Tai Chi for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review

경추통에 대한 태극권의 효과: 체계적 문헌고찰

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on neck pain. Methods A systematic search was conducted across 10 databases, including PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China Academic Journals, ScienceON, Korean studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Medicine Convergence Research Information Center, Research Information Sharing Service, from their inception to June 5, 2026. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of Tai Chi on neck pain were selected and reviewed. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 tool. The protocol for this study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261405865). Results A total of 9 studies were included in this review. The targeted conditions included cervical spondylosis, chronic non-specific neck pain, cervical radiculopathy, and cervical spondylotic myelopathy. One study investigated Tai Chi as a standalone intervention, while the remaining studies evaluated it as part of combined interventions. Outcomes compared across the studies included pain scales, cervical range of motion, cervical curvature, quality of life, and balance function. Although Tai Chi interventions demonstrated positive effects in all included studies, the high heterogeneity among them limited the ability to isolate the independent effects of Tai Chi. Overall, safety reporting was limited. Conclusions Tai Chi appears to be a safe and potentially effective non-pharmacological intervention for neck pain. However, the certainty of the evidence is limited due to the high heterogeneity of the included studies. Furthermore, the lack of long-term follow-up limits the generalizability of the current evidence.