Free online tai chi classes could help with knee pain for people with osteoarthritis

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-28 02:00

Australia; VIC

Photo by Derek Lee on Unsplash

Free online tai chi classes could help with knee pain and function for people with osteoarthritis, according to a randomised clinical trial by Aussie researchers. The team studied the impact of a 12-week unsupervised online tai chi course on people with osteoarthritis, compared with people who were given online education about tai chi but not provided with the course. They found that the free course was more effective in improving pain during walking and physical function than the online education alone.

Media release

From: JAMA

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that this unsupervised multimodal online tai chi intervention improved knee pain and function compared with the control at 12 weeks. This free-to-access web-based intervention offers an effective, safe, accessible, and scalable option for guideline-recommended osteoarthritis exercise.

Journal/
conference: JAMA Internal Medicine

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Melbourne

Funder: The study was supported by an investigator grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; No. 1174431) of Australia. Drs Bennell and Hinman were supported by NHMRC fellowships (Nos. 1174431 and 2025733, respectively). Ms Zhu reported a PhD scholarship from the Australian Government Research Training Program. Dr Nelligan was supported by a University of Melbourne Sir Randal Heymanson Fellowship.

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