A number of interventions, including adaptation and modification of home environment, exercise, medication modification and vitamin D supplementation, have been applied for preventing falls. Tai Chi is a traditional systematic calisthenics exercise widely practiced in China. Tai Chi has been shown to be effective in improving balance, proprioception, muscle strength and endurance, therefore it may be beneficial for preventing falls among the elderly. To date, the preventive effect of Tai Chi has been evaluated by a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs); however, their findings were inconsistent. Although some authors have synthesized the results of the related original trials, these secondary studies might miss some trials and some recently published RCTs were not included. Moreover, the preventive effect of Tai Chi may vary with Tai Chi style, exercise dose, exercise duration and time of follow-up, but the preventive effect in these subgroups was unclear. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi for preventing falls in older adults by updating the latest trial evidence. The secondary aim was to explore the association between the effectiveness and potential influential factors including Tai Chi frequency, total exercise time, follow-up time, falling risk at enrollment and type of Tai Chi.
Huang, Zhi-Guan, et al. “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Tai Chi for Preventing Falls in Older Adults.” BMJ Open, BMJ Publishing Group, 6 Feb. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28167744.
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