WARNING! I am not in any way qualified to give advice on fibromyalgia!
I have had three months-long bouts, but never during my tai chi practice. If you are curious, I think the bouts were triggered when I halted creatine supplementation. And if I hastened my recovery, it was with (1) deep massage with a massage gun right on the problematic area; and (2) consciously ignoring the pain, so as not to reinforce it.
Back to my lack of qualification: what you see below is what anyone could find searching the web, which is all I did in response to student questions.
I have been asked a couple of times if tai chi can help with fibromyalgia. The answer seems to be a resounding “Yes!”.
AI speaks
Here is an answer from ChatGPT:
Yes—tai chi has shown clear benefits for fibromyalgia in multiple clinical studies. It doesn’t cure the condition, but it can significantly improve quality of life.
Evidence-based benefits:
- Reduced pain
- Improved sleep
- Less fatigue
- Better mood
- Improved physical function
Why it works:
- Gentle movement avoids triggering flare-ups.
- Rhythmic breathing and mental focus calm the nervous system.
- It builds strength, balance, and flexibility without strain.
Key study:
A 2010 randomized trial in The New England Journal of Medicine found tai chi led to significantly better symptom relief than stretching and wellness education—benefits lasted 24 weeks after the study ended.
[Here’s why]: Fibromyalgia involves both physical sensitivity and central nervous system overactivation. Tai chi addresses both through low-impact movement and stress regulation.
Here is a link to the aforementioned NEJM study and a link to a longer confirming study.
tl;dr:
- In just 12 weeks significant improvement was recorded! And the control group also had treatment: education followed by stretching.
- In the second study, they saw that 24 weeks of tai chi improved results even more than 12 weeks, so it really was the tai chi making the difference.
- No adverse events (health problems caused by treatment).
- There was no difference between once a week classes and twice a week classes, but note that all were practicing at home 20 minutes a day. Again, it was the tai chi, not the classes.
- No difference between instructors, which is reassuring: tai chi is just a solid win. Many educational reforms fail to scale from studies to the general teacher population, suggesting the success was more about enthusiastic reformers in the studies.
- Six months (24 weeks) is a solid start on tai chi, but just a start. Keeping up any healthy habit is a challenge, but the motivation of fibromyalgia might be enough to keep us going. Exciting to think what could be achieved with twenty minutes of tai chi as an ongoing practice.
Qi gong, too
The Yang-style tai chi form takes a bit of work to master. That said, the two studies above did teach that. But if the tai chi form proves challenging, do not give up! Two solutions:
- the popular Tai Chi 24-form is easier to learn and perform; and
- look for a “qi gong” solution. These would be vastly simpler to learn.
A physical therapist speaks
FYI, a physical therapist (PT) trains as long and hard as a conventional doctor. Dr. Andrew Pott is both a PT and a tai chi instructor. Here is his own exercise designed for fibromyalgia:
We would love to hear feedback on that video and exercise from fibromyalgia sufferers. (Warning: when he starts the exercise he forgets to unmute his mic, but gets it on after a minute.)
Hard to believe?
I am a skeptic at heart. The studies above seem solid, and the results are clear, but even as a tai chi enthusiast I was skeptical. Having experienced mild fibromyalgia and done extensive tai chi, the connection was hard for me to imagine. So I asked ChatGPT how tai chi worked:
Yes—medical professionals see tai chi as effective for fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions because it targets multiple systems simultaneously, with minimal risk. Here’s a summary:
✅
Multisystem Benefits
- Gentle physical activity → Improves flexibility, strength, balance
- Breath control + slow movement → Calms the nervous system
- Focused attention → Reduces stress, enhances body awareness
- Social context (group classes) → Counters isolation and depression
📊
Mechanisms Backed by Research
- Regulates autonomic nervous system (calms the “fight or flight” response)
- Lowers inflammation markers
- Improves sleep quality and fatigue
- Boosts endorphin and serotonin levels
- Trains pacing and non-strenuous movement for pain-sensitive patients
🩺 Clinical Perspective
- Low-impact and safe, even for the deconditioned
- Encourages long-term self-management
- Doesn’t conflict with medications or other treatments
- Strong adherence rates compared to conventional exercise
[Here’s why]: Tai chi hits physical, psychological, and neurological pathways all at once—making it uniquely suited for syndromes like fibromyalgia that have no single root cause.
And no one says tai chi cures fibromyalgia, so the bar on “it works” is lower.
The catch
If one suspects there has to be a catch, they may be right. Like any healthy practice, we have to stick to it faithfully to see the benefit. We cannot just take even a 24-week class and then stop, and most of us weary of any daily routine. Some thoughts:
- with luck the benefits of tai chi will provide the motivation;
- if it works so well that sufferers slack off–a common problem with any successful treatment–they will know where to turn when symptoms return.
- keep an eye out here for the Empty Step Micro Tai Chi series. These will be designed to fight the “no practice problem”. My idea is to design 60-second or so exercises involving just a movement or two. These movements will be especially interesting movements, so they are fun and improve the full form when we get around to it; and
- we recommend music as an accompaniment for the full form. My latest deep dive into tai chi was made delightful by practicing to Tiffany Poon playing the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Watch this space also for other favorites of mine, and suggestions are welcome.
Your turn
Any other ideas on applying tai chi or qi gong to fibromyalgia are welcome! Please use comments to add to our options!