Development of Tai Chi for Arthritis

Paul Lam first realised he was suffering from osteoarthritis in his final days as a medical student.  Since Tai Chi had been prescribed for arthritis in China for centuries he decided to try it. 
Not only did it work for him, but he was good at it, taking the gold medal at the Third International Competition in 1993.

To develop Tai Chi for Arthritis Dr. Lam worked with a team including other Tai Chi experts, rheumatologists and a physiotherapist.
He developed a style which is simple and easy to learn. All importantly he worked to ensure that the there were no hazardous movements in Tai Chi for Arthritis.
At first sight the slow flowing movements of Sun style Tai Chi (on which Tai Chi for Arthritis is based) look easy and stress free, but even a slow rotating movement on a loaded knee joint can cause damage, so every movement of the new form needed to be examined in minute detail for safety and efficacy.

When I trained with Paul in 2005 he explained to me his principle of adhering to the traditions of thousands of years of empirical development whilst not simply "throwing away" modern technology.  Some traditionalists were offended by Pauls willingness to modify ancient forms in line with knowledge gained by using modern advantages such as MRI scanning and  Electromyography.  As he explained, Tai Chi has evolved over a very long period, it should not stop evolving now.