Tai Chi Research » Seniors

Seniors who practice tai chi have improved fitness

David Bendall — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:32:06 +0000

Researchers at the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei compared investigated the fitness level of seniors who practice tai chi to sedentary controls matched by age and body size. 22 male and 19 female tai chi practitioners with an average age of 69 and 12 years of tai chi practice were compared to 18 male and 17 female sedentary subjects. Both the male and female tai chi practitioners had significantly greater fitness measurements then the sedentary controls. The tai chi group had 18-19% greater peak oxygen uptake, greater flexibility and lower body fat compared to the sedentary controls.

Abstract

Long term tai chi practitioners show improved finger pointing accuracy.

David Bendall — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:10:54 +0000

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University compared the effects of age and tai chi on eye-hand coordination. The study consisted of three groups, a younger control group consisting of 30 university students with an average age of 24, a elderly control group consisting of 30 healthy non-tai chi practicing adults with an average age of 72 and an elderly tai chi group consisting of 31 healthy tai chi practicing adults with an average age of 70 and 7 years of tai chi practice. The study compared reaction time and accuracy in a test in which subjects point towards a dot on a display unit. The younger subjects achieved significantly faster reaction and movement times and better accuracy than the elderly controls in all finger-pointing tasks. The elderly tai chi group had significantly better accuracy than the elderly controls in pointing towards both stationary and moving targets. The accuracy in the tai chi group was similar to the accuracy in the younger control group.

Abstract

Tai chi associated with improved eye-hand coordination in the elderly.

David Bendall — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:33:52 +0000

Researchers at Ghang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan studied the effect of tai chi on eye-hand coordination in the elderly. 22 elderly individuals who had practiced tai chi regularly for at least 3 years were compared to a control group of 20 healthy and active elderly individuals who did not practice tai chi. The tai chi group had significantly better test scores on the eye-hand coordination tests than the control group.

Abstract

Study compares the effects of tai chi and resistance exercises on bone health, muscle strength and balance among seniors.

David Bendall — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:04:55 +0000

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied the effects of tai chi and resistance training on bone health, muscle strength and balance among seniors aged 65-74. 90 men and 90 women were randomly assigned to either a tai chi group, resistance training group or non-exercising control group. The tai chi and resistance training groups both exercised three times a week for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks both the tai chi and the resistance training group had a statistically significant reduction in hip bone mineral density loss among women, but not among men. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in spine bone mineral density, balance, strength, number of falls or flexibility measurements after 12 months.

While the difference in the number of falls reported was not statistically significant, there were half as many falls in the tai chi group as in the control group, (15 out of 60 vs. 31 of 60 for the control group) and about a third less falls (15/60 vs. 24/60) than in the resistance training group. While these results weren’t statistically significant they are consistent with other studies which have observed large reductions in falls among seniors who learn tai chi.

Some of the results of this study differed from the results of other studies. For instance, other studies have shown that resistance training can increase strength in the elderly however no increase in strength in the resistance training group compared to the control group was observed in this study. The authors speculate that in this cohort of individuals the tolerated levels of exercise may not have been great enough to provide observable changes. The authors also note that during the 12 month period the government launched a healthy aging campaign, and it is possible that control subjects may have modified their lifestyles accordingly. It is interesting to note that the control group as well as the tai chi and resistance training groups showed increased balance, strength and bone mineral density in the spine after 12 months.

Abstract

Tai chi improves sleep quality in older adults.

David Bendall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:22:24 +0000

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles randomly assigned 118 older adults with moderate sleep complaints to 16 weeks of tai chi training or health education. Individuals assigned to the tai chi groups were more likely to achieve a treatment response than those in the health education group. Individuals in the tai chi group had significant improvements to sleep quality, efficiency, duration and disturbance. The researchers conclude that tai chi can be considered a useful nonpharmacologic approach to improve sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep complaints.

Abstract

Tai chi improves sleep quality.

David Bendall — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:24:12 +0000

A study of 118 older adults at the Oregon Research Institute found that tai chi improved sleep quality more than a low-impact exercise control. Participates were randomly assigned to the tai chi or control group. Each group met for one hour, three times a week for 24 weeks. At the end of the program the individuals randomly assigned to take tai chi had significant improvements in sleep quality, sleep-onset latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and sleep disturbances.

Abstract

Review of controlled trials show tai chi to be effective at reducing risk of falls among seniors.

