Tai Chi and Fall Reductions in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background. The authors ’ objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a 6-month Tai Chi intervention for decreasing the number of falls and the risk for falling in older persons. Methods. This randomized controlled trial involved a sample of 256 physically inactive, community-dwelling adults aged 70 to 92 (mean age, 77.48 years; standard deviation, 4.95 years) who were recruited through a patient database in Portland, Oregon. Participants were randomized to participate in a three-times-per-week Tai Chi group or to a stretching control group for 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the number of falls; the secondary outcome measures included functional balance (Berg Balance Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, Functional Reach, and single-leg standing), physical performance (50-foot speed walk, Up&Go), and fear of falling, assessed at baseline, 3 months, 6 months (intervention termination), and at a 6-month postintervention follow-up. Results. At the end of the 6-month intervention, significantly fewer falls (n 38 vs 73; p .007), lower proportions of fallers (28 % vs 46%; p .01), and fewer injurious falls (7 % vs 18%; p .03) were observed in the Tai Chi group compared with the stretching control group. After adjusting for baseline covariates, the risk for multiple falls in the Tai Chi group was 55 % lower than that of the stretching control group (risk ratio,.45; 95 % confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.70). Compared with the stretching control participants, the Tai Chi participants showed significant improvements ( p,.001) in all measures of functional balance, physical performance, and reduced fear of falling. Intervention gains in these measures