The Impact of Tai Chi on Physical and Mental Well-being in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Objective The aim is to examine the potential impact of Tai Chi on the enhancement of both physical and mental well-being in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Design In this study, a search was conducted across the databases of PubMed, Cochrane library, and EMBASE. The keywords "Tai Chi" and "knee osteoarthritis" were employed. Results Seventeen randomized controlled trials comprising 980 participants were included. The results indicated that Tai Chi was significantly associated with improvements in various measures, including the WOMAC pain score (WMD -1.87), WOMAC stiffness score (WMD -0.62), WOMAC physical function score (WMD -10.33), SF-36 PCS score (WMD 3.17) , and SF-36 MCS score (WMD 2.31). Furthermore, Tai Chi exercise demonstrated superior performance in the timed up and go test (TUG), while no significant difference was observed in the 6-minute walk test (WMD 10.43). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that Tai Chi may have a significant effect on reducing pain, joint stiffness, and improving physical function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis, as measured by the WOMAC scale. Furthermore, Tai Chi shows promise in enhancing both the physical and mental aspects of quality of life, as well as improving performance in the TUG test.