David Bendall — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:22:39 +0000

A systematic review of randomizes trials of interventions to reduce falls in community-dwelling seniors published in the April 2009 Cochrane Database Syst Rev. found that tai chi is effective at reducing the rate of falls. In addition to tai chi, multiple-component group exercise, individually prescribed multiple-component home-based exercise, and assessment and multifactorial intervention were also found to be effective. Of these tai chi had the greatest estimated reduction in falls. A number of other interventions were also found to be effective, however these only applied to selected situations or populations such as anti-slip shoes in icy conditions and first eye cataract surgery.

Abstract

Study fails to show 26 hours per year of tai chi enough to reduce risk of falls among seniors.

David Bendall — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:54:37 +0000

Researchers at Erasmus MS University in the Netherlands randomly assigned 269 older adults to a tai chi or control group. The tai chi group received two hours of tai chi training for 13 weeks. Falls were recorded in both groups during the 12 months following the start of the tai chi classes. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of falls observed in the two groups.

Abstract

One possible reason that this study failed to demonstrate a reduction in falls is that participants did not practice tai chi enough for there to be significant benefits. Two hours of tai chi for 13 weeks only works out to an average of 0.5 hours of tai chi per week over the one year course of the study.

I identified four other studies where the rate of falls reduction between the tai chi and control groups was available. All four of the other studies showed a substantial reduction in the rate of falls in the tai chi group, but not all of these were statistically significant. All of these had a substantially greater amount of time assigned to tai chi practice over the course of the study, ranging from 33% more to 5 times as much as this study. Because of this, it is reasonably to conclude that one of the reasons that this study failed to find reductions in fall rates was simply that participants did not practice enough.

A graph of the results (see below) indicates that, as would be expected, the studies where the participants practiced tai chi more tended to have better results. Since, as this study suggests, less than an average of one hour per week of tai chi may not be enough to significantly reduce the risk of falls, at least one hour, and preferably two, a week of ongoing tai chi practice should be recommended for elderly adults wishing to reduce their risk of falls.

1 – Abstract
2 – Abstract
3 – Abstract
4 – Abstract
5 – Abstract

1: Inge H. J. Logghe, MSc, et. Al. ; Lack of Effect of Tai Chi Chuan in Preventing Falls in Elderly People Living at Home: A Randomized Clinical Trial; J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009 Jan (p 70-75)
2: Wolf SL, Barnhart HX, Kutner NG, McNeely E, Coogler C, Xu T; Reducing frailty and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi and computerized balance training. Atlanta FICSIT Group. Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative sudies of Intervention Techniques.; J Am Geriatr Soc. 1996 May;44(5):489-97
3: Wolf SL, Sattin RW, Kutner M, O’Grady M, Greenspan AI, Gregor RJ.; Intense tai chi exercise training and fall occurrences in older, transitionally frail adults: a randomized, controlled trial.; J Am Geriatr Soc 2003-12-23 51(12) 1693-
4: Li F, Harmer P, Fisher KJ, McAuley E, Chaumeton N, Eckstrom E, Wilson NL.; Tai Chi and fall reductions in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.; 1: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Feb;60(2):187-94.
5: Voukelatos A, Cumming RG, Lord SR, Rissel C.; A randomized, controlled trial of tai chi for the prevention of falls: the Central Sydney tai chi trial.; 1: J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Aug;55(8):1185-91.

Tai Chi for Falls Prevention Program Successfully Implemented

David Bendall — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:14:33 +0000

Researchers at the Oregon Research Institute demonstrated that a tai chi based falls-prevention program developed from a clinical trial could be replicated. The program was evaluated at 6 community centers. All 6 centers successfully implemented the program with an 87% reach into the target population. The participants showed significant improvements in health-related outcome measures.

Abstract

Randomized controlled trial of tai chi for the prevention of falls shows significant results.

David Bendall — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:35:52 +0000

Researchers in Sydney Australia designed a study to see if a one hour per week, sixteen week falls prevention program could significantly reduce falls among community-dwelling seniors aged 60 and older. Individuals with degenerative neurological disorders, severely debilitating strokes, cancer, or severe arthritis were excluded from the study. A total of 702 individuals participated were randomly assigned to a tai chi group or a control group. Falls were recorded over a 24 weeks period for both groups. The tai chi group had a significant, 35% reduction in the risk of falls. The tai chi group also had modest, statistically significant, improvements in balance.

Abstract