Tai Chi Research » Balance

Tai chi compared to swimming – balance and hand-eye coordination

David Bendall — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 15:46:02 +0000

Researchers at Chang Gung University in Taiwan carried out a study aimed at testing if practicing tai chi provides a distinctive benefit on balance in the elderly. Researchers compared 32 individuals who had practiced tai chi for at least 3 years to 20 participants who practiced regular swimming for the past three years and 34 healthy controls. Researchers measured both balance and hand-eye coordination.

Both the tai chi and swimming groups had significantly better hand eye coordination than the control groups, however the tai chi practitioners performed significantly better than both the swimming and control groups in the most challenging balance conditions.

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Tai chi improves standing balance of people with chronic stroke.

David Bendall — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:45:07 +0000

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong studied the effect of tai chi on standing balance in subjects which chronic stroke. 136 individuals who had had a stroke at least 6 months prior were randomly assigned to either 12 weeks of general exercise or tai chi training. The tai chi group showed significant improvements in standing balance compared to the general exercise group after 12 weeks and 6 weeks after the end of training.

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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.

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Stort term tai chi for diabetes program fails to find significant decrease insulin resistance.

David Bendall — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:52:05 +0000

University of Sydney, Australia 2007

Effects of Tai Chi on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in older adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomised double-blind sham-exercise-controlled trial.

In this study 38 individuals were randomly assigned to 16-week of 2 a times per week tai chi for diabetes program or to a sham exercise program. The study found no statistically significant difference in insulin resistance or A1C as measured 72 hours after exercise. (The tai chi group did have a slight reduction in AIC compared to a slight increase in the sham exercise group.) The study found no adverse events. The only statistically significant differences between the tai chi group and the sham exercise group was that the tai chi group had improved balance and gait speed. The authors concluded that “this Tai Chi form, although developed specifically for diabetes, may not have been of sufficient intensity, frequency, or duration to effect positive changes in many aspects of physiology or health status relevant to older people with diabetes.”

Case report observes improved balance in patients with mild Parkinson’s Disease.

David Bendall — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:32:19 +0000

Researchers at Youngstown State University in Ohio did a case study to describe the effects of an eight-week Tai Chi class on two patients, one with Parkinson’s disease and the other with multiple system atrophy. They found that both patients demonstrated improvements in balance and functional reach.

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Study finds decrease in pain and fatigue among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis after 12 weeks of tai chi.

David Bendall — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:16:10 +0000

Researchers at Daejeon University in Korea studied the benefits of tai chi for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. 32 patients assigned to the tai chi group practiced tai chi for 50 minutes a week for 12 weeks while 29 patients assigned to a control group did not. Pain and fatigue significantly decreased in the tai chi group while balance increased.

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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.

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Study finds improved balance in the elderly after tai chi intervention.

David Bendall — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:19:34 +0000

Researchers at the University of Memphis in Tennessee studied the effects of tai chi on balance and selected motor functions in seniors. A total 47 seniors participated in the study, of which 11 in the tai chi group and 9 in the control group completed the study. The tai chi group was offered a one-hour tai chi exercise session each week for 12 months, while the control group did not participate in an exercise program. Participants were measured on static balance, dynamic balance, choice reaction time, heel-rise strength and ankle flexibility. The tai chi group showed significant static balance improvements after 6-months of tai chi. There were no statistically significant differences between the tai chi and control groups in the other tests.

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Study investigates neural mechanisms underlying balance improvements in tai chi.

David Bendall — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:55:49 +0000

Researchers at the University of Oregon in Eugene designed a study aimed at examining the underlying neural mechanisms responsible for the balance improvements that have been observed after short-term tai chi training. Twenty-two balance-impaired older adults were randomly divided between a tai chi group and a control group. The control group received axial mobility exercises, balance/awareness education and stress reduction. Both groups trained 1.5 hours per day, 5 days per week for three weeks. The tai chi group, but not the controls, had significantly enhanced neuromuscular responses controlling the ankle joint after a perturbation of the leg test. Clinical balance measures improved in the tai chi group.

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Study finds that tai chi reduces falls among older adults.

David Bendall — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:02:28 +0000

Researchers at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene randomly assigned 256 physically inactive older adults aged 70 to 92 to a tai chi group or a stretching control group. Both groups met three times per week for six months. There were significantly fewer falls and falls with injuries among individuals in the tai chi group than among individuals in the control group. The reduction in falls was quite dramatic, with the risk of falls 55% lower among individuals in the tai chi group. Fear of falling, balance and physical performance also improved in the tai chi group compared to the control group.

Abstract