Tai Chi Intervention for Geriatric Pain Syndrome

Sponsor
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Study ID
NCT03705598
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Chronic Pain
  • Falls

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
65 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Light physical exercise — BEHAVIORAL
    One hour each session, two sessions each week, for 6 months. Each session will be structured into three 15-minute segments (including warm-up activities/balance exercise/walking, upper and lower body strength exercise/walking, and stretching exercise/balance exercise/walking, respectively), each ending with a short break to record the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), followed by a 5-minute break time or cool-down/wrap-up session. The session will be taught by a certified exercise physiologist and a research assistant.
  • Tai Chi — BEHAVIORAL
    One hour each session, two sessions each week, for 6 months. Each session will be structured into three 15-minute segments (including warm-up activities/balance exercise/breathing exercise, Tai Chi walking drills, and Tai Chi 8-form, respectively), each ending with a short break to record the RPE, and followed by a 5-minute break or cool-down/wrap-up session. The session will be taught by an experienced Tai Chi instructor and a research assistant.

Study Details

Accumulating evidence supports that more pain, whether measured by number of pain sites or pain severity, is associated with poorer cognitive function and mobility, and fall risk in older persons. Tai Chi which holistically integrates physical and cognitive functions offers the possibility not only of alleviating pain but also improving attention and mobility in the many older adults who have chronic multisite pain. This proposed full-size randomized controlled Tai Chi trial is a direct extension of the investigators' previous work examining chronic pain, attention demands, mobility and falls in the older population, and is built on the investigators' National Institute on Aging-supported Tai Chi feasibility and acceptability pilot studies among older adults with multisite pain and risk for falls. The goal of this single-blinded randomized controlled trial is to examine the effects of a 24-week Tai Chi intervention on chronic pain, cognition, mobility, fear of falling, and fall rate in older adults with multisite pain and at risk for falls. The results of this study will provide a foundation to establish the clinical significance of Tai Chi in the management of chronic multisite pain and to explore the mechanisms through which Tai Chi improves chronic pain symptoms and lowers fall rate in at-risk older adults.

Key Dates

First listed
Oct 15, 2018
Start date
Aug 1, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Apr 30, 2030
Completion
Jul 31, 2030

Study Design

Enrollment
266 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Placebo Comparator: Light physical exercise
    Usual-pace walking, strength exercise, stretching exercise, and balance exercise.
  • Active Comparator: Tai Chi
    Tai Chi walking drills and Yang-style Tai Chi 8 forms.

Primary Outcome Measure

Pain severity [ Time Frame: 6 months ]

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