Tai Chi is an approach that integrates mind and body, and appears to be an applicable treatment for older adults with knee osteoarthritis.

An estimated 4.3 million adults over sixty suffer from this form of arthritis. Up to half of U.S. adults may develop symptoms for 85, recently reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wang and colleagues at the Medical School of Tufts University recruited forty patients with a mean age of 65 who were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis.

Half of the group participated in sessions Ynag style Tai Chi for an hour each time, twice a week for a period of three months. The Tai Chi session consisted of ten minutes of self-massage and review, motion half an hour, ten minutes of breathing exercises and ten minutes of relaxation.

Other participants took two sixty-minute classes a week for three months and learned about issues such as diet and nutrition, and treatments for osteoarthritis. They also stretch for twenty minutes.

Participants who practiced Tai Chi had significantly less knee pain than the other group and also reported less depression, more physical function and better overall health.

“Our observations highlight the need to further assess the biological mechanisms and methods of Tai Chi to extend its benefits to a wider population,” Wang said