What this study is
This study tests whether a virtually delivered integrated tai chi, qigong, and meditation program, added to usual care, improves chronic low back pain, disability, quality of life, and healthcare costs compared with usual care alone. Adults with chronic low back pain are randomized to begin the program immediately (Tai Chi Now) or after a six-month period (Tai Chi Later). Outcomes are collected by online survey over twelve months.
What's being tested
- Virtually Delivered Integrated Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation (VDTQM)
Intervention · BEHAVIORAL
Virtually Delivered Integrated Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation (VDTQM). Mapped to Arm 1 (immediate) and Arm 2 (delayed start).
Study details
- Official title
- A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Virtual Tai Chi for Chronic Low Back Pain: Effects on Disability, Pain, Quality of Life, and Healthcare Costs
- Sponsor
- New York Medical College
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain · Chronic Low-back Pain (cLBP)
- Enrolling
- 600 people
- Starts
- 2026-10-01
- Est. completion
- 2028-02-15
- Design
- Single-blind, randomized, parallel groups
- Record
- View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Who can join
Age 18 Years and overSex ALLHealthy volunteers Not acceptedYou may qualify if
- Age 18 years or older
- Current non-specific low back pain lasting 12 weeks or more, with average pain over the past 7 days rated 4 or higher on a 0 to 10 scale
- Understands written and spoken English
- Has consistent internet access and is able to participate in virtual sessions
- Agrees to appear on video during tai chi sessions, visible to the instructor and other participants
- Willing to participate in a 12-month study including a 3-month foundation training phase with two 60-minute virtual live tai chi classes per week, 10 minutes of daily home practice, monthly 60-minute booster sessions during months 4 through 12, and five online surveys over 12 months at months 0, 2, 3, 6, and 12
- Willing and able to provide informed consent
You can't join if
- Currently pregnant
- Regular tai chi or qigong practice or research study participation in the past 5 years
- History of spine surgery within the past 6 months
- Severe psychiatric or medical comorbidities that, in the principal investigator's judgment, would make participation unsafe or not feasible Note on the second exclusion bullet: the protocol wording leaves open whether "research study participation" means participation in any research study or only in tai chi or qigong research. That wording has been carried over exactly as approved rather than clarified here, because the registry record should match the protocol. If the ambiguity is worth resolving, it belongs in a future amendment and then in a record update, not in this response.
Sign in and we'll check these against your records.Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Study locations (1)
1 openNew York Medical College
Valhalla, New York, United States
- Kenneth Knapp, PhD · Contact914-594-2043Kenneth_Knapp@nymc.edu
- Allison Asher, DrPH · Contactaasher2@nymc.edu
- Kenneth Knapp, PhD · Principal investigator
- Allison Asher, DrPH · Principal investigator
Study team
Sponsor
New York Medical College
Study ID 30515
Frequently asked questions
The sponsor hasn't published answers to common questions for this trial.