULTS:
At post-test, scores on the VDS and observed pain behaviors were significantly better in the TC group than in the control group (p=0.008-0.048). The beneficial effects of TC were not associated with cognitive ability.
CONCLUSION:
These results suggest that TC can be used as an adjunct to pharmacological intervention to relieve OA pain in elders with cognitive impairment.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
Clinical Trial.gov NCT01528566.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Cognitive impairment; Knee osteoarthritis; Pain behavior; Pain report; Tai chi
PMID: 26275650
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