The Effects Of Ai-Chi On Patients With Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Background:Chronic non-specific low back pain(CNLBP)is one of the most common,costly,and dysfunctional sickness among chronic health problems worldwide.Multiple clinical guidelines consistently recommend exercise therapy,including water exercise therapy,as a first-line management protocol.In recent years,Ai-Chi(AC)also named as water-based Tai Chi that has been emerged as a new form of aquatic therapy which has aroused widespread interest among researchers at home and abroad in the promotion of "body-mind".However,whether the effect of Ai-Chi on CNLBP is superior or non-inferior to the other conventional treatments remains to be studied.The aim of this study conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of Ai-Chi on patients with CNLBP.The findings should provide the theoretical and practical references for the clinical application of Ai-Chi in CNLBP Purpose:The purpose of this study are to evaluate the effects of Ai-Chi on pain,dysfunction,quality of life,and posture control ability in patients with CNLBP,and to verify the additional psychological and emotional benefits of Ai-Chi.Method:Forty-five eligible CNLBP patients were randomly allocated into the Ai-Chi group(n=18),core stability training group(n=18),and the physical modalities treatment group(n=9).All participants of these three groups were treated for 6 weeks,3 times per week.Pain level,dysfunction,quality of life,and postural stability test(PST)on Biodex Balance System were evaluated before the intervention,after the intervention,and after 6 weeks of follow-up.SPSS25.0 was used for statistical analysis for data processing,generalized estimation equation was used for comparison of differences in main outcomes,and repeated measurement analysis of variance or Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of differences in secondary indicators or explore outcome.P <0.05 indicates significant statistical significance.Result:After the subjects completed the 6-weeks intervention,the improvement of pain level(p=0.018),dysfunction(p=0.038),and posture control ability(p=0.03)in the AiChi group is significantly better than that in the physical modalities group;The Ai-Chi group is significantly superior to the core stability training group in dysfunction(p=0.047),psychological emotion(p=0.025)and postural control ability(p=0.002).Compared with physical modalities group,the improvement of the pain level(p <0.001),dysfunction(p = 0.025),and posture control ability(p <0.001)in the Ai-Chi group are also significantly improved after 6 weeks of follow-up.In terms of psychological emotion(p = 0.022)and posture control ability(p = 0.02),they were still significantly better than the core stability training group.Conclusion:1)For physical modalities treatment,Ai-Chi could significantly improve the pain level,dysfunction and posture control ability of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain;2)Compared with core stability training,Ai-Chi can significantly improve the psychological and emotional status,dysfunction and posture control ability of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain.