Tai Chi Mind-Body Therapy for Fibromyalgia

Tai Chi Mind-Body Therapy for Fibromyalgia: a Pilot Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

The purpose of this study is to obtain preliminary data on the effects of Tai Chi on musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep quality, psychological distress, physical performance,and health status in 60 patients with fibromyalgia.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fibromyalgia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Tai Chi Intervention; Behavioral: Control Intervention

Detailed Description

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common, complex chronic condition marked by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, functional impairment, disability, and psychological distress that affects 6-10 million people in the United States (US). There are currently no satisfactory pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments for FM. New cost-effective strategies that reduce musculoskeletal pain and improve emotional and physical functioning as well as quality of life in people with FM are urgently needed.

Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese discipline with both physical and mental components that appears to benefit a variety of chronic conditions. The physical component provides exercise that is consistent with that recommended for FM (muscle conditioning and aerobic cardiovascular exercise), while the mental component has the potential to improve psychological well-being. These effects are especially pertinent for the treatment of individuals with FM.

This is a pilot randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi for fibromyalgia. We plan to enroll 60 patients with fibromyalgia over a two year period. Participants are randomized to either a Tai Chi program or an attention control intervention. Assessments are performed at baseline, week 12 and week 24. This study will provide preliminary data on the potential acceptability and safety of Tai Chi for FM and will help guide the design of a future large-scale study of the efficacy of this alternative therapy.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 66
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02111
      • Tufts Medical Center, Division of Rheumatology

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 21 or older
• Fulfills the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 diagnostic criteria for FM. (1) a history of widespread musculoskeletal pain on the right and left sides of the body as well as above and below the waist for a minimum duration of 3 months, and (2) pain in 11 or more of 18 specific tender points with moderate or greater tenderness reported upon digital palpation.
• Physically able to participate in both the Tai Chi and stretching and education programs according to their primary care physician.
• Willing to complete the 12-week study, including twice-a-week Tai Chi or stretching and education sessions

Exclusion Criteria

• Prior experience with Tai Chi or other similar types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the past 6 months such as Qi gong and yoga since these share some of the principles of Tai Chi
• Any health condition limiting the ability to participate as determined by a primary care physician
• Any other diagnosed medical condition that is known to contribute to FM symptomatology that is not under adequate control or cannot be expected to remain under adequate control for the study period such as thyroid disease, inflammatory arthritis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, myositis and vasculitis or Sjogren's syndrome
• Not English-Speaking
• Positive pregnancy test or planning pregnancy within the study period
• Inability to pass the Mini-Mental Status examination (score below 24)
• Enrollment in any other clinical trial within the last 30 days
• Plan to permanently relocate from the region during the trial period

