HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessSeated Tai Chi exercises help stroke survivors recover faster

Seated Tai Chi exercises help stroke survivors recover faster

Published on

Sitting Tai Chi movements or exercises can be done in a chair or in a wheelchair, and it is particularly handy because it can be done at home and does not require any extra equipment or travel time.

New research published today in Stroke found that stroke survivors who practiced a seated form of Tai Chi, also known as seated Tai Chi, had equal or greater improvements in hand and arm strength, shoulder range of motion, balance control, symptoms of depression, and activities of daily living after three months than those who participated in a standard stroke rehabilitation exercise program.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial technique that combines deep breathing with slow, deliberate movements of the hands, arms, neck, legs, and core. For those who have recently suffered an ischemic stroke (a blockage in a blood artery leading to the brain) and are suffering from hand and arm weakness or partial paralysis, the researchers have devised a Tai Chi exercise program that may be performed while sitting.

“Tai Chi has a long history as a form of exercise in China. We revised the Tai Chi movements for people who have weakness or partial limb paralysis. It is tailored so that participants can move one arm with the help of the healthy arm,” says Jie Zhao, lead study author.

Seated Tai Chi exercises

The research was carried out in Kunming, China, at two traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Researchers enlisted the help of 160 persons (average age 63; 81 men and 79 women) who had experienced their first ischemic stroke within six months of enrolling in the study and were still able to use at least one arm. Half of the participants in the trial were randomly assigned to the seated Tai Chi program, while the other half were randomized to a normal stroke rehabilitation exercise program (hospital-recommended upper limb movements; the amount, implementation strategies and caregiver responsibilities were similar to the Tai Chi group).

The sitting Tai Chi group received one-on-one training from a Tai Chi teacher for one week while in the hospital, as well as a self-guided video to practice three days a week at home for 11 weeks. For 12 weeks, the control group was given a self-guided workout video with typical routines to practice at home. The at-home exercise for both study groups was supervised by family members and caretakers. The 12-week program and 4-week follow-up were completed by 69 people in the sitting Tai Chi group and 65 persons in the control group. All study participants had their physical function and psychological condition assessed using questionnaires and evaluation tools at the start of the study and four more times during the 16-week program, and the results of the two groups were compared.

Benefits of seated Tai Chi movements

Researchers looked at the questionnaires and assessment tools and discovered the following:

  • Those in the sitting Tai Chi group had better hand and arm function and sitting balance control compared to those in the standard stroke rehabilitation group.
  • The participants in the sitting Tai Chi group had significant reductions in symptoms of depression, better shoulder range of motion and showed significant improvements in activities of daily living and quality of life compared with the control group.
  • More than half the people in the Tai Chi group continued to practice after the 12-week intervention. Improvement in these measures continued during the 4-week follow-up period for the Tai Chi group.

Tai Chai exercises for Seniors

“Sitting Tai Chi can be practiced in a chair or wheelchair and is very convenient since it can be done in your home. The program costs almost nothing to practice, and it doesn’t require any special equipment or travel time,” Zhao adds.

The first randomized controlled trial of a modified sitting Tai Chi routine demonstrated superior short-term outcomes in a group who may have difficulty adhering to a standard rehabilitation exercise program. The findings show that this mind-body activity can help stroke survivors with hand and arm weakness or partial paralysis improve their balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility.

“My follow-up study will measure the long-term effects of sitting Tai Chi,” Zhao adds. “People will most likely need to adhere to the sitting Tai Chi exercise beyond 12 weeks to get the beneficial long-term effects.”

One of the study’s disadvantages is that it was only conducted at two locations. Furthermore, because the physicians and health care providers at the facilities are trained in traditional Chinese medicine and support the research, the findings may not be reflective of the rehabilitation accessible to stroke patients at other institutions.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Seated Tai Chi exercises help stroke survivors recover faster

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...