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Preliminary Study on Acupuncture Combined with Grain-sized Moxibustion for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Finger Joint Pain
Published on: May 16, 2025
Tai chi for rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review
M S Lee1, M H Pittler, E Ernst
1Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter & Plymouth, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, EX2 4NT, UK. myeong.lee@pms.ac.uk; drmslee@gmail.com
Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
|July 20, 2007
Summary
This review found limited evidence that tai chi benefits rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Current studies are low quality, showing no significant pain reduction, so tai chi
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease causing joint inflammation and pain.
- Effective management strategies for RA are continuously sought, including non-pharmacological interventions.
- Tai chi, a mind-body exercise, is explored for its potential therapeutic benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review controlled clinical trials evaluating tai chi's effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- To assess the methodological quality of available studies on tai chi for RA.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive systematic searches of multiple electronic databases (Medline, Pubmed, AMED, etc.) and hand-searches were conducted up to January 2007.
- Included studies were controlled clinical trials (RCTs and CCTs) of tai chi for RA patients.
- Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad score.
Main Results:
- Two RCTs and three CCTs met inclusion criteria.
- Included RCTs suggested potential benefits of tai chi for RA disability, quality of life, depression, and mood.
- However, two RCTs found no significant effectiveness of tai chi for pain reduction compared to control groups.
Conclusions:
- The current body of evidence on tai chi for RA is limited and of low methodological quality.
- The available data is not sufficiently convincing to support tai chi as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
- Further high-quality research is needed to establish the true value of tai chi in RA management.
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