OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Tai Chi practice is superior to other means of sports rehabilitation to relieve non-specific chronic low back pain (LBP) in a younger population. METHODS: We randomized 320 retired athletes (aged 37.6 +/- 5.4 years, 60.0% men) with chronic LBP (visual analog scale >= 40 mm) into treatment (Tai Chi practice) and control groups. At the beginning, middle, and end of a six-month intervention, patients from both treatment and control groups completed questionnaires assessing the intensity of LBP, and a systematic physical examination was arranged to evaluate participants' health condition. The results were analyzed by one way analysis of variance using statistical software SPSS 17.0. Differences were considered significant if p < 0.05. RESULTS: After three and six months, no statistically significant difference in the intensity of LBP was demonstrated between the Tai Chi and swimming groups; significant differences were demonstrated among the Tai Chi and backward walking, jogging, and no exercise groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tai Chi has better efficacy than certain other sports on the treatment of non-specific chronic LBP.
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