"No Pain, More Gain": Subjective Responses to a T'ai Chi and Qigong Program For Back Pain

Yang Yang¹, Karen Caldwell², Robert C Schlagal³, Sharon DeCelle⁴, Seymour Simmons 3rd⁵, Lin Yang^{6

7}, Sahar Abduljawad^{8

9}, Jay Ayar⁸, Jaspal Ricky Singh¹⁰, Robert Sheeler¹¹, Patricia R Flynn¹², Kenneth A Knapp⁸, Roger Härtl¹³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies, New York, NY, USA.
² Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA.
³ Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA.
⁴ Private Practice, Urbana, IL, USA.
⁵ Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, USA.
⁶ Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Cancer Care Alberta, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁷ Departments of Oncology and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁸ Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
⁹ College of Health Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Lith, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹¹ Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
¹² Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
¹³ Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Spine Surgery, Och Spine at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 41041080
PMCID: PMC12484913
DOI: 10.1177/27536130251384679

"No Pain, More Gain": Subjective Responses to a T'ai Chi and Qigong Program For Back Pain

Yang Yang et al. Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2025.

. 2025 Sep 30:14:27536130251384679.

doi: 10.1177/27536130251384679. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies, New York, NY, USA.
² Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA.
³ Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA.
⁴ Private Practice, Urbana, IL, USA.
⁵ Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, USA.
⁶ Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Cancer Care Alberta, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁷ Departments of Oncology and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁸ Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
⁹ College of Health Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Lith, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹¹ Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
¹² Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
¹³ Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Spine Surgery, Och Spine at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 41041080
PMCID: PMC12484913
DOI: 10.1177/27536130251384679

Abstract

Background: Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Multidisciplinary approaches to chronic pain can support resilience in recovery of functioning. The ancient arts of t'ai chi and qigong have been touted for centuries as multimodal approaches to health and healing. An RCT of an on-line t'ai chi and qigong program for individuals with chronic low back pain found clinically significant improvements in pain, physical function, and quality of life. The program consisted of the integrated practice of t'ai chi movement and the stillness of qigong practice. Meditations in the program focused on developing positive mental attitudes to support resilience in managing the emotional challenges of pain and disease.

Objective: The purpose of the current qualitative study aimed to better understand participants' experiences during the online Heal and Strengthen the Spine with T'ai Chi and Qigong (HSSTQ) program.

Methods: Written feedback was received from 96 program participants, and semi-structured interviews were completed with 20 participants. Interviews were transcribed and coded based upon the written feedback and interview questions. A thematic narrative was developed from the coded segments of texts and reviewed by participants in a member check.

Results: Three interlocking themes characterized the experiences of participants in the program: (1) participants learned skills to relieve back pain including moderation in movement; (2) the holistic nature of the program enabled a range of benefits for participants beyond pain reduction; and (3) personal healing experience, the enthusiasm of the instructor, the program itself, and available staff resources motivated individuals to participate.

Conclusion: The conclusion from this study and the initial RCT is that a virtually delivered integrated tai chi, qigong, and meditation program may be a viable treatment option for adults with low back pain.

Keywords: back pain; mind-body; qigong; qualitative study; telemedicine; t’ai chi.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

1. GBD 2021 Low Back Pain Collaborators . Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990-2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023;5(6):e316-e329. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00098-X - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force . Pain management best practices inter-agency task force report: updates, gaps, inconsistencies, and recommendations. Published online May 2019. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pain-mgmt-best-practices-draft-f...
1. Shurtleff D. Closing remarks. In: 18th Annual Pain Consortium Symposium on Advances in Pain Research, Bethesda, MD, June 6–7, 2023.
1. Qin J, Zhang Y, Wu L, et al. Effect of tai chi alone or as additional therapy on low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine (Baltim). 2019;98(37):e17099. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000017099 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Wayne PM, Kaptchuk TJ. Challenges inherent to t’ai chi research: Part II—defining the intervention and optimal study design. J Altern Complement Med. 2008;14(2):191-197. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.7170B - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- PubMed Central

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

"No Pain, More Gain": Subjective Responses to a T'ai Chi and Qigong Program For Back Pain

Affiliations

"No Pain, More Gain": Subjective Responses to a T'ai Chi and Qigong Program For Back Pain

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources