J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2001 May;22(5):664-673.

The effect of Tai Chi(9 basic forms) on the equilibrium in the aged: a controlled trial

• Won CW
• Kim BS
• Choi HR

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Accidental fall is a major risk factor of hip fractures in the aged. Recently Tai Chi exercise is reported to reduce the frequency of falls in the American elderly. This study was to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on equilibrium in the Korean elderly.
METHODS
We selected 4 clubs for the elderly in the same district. The elderly(11 men, 9 women) who attended two of the clubs were offered Tai Chi(9 basic forms) exercise and the elderly(4 men, 21 women) who attended the other two of them were offered regular medical examination. Intervention length was 12 weeks, with outcomes measured before and after intervention.
RESULTS
In men, single left leg standing with eyes open improved in Tai Chi group as compared with non Tai Chi group(p=0.026). In women, single right leg standing with eyes open improved in Tai Chi group as compared with non Tai Chi group(p=0.023), and single left leg standing with eyes open showed improvement in Tai Chi group as compared with non Tai Chi group(p=0.085). MMSE K showed improvement in Tai Chi group as compared with non Tai Chi group, but it was not significant(p>0.05). Those who said these 9 basic forms were not difficult were 81.8% in men, 77.8% in women.
CONCLUSION
`9 basic forms of Tai Chi' is easy to practice and helpful for equilibrium in the aged. The effect of 9 basic forms of Tai Chi on cognition of the aged needs further studies.

Keyword

Tai Chi; equilibrium; accidental fall; the aged; cognition

MeSH Terms

Accidental Falls
Aged
Cognition
Female
Hip Fractures
Humans
Leg
Male
Risk Factors
Tai Ji