Tai Chi vs. Other Exercises for Parkinson Disease

A randomized comparison suggests potential benefits from both tai chi and resistance training.

Aiming to assess whether practicing tai chi improves measures of postural stability in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), researchers randomized 185 patients with PD ranging from early to late disease stages to be trained in tai chi, resistance training, or stretching. Training consisted of 60-minute sessions twice weekly for 24 weeks. In the resistance-training group, resistance was added at week 10 and gradually increased from 1% to 5% of body weight. The primary outcome was postural stability at 6 months, measured by maximum excursion and directional control on the limits-of-stability test. Secondary outcomes included measures of gait and knee strength, scores on the functional-reach and timed up-and-go tests, motor scores on the Unif…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)