BALANCE         DISORDERS    . . . and Tai Chi & Qigong

[ T'ai Chi, Qigong (Chi Kung) ]

BALANCE DISORDERS. T’ai Chi practitioners fall only half as much as those practicing other balance training, as reported by an Emory University study, and others.

Tai Chi May Help Seniors Avoid Falls

Fitness, Flexibility, Balance, and Confidence Improved in 12-Week Study

June 28, 2005 -- Tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, may improve senior citizens' strength and help them avoid falls, South Korean researchers find.

. . . The researchers tested tai chi in older adults. The slow, gentle, and continuous movements help them develop stronger muscles, better balance control, concentration, and psychological well-being.

They found benefits including:

· Stronger knees and ankles

· Better balance and flexibility

· Improved walking

· More confidence in the ability to avoid falls

The tai chi students had fewer falls than others who didn't take the class.

. . . Their study appears in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

About Tai Chi

Tai chi uses slow, fluid body movements. It's not a jarring form of exercise.

Tai chi has gotten attention from scientists for nearly a decade. The first two tai chi studies funded by the National Institute of Aging were published in 1996.

Those studies found many of the same benefits as seen in the new South Korean study.

. . . Falls in Seniors

Every year, about 30% of people aged 65 and older -- and living on their own -- fall. Falls are more common in long-term care facilities, where 40%-50% of residents fall in any given year. Some of the risk factors that lead to falls in seniors include imbalance, muscle weakness, and lack of flexibility -- all of which are modifiable, they write.

. . . Strength, Flexibility, Balance

The 12-week program was finished by 29 tai chi students and 30 people in the comparison group.

The tai chi students had stronger knees and ankles than their peers. They also improved in flexibility and walking.

SOURCES: Choi, J. Journal of Nursing, July 2005 vol 51: pp 150-157. News release, National Institute on Aging. News release, Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Excerpts from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong Chapter 20 T’ai Chi as Therapy for Young and Old Reprinting is strictly forbidden without express written consent from the author. To inquire for reprint permission, email: wtcqd2000@aol.com For More Health Issues/Maladies that T'ai Chi & Qigong are known to help with, read The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong, and also purchase the Qigong Database (see right).

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