Differences in Balance Related Measures Among Older Adults Participating in Tai Chi, Structured Exercise, or No Exercise

Abstract

Purpose: This study compared balance-related measures for elderly individuals participating in Tai Chi, structured exercise classes, or no exercise program. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 94 healthy, older adults (>60 years) categorized according to their current participation in Tai Chi (n = 24), a structured exercise program (n = 29), or no exercise (n = 41). A battery of functional, balance-related mesures was administered on one occasion. The measures included the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC scale), Timed-up and Go (TUG), 30 Second Chair Stand, and a Multidirectional Reach Test (MDRT). The data were anlyzed using multiple one-way analyses of variance procedures (ANOVAs) and Tukey's HSD post-hoc analysis. Results: The Tai Chi and exercise groups performed significantly better than the no exercise group on the ABC Scale (p<.01) and Chair Stand (p<.01); the Tai Chi group performed significantly better than the no exercise group on the TUG (p=.001). The Tai Chi group performed significantly better than the no exercise and exercise groups on the forward (p<.01), backward (p<.001), and left (p<.001) components of the MDRT. The exercise group performed significantly better than the no exercise group on the forward (p<.01) reach. Conclusion: Both Tai Chi and structured exercise groups demonstrated greater balance and confidence than the no exercise group of wellelderly persons, while the Tai Chi group performed significantly better than both groups for reaching in 3 directions, indicating greater limits of stability. This study was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree from the University of Scranton, Scranton, PA for DiCicco, Burke, Hoy, and Roberts, and was presented at APTA Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) in Tampa, Florida, February 2003 for the Section on Geriatrics in poster format.