Veterans with COPD and pain test remote walking and tai chi program
NCT ID NCT05701982
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a remote program that combines walking with Tai Chi for veterans who have both COPD and long-term muscle or joint pain. The goal is to see if it helps them move better and feel less limited by their conditions. Researchers will track daily steps, pain levels, and breathing difficulty in 136 participants aged 40 and older.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention: remote walking program and Tai Chi classes
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a safe, non-drug way to help veterans with COPD and chronic pain move better and feel better.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study without a control group for comparison. Results may not apply to all patients, and the program requires consistent participation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 136 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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40 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Male and female participants, aged 40 and older * Clinical diagnosis of COPD defined as history of cigarette consumption of \> 10 pack-years, and either a ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) \< 0.70 or chest computerized tomography (CT) evidence of emphysema\* * Numeric Rating Scale pain score \> 3 for \> 3 months * Self-reported ability to walk a minimum of one block, bend at the hip, and transfer weight from one leg to another * Ability to complete 800 feet walk with Fitbit Inspire-2 recording \> 90% accuracy to detect steps compared to manual counts\* * Have access to a computer or smartphone with Internet connection or willing to come to study site to use study computers * Have access to videoconferencing audio and video capabilities * Competent to provide informed consent and willingness to make return study visits * Different criteria are used if baseline study visit is a virtual one. Exclusion Criteria: * COPD exacerbation in the previous 1 month * Clinical signs of unstable cardiovascular disease (active coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, or uncontrolled hypertension) * Oxygen saturation \< 85% recorded on baseline 4-meter walk\* * High fall risk (unable to perform 5 chair stand tests) * Inability to ambulate * Inability to complete questionnaires * Inability to collect at least 7 of 10 days of baseline step counts * Active substance abuse * Participation in a regular exercise (i.e., MOVE! or Gerofit) or Tai Chi program in the previous 3 months * Concurrent participation in another interventional research study * Receipt of hospice or end-of-life palliative care * Active medical intervention that would cause a meaningful increase in pain such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy * Different criteria are used if baseline study visit is a virtual one.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02130-4817, United States
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