Tai chi & the elderly

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Dec, 2005  by Jule Klotter

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A 2001 British Journal of Sports Medicine article reviews 31 controlled and clinical studies, involving 2216 men and women, that evaluate the physiological effects of practicing the Chinese exercise Tai Chi Chuan (TCC). TCC integrates slow, deep breathing with a set of movements that flow from one upright posture into the next. It began centuries ago as a combination of exercise and martial art. In 1956, the Chinese National Council of Sports and Physical Education convened a meeting of Tai Chi masters, who followed differing schools of practice, and asked them to develop a 'combined' style. The resulting 24-movement form is easy to learn and takes less time to practice than longer, more demanding forms. The Chinese government, health agencies, schools, and sports-related bodies have heavily promoted this simplified form. TCC has become one of China's most popular exercises, particularly among the elderly. Studies show that this moderate-intensity exercise improves cardiorespiratory function and may increase immune capacity in the elderly. It also improves muscle strength, balance, flexibility, and range of motion in the arms--even among those with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Review authors J X Li, Y Hong, and K M Chan explain, "Performing TCC depends on either double stance weight-bearing or single stance weight-bearing manoeuvres, which further require the pivoting of the whole body or the twisting of the trunk. In performing TCC, the roles of the muscles continually change between those of stabilizers and movers, weight-bearers and non-weight-bearers, and between contraction and relaxation." These movements are performed slowly in combination with deep breathing. For reasons not yet understood, TCC practice reduces the risk of falls among the elderly. In addition to its many physiological benefits, Tai Chi exercise is known to reduce stress. In a study by P Jin, participants reported less tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and anxiety, when compared to their baseline levels. Jin also found that TCC practice raised heart rates, increased noradrenaline (norepinephrine) excretion in urine, and decreased salivary cortisol concentration.

In their Summary, the review's authors state: "... TCC exercise has great potential for health promotion and rehabilitation, particularly for the maintenance of good mental and physical condition in the elderly. However, the effects of TCC exercise on other age groups should be further examined with well controlled experimental design studies."

Li JX; Hong Y; Chan KM. Tai chi: physiological characteristics and beneficial effects on health. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2001;35:148-156

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