• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.188-202
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• 2003

The aim of study was to investigate the effects of 12 forms of Sun-style Tai-Chi for arthritis(TCA) on physical symptom(pain, tenderness, swelling fatigue, and blood pressure), physical function(balance, flexibility, grip strength) and social-psychological health status in osteoarthritis(OA) patients and rheumatoid arthritis(RA) patients. This study was done with one group pretest-posttest design. A total 21 arthritis patients(6 OA patient and 15 RA patient) participated in 60 minute session consisting of warm-up exercise 12-main movement including qigong, and cool-down exercise twice a week for 6weeks. Physiological and social-psychological variables were measured before and after TCA 12 form. The researcher who completed a Tai Chi workshop for exercise leaders in Australia and Seoul taught the Tai Chi movement step by step until the patient felt comfort enough to perform them correctly by themselves during the first 4 weeks. At the last 2 weeks, the subject perform 10-15set of these at a session with traditional music to help patients move in a slow tempo. TCA 12 forms program showed significant improvement in fatigue(p=0.039) of rheumatoid arthritis patient and pain(p=0.006), fatigue(p=0.013), tenderness(p=0.032), flexibility(rt arm up, p=0.014, If arm up, P=0.003), grip strength(rt hand, p=0.002, If hand, P=0.003) of osteoarthritis patients. With assessment by Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 questionnaire(AIMS2), physical component(0.002) and social interaction(0.025) on osteoarthritis patients were significantly improved. Evaluation of the participants about TCA exercise noted that the exercise was fairly easy(23.6%), moderately difficult(57.1%), and fairly difficult(14.3%). Considering the result of this study, TCA exercise program was more effective in pain, tenderness, grip strength, flexibility, and physical and social interaction on osteoarthritis patients than rheumatoid arthritis patients. Tai-Chi for arthritis 12 form was an appropriate intensity exercise for osteoarthritis patients.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.150-157
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• 1997

Capsaicin cream has been used to attenuate the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, rheum-atoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and postherpetic neuralgia. But its common side effect, local irritation, limits the use of it and there is still a need for a new analgesic devoid of this side effect. This study was conducted to compare the local irritant effect of DA-5018, a new capsaicin derivative, with that of capsaicin in various animal models and human beings. Capsaicin, applied topically to the mouse ear, produced dose-dependent increase of ear volume and the frequency of ear scratching behavior in mice. Neither ear volume nor scratching behavior was affected by DA-5018. In eye wiping test of rat, DA-5018 was 10 times less irritant than capsaicin. Capsaicin administered intradermally into the rat paw elicited paw lick/lift response with a potency which was three times that of DA-5018. Zostrix-HP (0.075% capsaicin cream), but not DA-50180.3% cream, increased ear volume of rat and induced thermal hyperalgesia in normal and carrageenan inflamed paws. Six day-treatment of Zostrix-HP failed to develop tolerance against this thermal hyperalgesia. In human beings, Zostrix-HP produced burning sensation and itching in more than 90% of volunteers involved and its maximum irritant effect was significantly higher than that of DA-5018 cream. These results suggest that local irritation and burning sensation produced by DA-5018 is much less than capsaicin.