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tai Chi Intervention; The tai chi intervention took place twice a week for 12 weeks, and each session lasted for 60 minutes. Classes were taught by a tai chi master with more than 20 years of teaching experience. In the first session, he explained the theory behind tai chi and its procedures and provided participants with printed materials on its principles and techniques. In subsequent sessions, participants practiced 10 forms from the classic Yang style of tai chi 18 under his instruction. Each session included a warm-up and self-massage, followed by a review of principles, movements, breathing techniques, and relaxation in tai chi. Throughout the intervention period, participants were instructed to practice tai chi at home for at least 20 minutes each day. At the end of the 12-week intervention, participants were encouraged to maintain their tai chi practice, using an instructional DVD, up until the follow-up visit at 24 weeks.	Behavioral: Tai Chi Intervention; The tai chi intervention took place twice a week for 12 weeks, and each session lasted for 60 minutes. Classes were taught by a tai chi master with more than 20 years of teaching experience. In the first session, he explained the theory behind tai chi and its procedures and provided participants with printed materials on its principles and techniques. In subsequent sessions, participants practiced 10 forms from the classic Yang style of tai chi18 under his instruction. Each session included a warm-up and self-massage, followed by a review of principles, movements, breathing techniques, and relaxation in tai chi. Throughout the intervention period, participants were instructed to practice tai chi at home for at least 20 minutes each day. At the end of the 12-week intervention, participants were encouraged to maintain their tai chi practice, using an instructional DVD, up until the follow-up visit at 24 weeks.
Placebo Comparator: Control Intervention; Our wellness education and stretching program similarly included 60-minute sessions held twice a week for 12 weeks.19 At each session, a variety of health professionals provided a 40-minute didactic lesson on a topic relating to fibromyalgia, including the diagnostic criteria; coping strategies and problem-solving techniques; diet and nutrition; sleep disorders and fibromyalgia; pain management, therapies, and medications; physical and mental health; exercise; and wellness and lifestyle management.20 For the final 20 minutes of each class, participants practiced stretching exercises supervised by the research staff. Stretches involved the upper body, trunk, and lower body and were held for 15 to 20 seconds. Participants were instructed to practice stretching at home for 20 minutes a day.	Behavioral: Control Intervention; Our wellness education and stretching program similarly included 60-minute sessions held twice a week for 12 weeks.19 At each session, a variety of health professionals provided a 40-minute didactic lesson on a topic relating to fibromyalgia, including the diagnostic criteria; coping strategies and problem-solving techniques; diet and nutrition; sleep disorders and fibromyalgia; pain management, therapies, and medications; physical and mental health; exercise; and wellness and lifestyle management.20 For the final 20 minutes of each class, participants practiced stretching exercises supervised by the research staff. Stretches involved the upper body, trunk, and lower body and were held for 15 to 20 seconds. Participants were instructed to practice stretching at home for 20 minutes a day.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Change From Baseline of Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Score	Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is a well-validated, multidimensional measure of the overall severity of fibromyalgia as rated by patients. Categories include the intensity of pain, physical functioning, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, depression, anxiety, job difficulty, and overall well-being.21 The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms.	wks 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Change From Baseline of VAS Physicians' Global Assessment of Fibromyalgia Severity	Physicians' global assessment score was assessed separately by the study physician, who was unaware of the group assignment, with the use of a visual-analogue scale (VAS) (range, 0 to 10,with higher scores indicating greater pain).	Wks 12
Mean Change From Baseline of Patient's Global Assessment Score	Patients' global assessment score was assessed separately by the participant, who was unaware of the group assignment, with the use of a visual-analogue scale (VAS) (range, 0 to 10,with higher scores indicating greater pain).	12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline PSQI Score	The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-report measure of sleep quality(range, 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality)	12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline of 6-Minute Walk Test		12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline SF-36 Score Physical Component	The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Physical Component is the summary score for the physical quality-of-life components (range, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status)	12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline SF-36 Score Mental Component	The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Mental Component is the summary score for the mental quality-of-life components (range, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status)	12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline CES-D Score	The Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D) Depression Scale (range, 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating more severe depression), is a self-report measure of depressive symptoms.	12 weeks
Mean Change From Baseline CPSS Score	The Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSS) is a self-report score measuring self-efficacy with respect to chronic pain (range, 1 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy).	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Tufts Medical Center
• Collaborators: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH); American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wang C, Collet JP, Lau J. The effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Mar 8;164(5):493-501. doi: 10.1001/archinte.164.5.493.
• Wang C, Roubenoff R, Lau J, Kalish R, Schmid CH, Tighiouart H, Rones R, Hibberd PL. Effect of Tai Chi in adults with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2005 May;44(5):685-7. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keh572. Epub 2005 Mar 1. No abstract available.
• Wang C. Tai Chi improves pain and functional status in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: results of a pilot single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Med Sport Sci. 2008;52:218-229. doi: 10.1159/000134302.
• Wang C, Schmid CH, Rones R, Kalish R, Yinh J, Goldenberg DL, Lee Y, McAlindon T. A randomized trial of tai chi for fibromyalgia. N Engl J Med. 2010 Aug 19;363(8):743-54. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0912611.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 9, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 9, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): August 13, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 8, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 9, 2016
• Last Verified: February 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Fibromyalgia; Myofascial Pain Syndromes
• Other Study ID Numbers: R21AT003621 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)