Taking people in United StatesNo phase

Online Tai Chi classes for knee osteoarthritis pain

Tests online Tai Chi added to usual care for knee osteoarthritis pain.

Key facts

Who runs it: Tufts Medical Center
Where: Boston, United StatesSee the site
Trial code: NCT06384898
Registry title: Remote Tai Chi for Knee Osteoarthritis
Status: Recruiting
People taking part: 480 people, planned
Started: 21 Jan 2025
Expected to end: 10 Dec 2027
Type of study: Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested: Remote Tai Chi
Record updated: 8 October 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults aged 50 or older with knee osteoarthritis and knee pain. They take part in online Tai Chi classes or continue routine care.

Age: 50 Years to 100 Years
Sex: All
Disease stage: A doctor has diagnosed knee osteoarthritis. A score of 40 or greater on at least 1 item of the WOMAC pain scale (0 to 100).
Earlier treatment: People who have had a total knee replacement cannot join.

Main reasons for not taking part

Already doing Tai Chi now
Serious health problems that make Tai Chi unsafe, such as dementia, active cancer treatment or psychosis
Total knee replacement in the past or planned during the study
Cannot walk alone or get up from a chair without help
Severe depression (BDI-II score of 29 or more) or thoughts of suicide

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 15 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

Adults aged 50 years or older with clinician diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis
Active patient within a participating healthcare system
A score of 40 (visual analog version) or greater on at least 1 item of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale (range of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater pain)
Ability to provide informed consent
Access to a telehealth-capable device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone
Ability to complete study procedures remotely in English
If randomized to the Tai Chi group, willing to comply with the Tai Chi program (twice-a-week remote sessions for 12 weeks)
If randomized to the Routine Care group, willing to abstain from Tai Chi programs until completion of the study

Who cannot take part

Prior total knee replacement or planned total knee replacement during the study period
Concurrent participation in another interventional trial within 30 days before enrollment
Serious medical conditions (e.g., dementia, significant neurological deficits or neurodegenerative disorder, active cancer treatment, psychosis, sensory deficits) limiting the participant's ability to participate in the Tai Chi safely, as determined by the principal investigators
Current participation in Tai Chi practice
Inability to ambulate independently or rise from a chair without assistance
Reports severe depression defined by a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) score of 29 or more
Reports suicidal ideations defined by a score on BDI-II item of 2 or 3 ('I would like to kill myself' or 'I would kill myself if I had the chance')

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

Are you between 50 and 100 years old?

Where in United States

Tufts Medical CenterBoston, United StatesContact: Sherwood Alexis, MHA, MBATaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The goal of this pragmatic randomized trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of remote Tai Chi to treat knee pain in adults with knee osteoarthritis. The main questions the trial aims to answer are:

Read full original descriptionShow less

* Compared to routine care, will patients with Knee OA receiving remote Tai Chi exhibit greater improvement in knee-related pain (WOMAC pain score, primary outcome), pain interference (PROMIS-Pain Interference, secondary outcome), and health-related quality of life at 3 months? * Does remote tai chi decreases healthcare utilization and analgesic use over the one-year study period?

Researchers will compare remote Tai Chi added to routine care to routine care alone to see if remote tai chi works to treat knee osteoarthritis pain. Participants will participate in remotely delivered web-based tai chi sessions, twice a week for 12 weeks, or will continue to receive routine care. Participants will be followed for 12 months after randomization.

The 2 groups in the trial

Tai Chi + Routine CareTreatment being tested
The intervention will be delivered via a HIPAA-secure web-based video platform. All remote Tai Chi sessions will be 60 minutes, twice a week, for 3 months. All program components will use the Yang style Tai Chi, and every session will include warm up, review of principles, meditation with movement, breathing techniques and relaxation.
Treatment: Remote Tai Chi
Routine CareNo study treatment, for comparison
Participants will be encouraged to continue their ongoing care for Knee OA by their providers. In addition, primary care providers and other participating clinicians in the health system will receive information from the study team on routine care or "2019 ACR Guideline-Based Care." At the end of the 12-month trial period, routine care participants will be offered access to recordings for the full 3-month Tai Chi program (24 sessions).