People suffering from diseases that cause pose them to chronic pain resort to different techniques to cope with it. The medication is one of them, but also physical exercises are recommended to manage the pain. Now, a study published in the British Medical Journal points out that Tai Chi treats chronic pain better than aerobics, especially in patients with fibromyalgia.
Physical exercises for treating chronic pain
Aerobic exercise is one of the alternative treatments for chronic pain but for many patients practicing this activity is quite difficult and painful.
Some previous studies already suggested that Tai Chi, a martial art from ancient China, also has positive effects on chronic pain, in addition to improving the physical and mental health of practitioners.
However, just now it has been scientifically proven that Tai Chi is indeed beneficial against chronic pain and, especially in treating fibromyalgia, a disease that causes widespread pain throughout the body and extreme fatigue, as well.
A group of American scientists showed that Tai Chi treats chronic pain better than aerobics
The researchers recruited 226 patients who had not practiced Tai Chi or any similar activity.
The participants were randomly split into 2 groups, one which was told to practice aerobics, and another which was told to practice Tai Chi for 12 to 24 weeks and a few times a week.
The results showed that the chronic pain decreased in all the participants but those who practiced Tai Chi faced a higher decrease in chronic pain symptoms in comparison to those who practiced aerobics.
Although the results are positive, there was no control group (placebo group) and the participants knew since the beginning what will happen in the study.
However, the researchers considered the result good enough to conclude that Tai Chi treats chronic pain even better than aerobics or other forms of physical activity, especially in patients suffering from fibromyalgia.