Tai Chi & Qigong

2021 Physical Activity and Health

All schools of Tai Chi chuan can improve the mental health of the elderly.

Tai Chi's potential mechanisms include reducing anxiety, relieving depression and stress, enhancing pulmonary and cardiovascular function, enhancing immunity and improving quality of life.

Effects of Tai Chi Chuan on the Physical and Mental Health of the Elderly: A Systematic Review Xianjian, C., & Datao, X

2021 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Tai Chi has potential clinical value for treating many diseases, especially noncommunicable chronic diseases. The most common diseases were in the musculoskeletal system or connective tissue and the circulatory system.

Tai Chi exercise has been widely regarded as an effective method for health promotion, adjuvant treatment for chronic diseases, and a form of rehabilitation therapy during the recovery period from diseases. In this systematic review, the effects of Tai Chi on improving health-related parameters in both healthy populations and diseased populations were examined comprehensively. A total of 139 RCTs were included in this systematic review; 44 studies focused on the effects of Tai Chi on the physical function, cognitive function, quality of life, balance ability, and psychological indicators in healthy middle-aged and elderly people and the effects of Tai Chi in preventing falls. Besides, 95 studies focused on the effects of Tai Chi on different diseases. We have summarized several styles of Tai Chi interventions and their uses in the treatment of various diseases. Tai Chi has potential clinical value for treating many diseases, especially noncommunicable chronic diseases. The most common diseases were in the musculoskeletal system or connective tissue and the circulatory system. This may be due to the physiological and biomechanical that are influenced by Tai Chi training.

Clinical Evidence of Tai Chi Exercise Prescriptions: A Systematic Review Jiafu Huang, Dandan Wang, Jinghao Wang

2020 Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research

Tai chi may be an exercise option for older adults, with a positive effect on overall quality of life and physical component.

Tai chi exercise is a safe, economical, and beneficial exercise that is easy to learn. According to this systematic review, Tai chi exercise can be considered a sport to improve the QoL of older adults. However, before recommending Tai chi exercise, healthcare professionals should make different recommendations based on the situation and diagnosis of older adults. Future randomized controlled trials should provide more rigorous research procedures, in particular measures to reduce bias, so that more accurate assessments of quality and intervention effectiveness can be achieved.

Effectiveness of Tai chi exercise on overall quality of life and its physical and psychological components among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis Wang D, Wang P, Lan K, Zhang Y, Pan Y.

2020 Clinical Rehabilitation

Tai Chi exercise was beneficial for ameliorating physical and mental health of patients with knee osteoarthritis and should be available as an alternative non-pharmacological therapy in rehabilitation programmes.

A total of 16 RCTs involving 986 patients with knee osteoarthritis met the established inclusion criteria. The strength of evidence for the main outcomes was low or moderate. The systematic review illustrated the efficacy of Tai Chi exercise in treating and managing knee osteoarthritis. Patients’ outcomes practising Tai Chi exercise were improved significantly, including pain, stiffness, physical function, dynamic balance, physiological and psychological health. No adverse events associated with Tai Chi exercise were reported.

Tai Chi exercise can ameliorate physical and mental health of patients with knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis Hu L, Wang Y, Liu X, Ji X, Ma Y, Man S, Hu Z, Cheng J, Huang F.

2020 Journal of Aging and Physical Activity

High-quality evidence suggests that Tai Chi is an effective intervention for preventing falls in community settings, and through its benefits on cognitive functioning.

Tai Chi can be highly effective for preventing falls. Tai Chi is a safe and accessible form of exercise. Indeed, over 500 trials and 120 systematic reviews have been conducted on the health benefits of Tai Chi and no studies have found that Tai Chi worsens a condition (Huston & McFarlane, 2016). In addition, a systematic review of adverse event reporting from Tai Chi trials found Tai Chi is unlikely to result in serious adverse events but may result in minor musculoskeletal aches and pains (Wayne, Berkowitz, Litrownik, Buring, & Yeh, 2014). For older adults with osteoporosis with vertebral fractures, it is recommended that they first receive advice on spine sparing techniques and that they avoid repetitive, weighted, or rapid end range flexion or extension of the spine (Skelton & Mavroeidi, 2018). Frailer older adults, those with a high falls risk or multiple comorbid conditions affecting balance or strength, are recommended to only practice Tai Chi under the supervision of an instructor trained in adapting and tailoring the exercise prescription (Skelton & Mavroeidi, 2018).

