Tai Chi Helpful for Young Women with Acute Low Back Pain
 
May 15, 2015 - Two Korean universities, Catholic Kwandong University and Daegu Haany University, conducted a study in order to examine the effects of Tai Chi on females in their 20s with acute low back pain. The subjects were 30 females in their 20s with acute low back pain. They were equally and randomly divided into a Tai Chi group and a stretching group. The intervention was applied three times per week, one hour each time, for a total of eight weeks.

At the end of the study, muscle activity and the visual analog scale score significantly decreased in both the Tai Chi group and the stretching group. Regarding changes in balance elements, the Tai Chi group's left and right side movement distance decreased, which was statistically significant. However, the Tai Chi group's forward and backward movement distance and the stretching group's forward and backward movement distance and left and right side movement distance did not change. and the stretching group's forward and backward movement distance and left and right side movement distance did not change.

According to the results of this study, Tai chi is considered an appropriate exercise program to reduce acute low back pain in females in their 20s. This is because when compared with stretching, it enables posture maintenance with lesser force due to decreased muscle activity, it is more helpful for improvements in balance ability, and it is effective in decreasing pain.

Their study is published in the March 2015 issues of Journal of physical therapy science.