Tai Chi for Knee OA Pain Management: a Mechanistic Study

Who can take part

• Postmenopausal women
• WOMAC pain score ≥ 50 on at least 1 of the 5 questions in pain subscale (range of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater pain
• English literacy
• Able to undergo an MRI scan
• Diagnosed Have the following symptoms associated with knee OA based on American College of Rheumatology clinical classification criteria for osteoarthritis (Peat 2006). Pain in the knee. Need to at least 3 of the following: over 50 years of age, less than 30 minutes of morning stiffness, crepitus on active motion, bony tenderness, bony enlargement, or no palpable warmth of synovium

Who cannot take part

• Prior experience with mind-body practice (e.g. TC, Qi Gong, yoga, or acupuncture) or physical therapy programs for knee OA within the past 3 months
• Intra-articular steroid injection or reconstructive surgery on most severely affected knee in the past three months
• Severe medical limitations (i.e., dementia, symptomatic heart or vascular disease, or recent stroke) precluding full participation
• Medical/neurologic or other systemic diseases affecting the musculoskeletal systems (i.e. polio/Parkinson's/multiple sclerosis, etc. in addition to cerebral vascular accident or stroke) and diabetes with peripheral neuropathy affecting their sensory/balance
• Intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections on most severely affected knee in the past six months
• Inability to walk without an assistive device