Treating Painful Knee Osteoarthritis

Exercise is usually recommended for people with knee osteoarthritis. The idea is to increase (or at least maintain) muscle strength to support the joint. But rather than strengthening exercises, there's another way to help the osteoarthritic patient - tai chi. This is according to a report from Dr Chenchen Wang of Tufts at the American College of Rheumatology meeting.

Forty patients with knee osteoarthritis, and a body mass index (BMI ) of 40 or more (i.e. quite obese) were randomly allocated to perform 1 hour twice weekly of either group tai chi sessions or stretching exercises. During the study, which lasted 12 weeks, they received education on osteoarthritis, diet and nutrition, and physical and mental health.

At the study's end the stretching group remained similar in their symptoms to their scores at baseline, whereas the tai chi group had a statistically significant decrease in pain scores. Tai chi was also significantly superior in improving physical function overall, and producing a greater decrease in depressive symptoms.

Tai chi obviously has benefits for seniors - it seems to lower blood pressure and increase immunity, for instance. Recently it's been reported to help asthmatic patients. It seems to combine many of the good effects of exercise without stressing the muscles and joints. Give it a try!