Tai Chi May Work Best to Prevent Falls in Old Age

MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The ancient practice of tai chi may beat strength training and aerobics for preventing falls among seniors, a new trial shows.

A modified senior-centered tai chi program reduced falls nearly a third better in a head-to-head comparison with an exercise regimen that combined aerobics, strength training and balance drills, the researchers reported.

“This tai chi program better addressed the deficits that were contributing to fall risk,” said senior researcher Kerri Winters-Stone, a professor with the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing.

Tai chi is a centuries-old Chinese tradition that involves a graceful series of movements. People performing tai chi flow between different postures in a slow and focused manner, keeping their body in constant motion and frequently challenging their balance.

Researchers have long suspected that tai chi can help reduce risk of falling, said co-researcher Peter Harmer, a professor of exercise and health science with Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

Annually, about 28 percent of U.S. seniors report falling, and 2 out of 5 falls result in injuries leading to an ER visit, hospitalization or death, researchers said in background notes.

“Falling in adults age 65 and older is significantly associated with loss of independence, premature mortality and big health care costs,” Harmer said.

The movements of tai chi require people to move in all directions, while traditional exercise programs focus more on forward and backward motion, Winters-Stone and Harmer said.

“The reality of how falls happen tends to be quite varied and a bit unpredictable. In tai chi, the movements are in these multiple planes,” Winters-Stone said. “You’re moving your body outside of your center of gravity and then you’re pulling it back. There’s a lot of postural responses.

“If you accidentally started to fall, if you had been trained in tai chi you would probably be better at starting to counteract that movement and regain your balance,” Winters-Stone continued.

But classical tai chi can involve upwards of 100 different movements, which can be challenging for seniors to learn, Harmer said.