Health Studies
Tai Chi Shown to Restore Joint Mobility and Restful Sleep in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy of the head and neck region. Currently, the primary medical management for NPC is radiotherapy, while chemotherapy and surgery (eg, nasopharyngectomy) are elective treatments. Although previous research has shown that these aggressive treatment methods can successfully control tumors and thus increase overall survival rates, survivors generally experience many associated side effects, such as neck muscle fibrosis, trismus or restricted mouth opening, and shoulder dysfunctions. The disease can also directly cause chronic symptoms, such as pain and fatigue. These clinical symptoms, together with the sequelae of NPC treatments, can disrupt the sleep of NPC survivors. Sleep is a necessary physiological and behavioral activity and is essential for maintaining health and well-being. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to explore effective strategies for relieving the physiological side effects and sleep problems suffered by NPC survivors.
To manage the adverse effects of NPC and the side effects of conventional cancer treatment, many survivors turn to complementary and alternative medicines such as Tai Chi (TC) and/or Qigong.This study aimed to (1) investigate the effects of TC Qigong training on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), cervical and shoulder joint mobility and sleep problems of NPC survivors and (2) explore the relationship between upper body joint mobility and sleep problems if any significant changes in these outcomes were demonstrated after the TC Qigong training.
Participants in the TC Qigong training showed improvement in bilateral cervical side flexion. Trismus is a common problem in NPC survivors and is associated with reduced nutrition, speaking difficulty and compromised oral hygiene. This study showed that TC Qigong training was able to attenuate the deterioration in mouth opening capacity among NPC survivors. Sleep disturbance started to decrease after 6 months of the TC Qigong training and continued to decrease during the no-training follow-up period
Abstract:
Objectives:
This novel study aimed to examine the efficacy of Tai Chi (TC) Qigong in optimizing temporomandibular joint (TMJ), cervical, and shoulder joint mobility and reducing sleep problems in NPC survivors.
Design:
Fifty-two NPC survivors participated in the study. The experimental group (n = 25) received 6 months of TC Qigong training (1.5 h/session; 4 sessions/wk including self-practice) while the control group (n = 27) received no training. Cervical side flexion and rotation, shoulder flexion and horizontal flexion range of motion (ROM), mouth opening capacity (interincisor distance), and sleep problems (Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale) were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention (3 months), immediately after TC Qigong training, and at 6-month follow-up.
Results:
Intention-to-treat analysis revealed improvement in cervical side flexion ROM only (P < .008) and unchanged shoulder and TMJ mobility (P > .008) after the TC Qigong training. Deterioration was observed in shoulder flexion ROM and mouth opening capacity in the no-training controls over time (P < .008). Sleep problems also decreased in the TC Qigong group (P < .008), and this effect was most profound during the follow-up period. In addition, improvement in cervical side flexion ROM was associated with a reduction in sleep problems in the experimental group after TC Qigong training (P < .05).
Conclusion:
The 6-month TC Qigong intervention improved neck mobility, maintained TMJ and shoulder joint mobility, and reduced sleep problems for NPC survivors. TC Qigong could be an effective nonpharmacological intervention for managing progressive trismus, chronic neck and shoulder hypomobility, and reducing sleep problems among NPC survivors.
Link:
Fong, Shirley S M, et al. “The Effects of a 6-Month Tai Chi Qigong Training Program on Temporomandibular, Cervical, and Shoulder Joint Mobility and Sleep Problems in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Survivors.” Integrative Cancer Therapies, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25411207.
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