The literature on the Tai Chi Chuan and its effects on knee osteoarthritis are contradictory. The evidence found is both for and against. The aim of this study was to find out an explanation of this contradiction.

For this study we used 9 electronic databases. The search was conducted until December 2012 and a total of 18 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were found. The deficiencies in the research design as well as the omission and lack of homogeneity in the parameters used in interventions were considered in the analysis.

The evaluation parameters of the systematic reviews were conditioned by the assessment tools selected focusing on the analysis of the research design. In specific studies, only 50% of them provided information on weight parameters, degree of osteoarthritis and time of suffering, session design, teaching methodology and execution speed. Less than 50% included the height of the posture, the muscle strength, the experience of the teacher and medication.

The omission and lack of homogeneity in the parameters involved in the studies leads to a lack of clarity on the effects of Tai Chi Chuan in this pathology. It is necessary to establish a framework that defines the minimum parameters to include in studies to facilitate interpretation and compare results.