Effectiveness of Tai Ji exercise on shoulder, neck and back pain among college students / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore effectiveness of Tai Ji exercise on the shoulder, neck and back pain caused by sedentary lifestyle among college students.@*Methods@#Totally 350 college students with shoulder, neck or back pain were divided into two groups by random number table method (n=175). The control group received no exercise prescription intervention, while the intervention group received Taijiquan exercise for 12 weeks. The changes of cervical Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, lumbar JOA score and VAS score before and after intervention were compared between the two groups.@*Results@#The scores of upper limb motor function, lower limb motor function, sensory function, subjective symptoms, clinical signs and daily activity limitation in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The VAS score of the intervention group after intervention was (1.51±0.63), which was significantly lower than that of the control group (3.49±0.75, P<0.05). The improvement in frequency and duration of pain in the intervention group were more significant than those in the control group(P<0.05). The rate of symptom improvement was significantly higher in the intervention (86.86%), than that of the control group (4.00%, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#For the shoulder, neck and back pain caused by sedentary lifestyle, the practice of Tai Ji exercise can effectively relax the muscles and the joint tissue. The results show effectiveness in alleviating shoulder, neck and back pain among college students.