Tai Chi for the Prevention of Falls Among Older Adults: A Critical Analysis of the Evidence Samuel R. Nyman

2017 Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal

Our findings support the use of tai chi as a treatment for people with arthritis and potentially for low back pain.

Our findings support the use of tai chi as a treatment for people with arthritis and potentially for low back pain. However, we have only very low-quality or no evidence to suggest that it is as effective as, or more effective than, any other treatment for these populations. With no direct comparison of tai chi to other treatments, we can only speculate that, as our findings appear to be within a similar range to those reported for other commonly used exercise regimens for musculoskeletal conditions, tai chi could produce similar effects when compared. Thus, we cannot provide useful or confirmatory evidence to recommend this approach over others used in clinical practice settings until a robust, direct comparison study has been conducted.

Effectiveness of Tai Chi for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Amanda Hall, Bethan Copsey, Helen Richmond, Jacqueline Thompson, Manuela Ferreira, Jane Latimer, Chris G. Maher

2017 PLOS One

Tai Chi could be an effective alternative and/or complementary approach to existing therapies for people with fatigue.

The overall aggregated result showed that Tai Chi achieved better gains in relieving fatigue compared to the control interventions. For the subgroup analysis, Tai Chi was more beneficial for cancer-related fatigue. However, for multiple sclerosis-related fatigue, age-related fatigue, there were no significant difference between two groups. Tai Chi improved fatigue greater than conventional treatment and low-impact exercise control, while no difference was observed comparing with health education control. The length between ≤ 3 months and > 3 months and the frequency between < 5 times a week and ≥ 5 times a week, the pooled results indicated that they all have significant difference. However, in the duration≤ 60 minutes, Tai Chi was improved fatigue greater. In the duration > 60 minutes, there were no difference between two groups. So, the duration≤ 60 minutes may be better than > 60 minutes.

Does Tai Chi relieve fatigue? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Yu Xiang, Liming Lu, Xiankun Chen, Zehuai Wen

2016 BMJ Open

Tai Chi is effective for preventing falls in older adults and the preventive effect is likely to increase with exercise frequency.

18 trials with 3824 participants were included. The Tai Chi group was associated with significantly lower chance of falling at least once and rate of falls than the control group. Subgroup analyses suggested that the preventive effect was likely to increase with exercise frequency and Yang style Tai Chi was likely to be more effective than Sun style Tai Chi. The results might be influenced by publication bias as the funnel plots showed asymmetry. Sensitivity analyses by sample size, risk of bias and comorbidity showed no major influence on the primary results.

Tai Chi is effective for preventing falls in older adults. The preventive effect is likely to increase with exercise frequency and Yang style Tai Chi seems to be more effective than Sun style Tai Chi.

Systematic review and meta-analysis: Tai Chi for preventing falls in older adults Huang Z, Feng Y, Li Y, et al

2016 Scientific Reports

Clinicians may consider Tai Chi as a viable complementary and alternative medicine for chronic pain conditions.

The aggregated results have indicated that Tai Chi showed positive evidence on immediate relief of chronic pain from osteoarthritis. The valid duration of Tai Chi practice for osteoarthritis may be more than 5 weeks. And there were some beneficial evidences regarding the effects of Tai Chi on immediate relief of chronic pain from low back pain and osteoporosis. Therefore, clinicians may consider Tai Chi as a viable complementary and alternative medicine for chronic pain conditions.

Tai Chi for Chronic Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Kong, L., Lauche, R., Klose, P. et al.