Remote Tai Chi for treating knee pain in osteoarthritis
Remote Tai Chi for Knee Osteoarthritis: An Embedded Pragmatic Trial
NA · Tufts Medical Center · NCT06384898
This study is testing if remote Tai Chi sessions can help adults with knee osteoarthritis feel less pain and improve their quality of life compared to just routine care.
Quick facts
| Phase | NA |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 480 (estimated) |
| Ages | 50 Years to 100 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Tufts Medical Center (other) |
| Locations | 1 site (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| Trial ID | NCT06384898 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This pragmatic randomized trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of remote Tai Chi in alleviating knee pain for adults diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive remote Tai Chi sessions twice a week for 12 weeks in addition to routine care or continue with routine care alone. The study will assess improvements in knee-related pain, pain interference, and health-related quality of life over a 12-month period. The trial will involve 480 diverse patients across four healthcare systems in different geographic regions.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 50 and older with a clinical diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis and significant pain as indicated by a WOMAC score.
Not a fit: Patients currently practicing Tai Chi or those with serious medical conditions may not benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could significantly reduce knee pain and improve quality of life for patients with knee osteoarthritis.
How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown promising results with mind-body therapies like Tai Chi for similar conditions, indicating a potential for success in this approach.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
* Age 50 years or older
* Treating clinician diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis
* Have a score of 40 (visual analog version) or greater on at least 1 of the 5 questions in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale (range of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater pain) at baseline.
* Able to provide informed consent
* If randomized to the Routine Care group, willing to abstain from Tai Chi programs until completion of the study
* If randomized to the Tai Chi group, willing to comply with the Tai Chi program (twice-a-week remote sessions for 12 weeks)
* Has access to a home computer or device that will allow telehealth (bidirectional audio and video) delivery of the intervention
* Is an active patient at one of the 4 participating healthcare system
Exclusion Criteria:
* Currently practicing Tai Chi
* Serious medical conditions (e.g., dementia, significant neurological deficits or neurodegenerative disorder, active cancer treatment, psychosis, sensory deficits) limiting the participant's ability to participate in the Tai Chi safely, as determined by the principal investigators
* Unable to walk without a cane or other assistive device
* Any previous or scheduled knee replacement
* Reports severe depression defined by a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) score of 29 or more.
* Reports suicidal ideations defined by a score on BDI-II item of 2 or 3 ('I would like to kill myself' or 'I would kill myself if I had the chance').
* Not English speaking
* Enrollment in any other clinical trial within the last 30 days
Where this trial is running
Boston, Massachusetts
- Tufts Medical Center — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (RECRUITING)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Chenchen Wang, MD, MSc — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Chenchen Wang, MD, MSc
- Email: Chenchen.Wang@tuftsmedicine.org
- Phone: 617-636-3251
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions: Knee Osteoarthritis, Pragmatic Clinical Trial, Implementation Science, Mind-body Therapies, Tai Chi